Let's think now. Why would a company put its call centre in India instead of its home country, Australia, UK, USA etc?

Could it be because it is cheaper?

Probably!

And why I wonder is it so much cheaper? Could it be that they pay their employees a pittance?

Yes it is and it has been coming back to bite some companies. BBC reports that certain individuals of ill repute are offering a year in wages to call centre staff in return for access to UK credit card details, which is probably not all that much. The looser privacy laws in India make it a breeze for this sort of activity to flourish.

It has been predicted that 200,000 jobs will be exported by 2008 for the UK alone to India, the consequence being that every UK every banking and personal finance customer in the UK will have their personal finances available for scrutiny in the third world. They must be happy about that.

Accountants Ernst & Young say

"given the volume of offshoring that is going on and the risks attached, there will be a major regulatory failing within five years".

In Australia, the USA, Canada etc, presumeably, it is a similar situation.