USA Today had a great article recently about how Social Networking is changing customer service and helping the homeshoring movement.

As more companies effectively use social-media tools for customer care, it also is becoming easier to shift customer-relations resources to the U.S. and feed into the fledgling “homeshoring” trend.

Home-based workers have become de rigueur among employers to take advantage of better technology, gain productivity from employees no longer tied to long commutes and leverage the expertise of local workers.

 The article focused on the immediacy of Twitter and Facebook to deliver information.  The use a Comcast example where a Stanley Cup Game was knocked off the air by a lightening storm.  Many people found out what happened on Twitter versus reaching a busy Call Center.  Comcast has a team of 10 that communicate through Twitter.

Here’s what’s unsaid – but important.  Call Centers require verbal  and reading skills.  Social Networking require a more challenging skill – writing. 

Call Centers can script dialogues.  Some Social Networking can also be scripted.  But most Social Networking requires an ability to communicate in writing. 

We expect to see language specific, social networking homeshore jobs in the coming years.  These won’t be verbal call center agents – they will be social network agents.

And agents who are bilingual writers will be in demand.  It will also be easier technically for home based worked since less bandwidth and hardware is needed.

The article cites a report by IDC Research that there are about 200,000 so-called homeshored jobs — most of them in the U.S. — and more than 300,000 are expected by 2012.

I think this number is low – which is a good thing. 

Article from USA Today on Homeshoring http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-06-25-twitter-businesses-consumers_N.htm