In an interesting article appearing on cNet.com on December 13, Steve Tobak asks the question, “Would you pay more for better service?” In the article, Mr. Tobak implies that most Americans wouldn’t pay extra for domestically-delivered service (assumed to be superior) than they would for off-shored service (assumed to be inferior).

While I agree with the implication that American’s generally will not pay for better customer service (although Apple, with it’s Genius Bar, is a marked exception), I disagree with the implication that domestic service is by definition better than offshore service. I know that many will disagree with me, pointing to research that concludes just the opposite, but I believe that is due to other factors.

When a company looks to offshore customer service, those at the head of the initiative are often the same folks who are looking to scrape the last bit of living tissue off of the company bones. Done as a pure cost cutting exercise - often in a hostile manner disrespectful of the current employees - the solely-cost-driven process of outsourcing customer service often renders quality customer service impossible.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Customers can get the benefit of lower cost (although perhaps not “lowest cost”) by focusing on quality as much, if not more, than price and by working with their vendors to continuously improve customer satisfaction. Certain financial services companies have taken this approach, and there telephonically delivered customer service (wherever delivered) is a competitive asset. Most companies, however, look to reduce the non-customer focused criteria, such as throughput or staffing levels.

Certainly, nothing can fully replace a high-quality, face-to-face customer service interaction. But high-quality service, delivered telephonically, can be a good ambassador for your company. For this to happen, quality must truly share top billing in the company’s customer service priorities.