Customer Care in the Netherlands

In Europe, because of the dramatically changing business climate, the number of customer care centers has exploded. The liberalization of cross-border restrictions, the creation of advanced telecommunications infrastructures, as well as the development of multi-currency invoicing, have created large-scale opportunities for multinational companies looking for a pan-European base.

Key factors for Customer Care

For years, the Netherlands has been helping companies find the right combination of people, (third party) expertise, and technology to bring consistently high-quality service to their customers. The Dutch telecom system offers extremely competitive utility and phone tariffs, and the multilingual population makes it a preferred location for global activities.

Multilingual labor force

The well-educated, highly flexible, multilingual and service-oriented pool of professionals is the cornerstone of any pan-European customer care center. The availability of such labor is a specialty of the Netherlands. The Dutch are among the world's most multilingual people: 73 percent of the population speaks at least one language other than Dutch. There is an extensive supply of training programs and courses available.

Telecom infrastructure

The Netherlands is among the world's most wired countries with a state-of-the-art, 100 percent fiber-optic infrastructure, the largest bandwidth and Internet Exchange on the European continent, and a pro-technology government that is committed to continued research and development. Telecom providers in the Netherlands offer a wide range of services and are keen to introduce new technologies.

Third party operations

Many third-party customer care centers in the Netherlands offer such services as fulfillment, distribution, database management, registration, card validation, multi-currency billing, collection services, repairs, returns and e-mail management for major clients. Approximately 40 percent of all international customer care centers in the Netherlands are operated through third-party providers as a cost-effective alternative to dedicated centers.