Chances are if you’ve called a large company to ask them to help you with your phone, computer, or pretty much anything, you have talked to someone in India. Not just anyone, but a trained professional who can help you through your problem.

Companies from all over the world outsource their call centers to India and other countries because a strong portion of the educated class there speaks English and the workers do not require as much in wages as call center operators in America. The economic theory behind the difference in wages is called comparative advantage, which is when one provider can produce something more efficiently than another provider. In this example, Indian call centers have a comparative advantage because they can pay their workers less than American call centers can.

So what’s the easy answer? Companies contract with Indian call centers simply because it’s cheaper. And if they can lower their operational expenses without lowering their income, it adds up to more profit for company shareholders.

Tags: comparative advantage, outsourcing