A phenomenological study of the impact of knowledge intensity and environmental velocity on in source or hosted contact centres.

Contact centres exist in order to focus the final step of the intra organisational value chain which then delivers optimalcustomer satisfaction. In this paper we analyse a centre with a view to investigating the impact of outsourcing or the inhouselocus of provision. Such centres exhibit agency/principal characteristics, bringing knowledge management into sharp focus, aspects of information intensity which impact on the organisational dynamics, and the learning of the employees. A phenomenological approach to determine the essence of the activities was deployed rather than a methodological initiative based post positivistic strategic analysis. The characteristics of contact centres investigated coalesce into two distinct categories; a framework to depict this is presented.