Outsourcing firms that handle calls from Europe, as well as other continents such as Africa and the Middle East, are continuing to remain competitive despite the economic downturn, according to new data.

Figures from Frost & Sullivan have shown that markets based in these regions accumulated revenues of €10.7 billion (£9.36 billion) during 2008 and forecast that this could reach €14 billion by 2014.

Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) outsourcing companies have been implementing successful schemes to handle costs, meaning that they have remained competitive in spite of the onset of recession, Frost & Sullivan claimed.

Strategic analyst Michael DeSalles noted that businesses within the EMEA sector have "high expectations for continued expansion plans with new and existing clients into 2009 and beyond".

And he explained that outsourcing firms can offer their clients several benefits, such as "the opportunity to gain access to state of the art technology without massive financial outlays".

Mr DeSalles added that it has become common for EMEA providers to use a range of onshore and offshore contact centres in different regions in order to offer "follow the sun" services around the clock, particularly for English-speaking centres.

Meanwhile, the Ad Effectiveness Survey by Forbes has found that 82 per cent of marketers use conversions or sales data to measure the success of their digital marketing and lead generation campaigns.