Anytime an organization is establishing additional call centers, it means that customer demand is rising and most likely, that sales and revenues are also increasing. For Amazon, all are true and the company is finding that Costa Rica is a great location to establish customer care operations.

In fact, according to a blog posting written by Erin R. on the Costa Rica Pages Web site, the local newspaper typically offers a variety of call center jobs, all aimed at English-speaking workers who are “willing to talk frustrated customers down from their angry ledges, provide technical support and offer police customer service.” It is likely that Amazon is looking for more of the same.

Costa Rica offers a variety of benefits for the American company seeking low costs in customer service. The region offers a time zone similar to that of the United States, a skilled and educated work force and a strong level of English proficiency. Not to mention the fact that Costa Rica is also close in culture and mindset to North America.

In very successful business since 1995, Amazon.com (News - Alert) has gone from a thriving book distributor to offering everything from nail polish to wireless routers. In the second trimester of 2008, the company posted a global net income of $4 billion, a 38 percent increase from the same period the year before.

The opening of the Amazon call center in Costa Rica will be the company’s ninth global location. The center will offer 300-700 jobs in the region and is expected to begin offering customer service from its offices in Heredia. Roughly 400 positions will be temporary, serving customers in the heavier holiday season.

The arrival of the new center seems to be met with both positive and negative reactions. While this new center does bring foreign investment, some critics have voiced concern over the English-speaking population’s ability to meet expectations.

According to this statement in the blog, not all are worried: “The numbers show the dimension and importance of Amazon. The fact that [Amazon.com] has trusted Costa Rica to service its ninth international location is a clear signal of the advantages that our country offers, among them the quality of its pool of employees,” said general director of the Costa Rica Development Initiatives Coalition (CINDE), Gabriela Llobet.

“Costa Rica has developed a great infrastructure that complies with our needs and has become the base of operations for other customer service centers, which means that we’ll be able to use this experience and talent,” director of Amazon North America’s customer service, Brent Jaye, emphasized, in the blog posting.

Whatever the ultimate outcome for this new location, Amazon has taken special care over the years to ensure that it delivers the demanded and expected level of service to its customer base. It is more than likely that its efforts will continue in Costa Rica.