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In a year of bad to desperate business forecasts in Brazil and Argentina, it is startling to find an industry expanding at 25% annually. Call centers, operated by large companies and increasingly outsourced to 3rd party suppliers, are sprouting in all of Mercosur's major cities. Increased competition is the driving force behind this phenomenon. Economic reform over the last five years in Brazil and the last ten years in Argentina attracted global competitors in most sectors. They brought with them customer service standards and business methods, and the new techniques included call centers linked to customer databases. Higher levels of competition led predictably to better customer service and increased expectations. Customers now expect 24/7 telephone service via toll free numbers, all but unheard of a few years back. Increased competition also forced local companies to cut costs, which in many cases meant outsourcing non-core administration and marketing functions, including call center operations. The process of restructuring Mercosur's business infrastructure has only just begun. Call center growth will continue to outpace economic growth for at least five more years.