Your take on call center outsourcing

[jraf 0]

http://www.callcentermovie.com/movie/movie2.html

See above example for help in you decision making

jraf

Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui.
Muff #3275

[NWFlyer 2]

Ah yes, a perfect Bonfire topic.

Call centers in general have gotten pretty bad, regardless of where they are located. Outsourcing hasn't helped since often you add language barriers on top of limited training.

I had to return an item to Land's End (catalog and internet retailer based in Wisconsin) and I was caught off-guard when the phone was answered immediately by a live human (with a lovely Wisconsin accent, to boot), who said "Hello, Land's End."

I haven't been able to get to a person without pushing at least 3 or 4 buttons in forever!

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[ACMESkydiver 0]

I cancelled MCI because I couldn't get someone to speak English with me on their customer service line.

All they did was read these cheesey scripts and when I kept telling them 'You're not answering the question I just asked you' they'd read the same damn script again, like somehow it would magically work this time!

They transferred me to 6 different people and each one read the SAME DAMN SCRIPT!!! I got so frustrated I told them to connect me to someone in the US or cancel my service.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[Buried 0]

yeah it's rather interesting how they are told to take up names and accents to make us feel more comfortable. the funny thing is that it is easy to tell and if you ask them where they are located they are told to tell you. There's a few chapters about call centers in "the world is flat". interesting read.

Where is my fizzy-lifting drink?

[NWFlyer 2]

To be fair, though, you'll get call center reps that are just as scripted in the U.S. Wages suck, turnover is high, and training is weak. Very few companies put the kind of money into call centers that they should. Done right it's a huge advantage in the market, but too many try to do it on the cheap.

I think we're already seeing some companies pull back from outsourcing as they realize that they are not able to provide as high a level of service.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[sunshine 2]

Whenever i can tell i'm talking to someone in India i flat out ask "where are you calling from?" And they do say India. At which point i say, well get me someone that speaks English clearly so i can understand them please.

___________________________________________
meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

[howardwhite 6]

I cancelled Earthlink DSL for the same reason.
Haven't had to call Verizon support yet. Hope they speak English.

[eeneR 3]

I am going to try and stay off the soapbox on this...

Readers digest version. I lost my job twice so the company could outsource and save money.

I have had to deal with both personally and professionally outsourced call centers from the technical end. IT SUCKS ASS!!!!!!!!

She is not a "Dumb Blonde" - She is a "Light-Haired Detour Off The Information Superhighway."
eeneR
TF#72, FB#4130, Incauto

[normiss 800]

I second that emotion!

IT has been one fucked up industry!

[PLFXpert 0]

Outsourcing is fantastic--just not for call centers, imo.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[shropshire 0]

Outsourcing does not only affect The Unites States of America, it's an international issue and it's not just Call Centres either.

Also, our jobs are not being taken, by the likes of India, China etc.. They're being sold by our companies, the ones that have loverly signs in their receptions saying stuff like "Investor in People".. But that's the free market economy for you.

My job is 'At Risk' at the moment and I'm really happy to help may manager meet his staff reduction targets

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[PLFXpert 0]

Not all outsourcing involves jobs and/or people outside of the country.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[shropshire 0]

Somewhat true, but internal outsourcing does not adversly affect the balance of the economy... unlike external outsourcing....

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[PLFXpert 0]

Quote

Somewhat true

No, definitely true.

But, I understand what point you are trying to make--I just didn't want those who aren't too familiar with the topic to assume, by your comments, all outsourcing was the "external" kind.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[shropshire 0]

The somewhat part relates to external companies working within our borders (Infosys, for example), so some of the finance remains in country, but not all.

But, I've also worked as a self employed IT contractor, so have been part of the Internal Outsourcing community.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[jraf 0]

I have to admitt that when I hear an obvious indian accent I immediately demand to be transfered over to a US supervisor. Reason is twofold:

a) the Indians have no competency to solve problems

b) I want the company to know that outsourcing is not worth it.

jraf

Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui.
Muff #3275

[PLFXpert 0]

I see what you mean.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[shropshire 0]

I can't agree with either of your statements.

(1)The Indians that I work with are highly educated, motivate and equally as competent as local staff

(2) As far as a lot of companies are concerned, their bottom line shows that outsourceing does (currently) work, if only from a financial standpoint... local staff morale on the other hand is a different story

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[jcd11235 0]

Quote

a) the Indians have no competency to solve problems

You've not known many Indians, I take it?

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

I have to admitt that when I hear an obvious indian accent I immediately demand to be transfered over to a US supervisor. Reason is twofold:

a) the Indians have no competency to solve problems

b) I want the company to know that outsourcing is not worth it.

It's not necessarily competency as it is training and relationship to the company for which they are providing service. Give someone a script and tell them to follow it to provide customer service, and you're going to get the same result whether you send the work to Bangalore or Boise or Brussels.

Language barriers don't help the situation and can be a contributing factor.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[ChristianH 0]

Quote

I have to admitt that when I hear an obvious indian accent I immediately demand to be transfered over to a US supervisor.

I work at a call center in the US and I have an accent. I can not tell you how many times customers ask me if I am indian and its not even close!

So if you think that you can easily recognize an indian accent or if you believe that just because someone has an accent they are not in the US or unable to help you then you need to go out more.

[cpoxon 0]

Quote

I have to admitt that when I hear an obvious indian accent I immediately demand to be transfered over to a US supervisor. Reason is twofold:

a) the Indians have no competency to solve problems.

I'm moving this to SC

Edit: What's a jagdesh? Is it a term likely to offend?

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

[happythoughts 0]

Quote

(2) As far as a lot of companies are concerned, their bottom line shows that outsourceing does (currently) work, if only from a financial standpoint...

US call center employee - $10/hr + benefits.
Indian call center - $1.85/hr.

Pay scale all the way through is 1/6th.

The companies realize that if you are pissed off, you will:
a- Give up on calling customer service.
b- Eventually figure it out.
c- Change companies.

Since the customer bill may only be $50 a month, the loss of 500 customers is peanuts compared to the million or so that they save. Therefore, they don't actually care.

I have worked for most of the Telecoms. Most of the telcomms and most banks are over there now.

And regardless of some smarmy PR piece in a magazine, they don't care about customer service.

[freethefly 6]

LOL, sometime back I bought a HP scanner, printer, copy and fax. $170.00 at best buy. It didn't work. Best buy said that it was out of their hands and that I should call Hewlitt Packard. I call and I find myself talking to someone with broken english. Through most of the conversation this yahoo is trying to sell me ink for a printer that does not work. Finally he gets on track and says that they will send me a new printer. The printer arrives. The lid is all screwed up. Makes me mad. I look at the label for the S.N. and see that it is a refurbished model. I am not happy. I call HP and again get someone who is more concerned with selling me products for an item that does not work. I tell this moron that I am through with talking to idiots such as himself and that I want to speak with his supervisor. I tell the sup that I am not at all happy with what they sent. He agrees and says that they will send a new product. New product arrives. Not new but, again, refurbished and it jams up while printing. Another call to the idiots in India. Again, more of the same. Another piece of crap arrives and it does not even power up. Once again, I am on the phone but, I am not going to listen to some dipshit wishing to sell crap that I do not need. I go through several people before someone would give me the number to the U.S. corporate office. I explain what has happened. He checks the records on this and agrees that I have been given the run around and tells me that he will personally see to it that I will get a new printer that day and that he will also upgrade to a better model. Within two hours a truck from BestBuy pulls into my drive and delivers a $350.00 printer, scanner, copy and fax and it works just great. The lesson that I learned is to tell the asshat on the other end to shove the sell pitch and to give me the corporate number. You want to get shit done? Go to the top.

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[Zenister 0]

generally my first question when calling ANY tech support line is

"hi! i'm having a problem..is there anywhere i can get a softcopy of the troubleshooting manual/flowchart you are about to attempt to walk me through???"

nothing annoys me more than hearing tech support flip thru the manual... if that is your answer.. SEND ME THE F'N manual.. i probably read faster than you do anyway....

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.