Foreign Call Centers, Outsourcing and American's Frustration

[davidpdx]

People in India and other countries where these calls go work hard, despite harassment they receive from Americans who realize they are calling a foreign call center. I personally know someone who works at a foreign call center in The Philippines that contracts with an American company (no, I will not name the company) and have heard stories directly from that person about the treatment they often endure from Americans who are ignorant. If you want to be angry about outsourcing, take out out on the company, not the people who take the calls.

[JTFrog]

1. Because American call center workers got the kid glove treatment before their jobs were shipped to

another country, right? And only Americans are ignorant when they call for support, right? I could tell you some great stories of people shitting on me daily from around the world when I worked for Dell. And I can tell you that I expected this on my job because I was specifically TRAINED to handle it.

I'm very confident in stating that shitty treatment of customer service/support personnel is universal. Perhaps your friends could encourage management to provide better training and counseling on how to deal with the inevitable frustrated customers.

My empathy with the person on the other end of the line doesn't make me any happier about shitty customer service. In my experience, over half of the frustration of dealing with foreign call centers is LACK OF COMMUNICATION between the parties involved. No way would I be awarded a job here to support Chinese Dell users without the proper language skills. If an agent cannot communicate fluently with their customer they shouldn't be given the job. You see, when folks would call me and they didn't speak English, I'd transfer them to an agent who spoke their language fluently. How often do we get that option with a foreign call center?

Fuckin-A right I'm pissed off at the piece of shit companies that sent our jobs overseas. BUT - Do you really think we should just put up with shitty customer service to spare the person's feelings on the other end of the line? They are representing the company that I'm really pissed off at. Exactly how will not showing my frustration make things better?

[silverojo]

2. As a former telemarketer

I had to deal with this all the time. It's part of the job. If they can't handle it, they should quit and get another job that better tolerates whiners.

There's nothing "ignorant" about Americans who can't understand their godawful accent, either. If you can't communicate effectively with the people you're dealing with, you're not qualified for the job.

That's why I don't get a job handling calls from people in India. I couldn't communicate well with the callers, so I'd just be a liability to the company.

Just as they're a liability to their companies.

[SeeHopeWin]

3. I have always enjoyed my HOURS on the phone with Indian folks....nt

[girl gone mad]

4. I always ask to be transferred to someone who speaks and understands English.

Problem solved.

[Double T]

5. When we can't understand the customer or technical support person.........

because of their accent, communication becomes difficult at best. When every GD product we consume is made in Asia and every tech/customer support person we speak to is in Asia, there is a glaringly obvious HUGE problem. Continuing in this direction with jobs and products will insure Americas total demise. Is that what YOU want? Americans ca be some of the rudest, most arrogant creatures on earth; I agree with YOU on that.

[sandyj999]

6. You don't have someone taking calls that can't be understood.

One time in particular I had to keep saying "excuse me" because the person couldn't be understood. Finally I solved the problem by thanking them and going to "chat". At least the typed word doesn't have an accent.

[KharmaTrain]

7. It Shows How Little Regard The Company Has For American Workers

I have nothing personal against the many foreign voices I have to navigate through...I have worked with telemarketing and know these people are just doing a job they're being paid for. They didn't place the call center in Bangalore and they're just trying to pay the bills like I am.

My disgust if for the companies that felt American workers were either "too expensive" or whatever the reasons to move that call center abroad. I think of the many people in this country who have lost jobs so their corporate "masters" could save a couple bucks as well as not have to pay for health care, SSI or other benefits. They're using these foreign calling centers to hide behind their desks and outside of having to deal with the people they make their money off of.

It gauls me no end when I do have a problem with these centers that I can't get to a REAL supervisor...someone who works for the company vs. the call center. Thus the company can deliver substandard products or services and let the "feriners" have to deal with the "riff raff". Shame on those companies that can't face the people who helped them pay for their McMansions and nice lifestyle...not having to sweat the small stuff cause they hired a "feriner" to deal with it.

[Romulox]

8. Handling the public is part of ANY customer service job. Sounds like it's a skill that's frequently

lacking in the out-sourced call centers. :shrug:

[pampango]

9. In many countries people are accustomed to hearing multiple languages or to dealing

with people adapting to speaking the dominant language. Imperfect communication is still frustrating, but it is accepted as a part of life. Americans - not so much. If the person we're speaking with doesn't speak the Queen's English, we tend to write them off.

That said, companies who care about providing good customer service should be aware of the American tendency to be frustrated by accents and second language skills. Companies can't change the nature of their customers, so they need to provide customer service people who Americans can deal with, if they want to have satisfied customers.

Since you mentioned the Philippines, most Filipinos I know speak at least three languages - the national language (Tagalog), their local language (there are 88 of them, I think) and English (the medium of instruction, government and business). Educated Filipinos speak quite good English, but I notice they use words that have gone out of usage here, like "viand" (main dish of a meal) and "contingent" (meaning a group of people) that I don't hear much here anymore and which I assume were in common usage when English was introduced there in the early 20th century.