Comments on: Please Bring Customer Service Call Centers Back to North America!

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:52:32 +0000

I understand your concern about identity theft. It makes me wonder what companies have done to ensure security in their overseas call centers. On the other hand, since first writing this post, I have had many positive service experiences with overseas employees. Who knows, maybe they read this post! LOL

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:09:27 +0000

Yes, I agree. All I get from larger companies are offshore people who want to look at all my information, including my credit card data. They can’t understand you, and I also feel uncomfortable letting them view my information, and refuse to allow it unless I get an agent who isn’t offshore, which is usually difficult since they will act like they are transferring you only to disconnect your call on purpose. Yes, I said on purpose. I find it very unlikely that 4 people from the same location offshore can disconnect a call just because I demanded to speak to a manager located in the US. I know hat goes for people in the UK and other places. If you get someone where you are, you get the service you require and also you don’t worry as much about your information since you countries law protect you. If someone steals your information offshore and you discovered this, you can’t do anything to them period. However, if someone stole your information in your country and you discovered it, you can hand it over the the authorities and they would be arrest for their crime.

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:01:57 +0000

Hi, Simon. Thanks for adding your comment. You make a good point; it’s all in the training and learning English idioms and expressions that are not that easy to learn, especially as they keep evolving.

By: simon

simon — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 06:16:00 +0000

Hi John and elaine! I’m on one of those offshore representatives. (philippines) it really depend on the location. not being racist you can distinguish whether you are calling india, china or the philippines perhaps. all of them has a communications training specially on accent. and I agree with elaine that they should train their representatives really hard. specially in india. I’m not an indian but i am hurt whenever i have a caller yelling that they don’t wanna speak to an indian. I know they have a good command of english language it’s just maybe on the pronunciation and enunciation that matters.

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:54:58 +0000

Thanks for sharing your frustration, Alex. Since I wrote this post, I must say that I’ve experienced a few positive customer service calls from overseas. Maybe companies are investing more in training. Although, it can still use improvement. Thanks again.

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:30:08 +0000

Thank you Elaine for your input on this problem. Mine differs from yours in a way but its still has the same route of frustration. I wanted to call about internet service and ask why my Broadband was not working well. I had to ask the rep to repeat herself several times and I can hear her sigh with this loud rude voice as if it was a hearing issue rather than her thick Indian accent. So tired of this crap! xcuse my french.

By: Ryan Bennett

Ryan Bennett — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:01:58 +0000

I am writing a business plan trying to get financing for new software I am developing. I am passionate about keeping my customer service call centers in the USA. However, how much do they cost compared to international call centers? Also how do I find them, because after looking on Google, not many exist?

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:30:54 +0000

Well put, Rain, everyone in every country wants to do the best possible job at what they do.
I think that striving for excellence is the only option that a person has.

By: rain

rain — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:13:26 +0000

this topic is really
interesting since i myself is working for the same industry, call center industry…..
so as an agent i perfectly understand your complaints…
i am actually working offshore fr. the philippines
and we cater american customers as a telemarketer. and to tell you guys,
we really don’t want to bother you all just to sell you stuff but it’s our job and becos you are a customers the reason we are keep calling…..i just want to tell you that telemarketers do consider customers side and feeling let’s say you don’t want to be called everyday, before meal, when u r very busy etc. but ofcourse we don’t know things you were doing before we called so we are also asking for your understanding and you can always tell us the right time and convinient time to call you guys back or you can also tell us if you never want to be contacted cos we feel bad as well when you shout and say bad words to us……
and for your information,
we are knowledgeable on what we are doing and we are monitored in all calls we are doing we have “quality assurance people” who handle
monitoring calls as in every calls……not only telemarketer but customer service account who you are calling if you have problems……….
so call center agents,
no matter where and what country you are calling philippine, india, france, etc…we all have same goals to serve our customers w/ satisfaction…….

By: John

John — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:15:32 +0000

Am I just extremely lucky? When I get reps on the phone with Indian accents, they usually speak perfectly fluent English; they might miss a colloquialism here and there, but so what?
I’ve also managed to get pretty good service from French-speaking reps in Paris (I do not speak French, I am the American customer from hell and I understand that).
Am I just extremely fortunate?

By: Matthew O'Brien

Matthew O'Brien — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:08:36 +0000

Well put Elaine. I was recently on the phone for over 1 hour with one of the largest airlines trying to reschedule my flight on account of an issue with the plane. One would think calling would be faster than waiting in the line of over 50 people to get a new flight. NO…you would think speaking coherent english for a customer service job would be a pre-req. I ended up waiting in the line and 1.5 hours later I had my new ticket. WOW…bring call centers back to North America!

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:01:44 +0000

Good points all, Jessica.
I think we should all be respectful to everyone out there doing the best they can in this world.
There is behavior and words that deserve our censor but certainly not someone just trying to do their best. Such censor is misplaced and mis-directed. That is a sad commentary when the relatively low-paid front line people just trying to make a living, have to put up with rudeness for situations created by forces beyond their control.
Rudeness of that sort is completely unacceptable and I am for ostracizing those who are rude or disrespectful to those who have done nothing to deserve such treatment.

By: jessica

jessica — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:23:28 +0000

Hi guys,
Its a very good topic to talk about.Well, I work in a Call Center too and never had worst experience then working there. Firstly, we work during nights to serve the people we dont even know and get paid what? Penuts. Its not always that we dont understand them or they dont understand us. Sometimes its just the attitude problem. They just dont want to talk to us though they can understand us JUST b’coz we are not Americans. I have not seen more patient and polite rep’s then Indians are. Its not thet all the customer’s are bad. Some of them are so friendly and nice to us but sorry to say this most of them are rude.Talking about the accent…if you go in diffrent part of america you will find so many diffrent accents that an American can get a problem to understand the other American. so why cant the Indians have??? for whom English is suppose to be the second language. I hate to say this but some times when I say “my name is jessica parker” they ask me to spell my name…who’s first language is suppose to be English. And talking about the automated system who made it anyways????

By: jessica

jessica — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:57:17 +0000

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Sun, 11 May 2008 04:44:04 +0000

I think this should be taken on as a great project by our media to expose how our political leaders distorts the market and the allocation of resources often in ways that are counter to the public good. Much of it still goes on in the proverbial smoke filled room (without the smoke these days).
The light of day needs to be shine brightly on this process. That would be make a big difference.

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Sun, 11 May 2008 03:04:13 +0000

Neil, I’ll bet there are countless government policies that stick it to certain sectors or industries. Many lobbies and special interest groups in America are so influential because of the power they yield in the political process. The public needs to learn more about this from our media. We may be giving with one hand and taking away with the other in many areas.
Varun, thanks for sharing. Poor customer service seems to be pervasive in many places. I just don’t get how big companies can turn a blind eye to it or not care enough.

By: Varun Badhwar

Varun Badhwar — Sat, 10 May 2008 07:18:29 +0000

Hi Elaine,
I have had some very traumatic and some very funny incidents.
Personaly, I would say, I had tough time dealing with Southern Accent and there were Indian Customers too, who wont budge but would want their call to be transfered to a U.S location.
But there were some good ones too, when customers would ask you, hows the weather in India and “Havin curry in your lunch..? I love it too.”
Elaine, I totally endorse your point, it should not be at the cost of good customer service.
I think,this problem is not concentrated at few places but prevalent all round the world where co.s dont consider good customer service as a means to retain their existing customers.
Dell has been the best.
Thanks.
Varun Badhwar

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:30:08 +0000

BTW, I do not think I used the word outsourcing properly above. Outsourcing, I think, simply means work done outside of the company for the company. If you outsource payroll to a firm down the street that is outsourcing.
What we are talking about in this thread is shipping jobs to other countries.
I would think that the people and governments of all countries would be concerned about such things…

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:26:10 +0000

Every country should look after its interests.
I do not know but would not be surprised at all if there were elements of our tax code that actually acted as incentives to ship jobs overseas.
Our political leaders should make sure they are *not* providing such incentives to corporations through the tax code and otherwise.
I am against government command and control (outsource if you want) but I am concerned about the influence of lobbyists on the tax code and other aspects of public policy. This influence results in distorted incentives and mis-allocated resources.
There are countless examples I know about of policies formulated to benefit a company, industry, etc., while the costs are born by others. If anyone knows of where the incentives are with regard to outsourcing, it would interesting to know more. I highly doubt the incentives are neutral on this matter.

By: John Whiteside

John Whiteside — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:02:29 +0000

Well, I’m not really making a case for moving call centers to the US. I’d much rather see money spent on testing usability of voice menus, better training for operators, linking disparate telecom systems so you can be transfered to tech support (with all your case notes following), and that sort of thing. I’m unconvinced that there is any inherent problem in offshore call centers, simply because I experience similar levels of incompetence right here at home.
I was just trying to point out that if you really believe that putting call centers in places with massively higher labor costs will improve service, you should be willing to pay for that (either by paying for support or paying more for the products and services being supported)!
But whining is our birthright .

By: Elaine Fogelin

Elaine Fogelin — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:17:32 +0000

Emma, the future sounds grim the way you describe it. In the meantime, I have compassion for people overseas who are putting in incredible hours to make a living. I can be patient dealing with language and cultural issues, but not with poor systems that send me on wild goose chases.
Sharon, your point is well taken. I adore diversity – that’s the one thing I miss moving away from Toronto, the home of hundreds of languages and nationalities.
John, you make a strong case. We whine but we’re not willing to spend more. That’s the paradox.

By: John Whiteside

John Whiteside — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:38:27 +0000

A question:
how many people would be willing to pay a fee to get service from a higher-cost US call center? How much?

By: Sharon Hill

Sharon Hill — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:14:38 +0000

I’m sorry but I just can’t agree with the idea that overseas call centers are such a problem. Yes, there are plenty of automated attendant and call center issues that are negative, but these pervade North American call centers too. So there are language nuances that we’ll have to stumble over at either end. We need to get over that. I worked in a call center in a major West Coast city for many years, a city in which 25% of the population was Vietnamese. Several of our staff, who didn’t want to be patient, would hang up on these people when they called. “They don’t speak good English,” they’d complain. “How much Vietnamese do YOU speak?” I’d counter with. More power to these people for learning our language while we arrogantly insist not to learn theirs.
I’d like the call centers to be in the U.S. because I’d like the jobs to be in the U.S. But I relish diversity, even if it’s in a phone conversation. And I think a lot of times we assume someone is overseas because of their accent and we’re wrong. I just don’t think it should matter much.

By: Emma

Emma — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:06:16 +0000

Elaine,
unless some major changes are made in corporate america- dont expect call centres to be coming back anytimes soon. It is much cheaper to outsource them, and most corporations are just looking to make a buck. And yes, its true- the customer service we receive from overseas is frustrating at times. Ofcourse there are going to be things that they dont exactly understand- due to cultural issues, etc- and the fact that these people work ridiculous hours just to make a measly fraction of a paycheck. I think we should give them some credit. I used to work in a call centre- for 2 years- servicing America, and any americans overseas. And we also had a location in India. I cant tell you how many times americans told us that they didnt want to talk to any non-americans, (which like you said- they spoke better english than the customer) and this was always after we had greeted them, and they asked us if we spoke english. Thats besides the point.
Call centres wont be brought back to north america- technology will create a more detailed VRU system- and youll never have to talk to a human being again. just a robot. And trust me- at that point, we will all be praying for someone in india to pick up the phone.

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:59:09 +0000

Of course, you must introduce me to your single friends.
The thing is I live in Portland, OR, which I would think rather inconvenient for these friends of yours.

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:55:58 +0000

Elaine, I have been divorced for more than two years. It was an amicable divorce but painful nonetheless.

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:52:42 +0000

Neil, you open doors for women? Are you married? I have some single friends. Thanks for all your amazing comments.
Shekar, we welcome you to dialog anytime. Neil’s a good blog teacher. We were all new at one time.
Varun, I’m sure that outsourcing has brought its benefits to countries like India. You say you’ve had first-hand experience. Can you share?

By: DexZeteethek

DexZeteethek — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:16:12 +0000

Interesting page., bro

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:14:57 +0000

Varun, yes, yours is a very valid perspective. The outsourcing to India and other countries has created great opportunities in these countries.
India is poised to become an economic powerhouse in its own right. India is democratic, has an entrepreneurial spirit, and many educated people.
I am *not* an expert on India but I think it is the Indian governments — national, regional, and local — that hold back the Indian Renaissance.
We in the U.S. would benefit greatly from having a thriving, democratic, and dynamic trading partner in South Asia. I think things are moving in that direction.

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:31 +0000

Shekar, I want to encourage you to speak in this blog.
This issue brought to light by Elaine’s experiences are clearly those about which there are at least two points of view.
The point I was trying to make is that it is more profitable to disagree with the ideas in a post, not attack the post itself or the choice of words (unless they are truly odious). That is, frankly, tantamount to personal criticism of the author, which we try to avoid in our business, online, and personal relationships.
Elaine’s post is my favorite sort of post: a personal experience related in open, honest terms. In so doing she brings to light issues worth discussing.
These are issues about which there is considerable disagreement, which is good and healthy. You clearly have knowledge and experience that would be very valuable to this discussion and to others.