My disdain for Telephone Customer Service Agents in India began with an MTV documentary on outsourcing. Companies can have dozens of workers in India doing the same exact job for the price that it would cost for only one telephone customer service agent (TCSA, I'll abbreviate)Â in America.
To this day a segment of the documentary vividly stands out in my mind. During TCSA training, the TCSAs are instructed to "Talk to Americans as though you're talking to a 12-year-old." The Indians then explained that Americans aren't advanced at the same level as those in India and they must give us "slow" instructions and etc.
It is my belief that it is this very same arrogance that comes through crystal clear during these calls where many TCSAs sound irritated beyond belief. It's as though they believe that impatience is a virtue. The documentary also exposed that all agents are assigned an "American name" to disguise their Indian identity and because many of their names are difficult to pronounce.
I have had my ammo ready whenever I have spoken with TCSA in India and I have used it. On two distinct occasions when workers have told me their names are "Cindy" and "Brian" (or something similar), I have responded with, 'I know Cindy isn't your real name and that you're in India. What's your real name and how's the weather in India right now?!' I just don't like bullshit. After my accusation, on both occasions the TCSAs' voices have dropped, they've confessed that they're using fake names, and that they are, in fact, actually in India! No argument would take place; I just tend to get offended by bullshit and rather start out our conversations with honesty.
Note to all TCSA trainers: WE KNOW WHEN WE'RE SPEAKING TO REPS IN INDIA WHEN THEY SOUND LIKE ABU FROM THE SIMPSONS!
Also, although companies are saving a lot of money by having these workers take our calls, I would rather have a 9 -5 availability schedule vs. a 24-hour one or be placed on hold for a while so that these jobs can remain within our borders.
Outsourcing is a trend with fiscal benefits and it continues to pose a threat to many. I support minimal outsourcing, not firing entire staffs in America to export all jobs to those overseas. Companies can both outsource and keep Americans employed simultaneously. As you know, you can call a number and speak with an Indian on one call and call the same number on a separate occassion and speak with an American during a different call. Additionally, Indians with difficult names can abbreviate them. We're not all named "Brian" and "Lisa" and other stereotypes. Come again!
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March 19th, 2009 8:42 PM
Oh Firecracker, oh Firecracker,
I certainly feel ya, cause I've endured countless agonizing experiences with those operators at one time or another, as well.
It seems to always be someone in India or the Philppines, and it's so transparent that companies are using operators from those countries that I'm usually able to detect their thick, heavy accents in the first few seconds (as I did last week while on the phone with my credit card company).
But historically, the U.S. has been at the forefront of global capitalism, but by the same token, the notion of such is hypocritcal considering our over-reliance of utilizing foreign-based workers who are willing to work at cheaper rates than our American counterparts.
We can place blame on the outsourcing of these kind of jobs in this country to certain individuals, a subset of our population, or the policies of those involved in the U.S. government, at large. But one thing remains clear though: with the struggles of our U.S. economy, outsourcing will unfortunately continue to be a concept embedded in our culture :(
Meanwhile, allow our life expetency to further decrease while speaking with someone with an extremely thick accent, and with an alleged Americanized name, to continue..
Great post! :)
April 14th, 2009 3:44 PM
Is there anyway I can see this MTV documentary? The statistics on outsourcing would be integral on a paper I'm writing on the topic.
November 12th, 2009 4:15 AM
Jim’s 5 easy steps to stop worrying and love customer service reps in India!
#1. Understand they know nothing.
#2. Find comfort in the BS they’re reading off their screen to pacify you. #3. Don’t get your hopes up when they say cheerfully that your problem will work itself out in about 24 hrs. This is never true.
#4. Simply prepare for disappointment! They are 8,000 miles away from anyone who can fix your problem.
#5. Next time take the hint! There's a reason you had to navigate through 8 menus and hold for 20 minutes to speak to a rep. You were supposed to have already given up!
November 24th, 2009 10:59 AM
What we ALL need to do, when presented with an customer agent based outside the US, is ask the foreign representative to be connected with an agent in the States.
They usually become agitated and want to argue with you about how "they" are all on the "same system" and talking to them is no different than talking to someone in the states, but I insist that I am transferred and eventually I am.
Now, I am usually put on hold for some annoying amount of time, but in the end I have, to date, been able to speak to someone living in one of our fabulous 50 states.
November 30th, 2009 5:46 PM
So the Indian TCSA's are supposed to talk to Americans like we're 12-year-olds? That would explain why they try to sound superior to the customer.
Nothing is funnier than when I ask one of these "smarter" Indian TCSA's a question that's not covered in their script and they either grow silent or try to BS an answer. Then they get really quiet when I demand to be transferred to someone in America.
Instead of outsourcing jobs to India, why don't they just hire 12-year-old Americans. In my experience, the kids are more knowledgable.
December 23rd, 2009 9:12 PM
If they only knew...they're the ones who are being duped at the low wage, just ask any Indian Graduate student how much more they make here--otherwise why would they fight tooth and nail for a work visa when they could do the same job from India; if their country is so great why are they so arrogant when more than half their population lives on substandard wages and they still have slavery?