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!