Call Centres :D

[PJH]

Wifey heard this on the radio yesterday...
A person received a call from a call centre...

Receiver "...are you calling me from India?"
Caller " No I'm in London"
Receiver "Oh really, what part of London?"
Caller " Birmingham"

 

[prprandall51]

Excellent!

But sad in a way.

British companies are doing all sorts of stupid stuff to try to get us to accept the Indian call centres. Pretending to be in England is a major mistake.

IMO the best bit is to ask for these people's names. It is ridiculous to hear an Indian tell you his name is Mike Lewis, or Dave Edwards, or Andrew Jones, or anything like that. The call centre managers must think we are stupid, and personally I find it insulting to be directly lied to like that. It hardly is the start of an honest dialogue.

The saddest bit is that the Indian people must think that British people are the rudest in the world. I have been to India quite a few times and, not only are they some of the politest people in the world, but they also hold the British in high regard - especially for our manners (if only they knew ).

And yet, when the call comes in at 10 on a Sunday morning from Mumbai with "Julia" asking me about my level of life cover, or when I have been on hold for twenty minutes to the call centre waiting for someone to advise me on flood cover and they haven't a clue what I am talking about, I can't help but tell them to get lost.

PHilip

 

[mapleleaf]

I know what you mean ...

I think British business are getting the message though because call centres in the Uk are booming & employing large numbers of Uk staff . In manchester my business recruits (amongst other disciplines) staff for several call centres and also those that subcontract their services to major blue chip clients .

Having said that Dell computers sent me a mail shot last week and when I phoned up it was routed to an Indian call centre. I am sure Dell used to use their call centre in Ireland .

 

[prprandall51]

Yes, Dell has gone to India. The technical support side is awesome - they really know their stuff (which is amazing since they have had so little time to get up and running) but the Customer Services are rubbish. Sure they are polite, but they just don't understand enough about the kind of mind-warping problems that computers can cause to be of assistance.

Shame.

 

[Rumble]

You think thats funny, i'm of Indian descent and hearing another Indian telling you their name is Robert Jacobs when i can imagine its something like Ranga Jallusingan is way funny, cracks me and my Indian twang speaking parents up no end! Yes high expertise but unfortunately no number of weeks of training can prepare them for playing off being British.

 

[guydewdney]

yup - had that teh other day - nice, happy laughing lady on the phone (lloydstsb) who took my a/c number 8 times before getting it right, very very thick accent...

hello....my name is Sharon.... no it isn't, is it, dear? LOL

 

[Mozzer]

I set call centres up for a living and all I can say is that if you are phoning a company that you perceive to be "british" and their call centre is in India or elsewhere, it is because that "british" company feels that the reduction in service is worth it because of the reduction in costs.

Incidentally, whilst that Indian agent may not be able to speak queen's english or tell you what the weather is outside your own window, they are 1000 times better educated in English language than the muppets employed in Watford / Newcastle / Bristol or similar, most are of MBA level whereas the equivalent employee in the UK is not even on nodding terms with the english language.

Be kind / polite to these guys, they are only trying to put food on their family's plates.

 

[Rumble]

Most def agree with you Mozzer, but its the fact that they're out of the uk that is the downfall, its not gonna work from all angles. Also, I feel theres a subconscious mistrust that builds when you know you're talking to someone whos lying about their name, its not like i care what their name is really just the fact its offered falsely.

Maybe there should also be a test, if the operator can pass as a brit over the phone then they're able to use a British name or if they cant then use a familiar Asian name to Brits. Like Sanjay, Abdul, Mo, Jay, Raj blah blah blah.

The current scheme is shouting out 'we're making a fool of you and you know it too and thats making fools out of us awell'.

 

[guydewdney]

hear hear...

I am polite, but fustrated when I speak to an operator on the subcontinent... I have an unusual surname (as you can see) which native english speakers find difficult to get - let alone as a second language... then theres my address - which is a whole different ball game...

The third time I repeat D. E. W. D......... N. E. Y..... I get p'ed off. The eigth time on my account number and I start to get sarcastic.

However - someone I spoke to said that its becoming common for Indian's to actually 'christen' (sp? right word? name?) their kids with 'English' names... so maybe her name WAS Sharon... but as Rumble says - I felt like I was being laughed at / lied to... not a good feeling when its one's bank....

 

[gary350]

The downside to overseas call centres is that in my experience they have never resolved any of my problems, polite but useless.

gary

 

[mobeyone]

Incidentally, whilst that Indian agent may not be able to speak queen's english or tell you what the weather is outside your own window, they are 1000 times better educated in English language than the muppets employed in Watford / Newcastle / Bristol or similar, most are of MBA level whereas the equivalent employee in the UK is not even on nodding terms with the english language.

this is very very true.

well said mate! they have a strict recuritment process and only look for those who are very fluent in english (remember that in india, english is a second language to a large number of the population).

they should use thier names though instead of your sharon and johns.

 

[frog1520]

Be kind / polite to these guys, they are only trying to put food on their family's plates.

I don't have a problem with the people on the end of the phone doing their job.

I do have a problem with British companies outsourcing such operations and thus taking food off British family's plates.

 

[Flash]

I set call centres up for a living and all I can say is that if you are phoning a company that you perceive to be "british" and their call centre is in India or elsewhere, it is because that "british" company feels that the reduction in service is worth it because of the reduction in costs.

Incidentally, whilst that Indian agent may not be able to speak queen's english or tell you what the weather is outside your own window, they are 1000 times better educated in English language than the muppets employed in Watford / Newcastle / Bristol or similar, most are of MBA level whereas the equivalent employee in the UK is not even on nodding terms with the english language.

Be kind / polite to these guys, they are only trying to put food on their family's plates.

Very well said and wise words too...

I find their English good/understandable anyway - when I was with Norwich Union Car Insurance the staff at the UK were rude and did not understand anything and thought that one of the my W203s (Elegance) was an "Elegant" model... and when switching the car details over they had to put me on hold for ages for a relatively simple task!!!

When I got transferred to the Norwich Union Indian Call Centre not only were they polite but knew exactly what to do when again changing car details over for another new car and they did not need to put me on hold which the UK Call Centre had to do whilst they asked their colleagues in the background for assistance... Also, the people that I have spoken to from Indian Call Centres have always so far given me their real names and did not deny where they were based.

OK so it may get annoying getting cold callers but at least the ones form the Indian Call Centres are not stroppy/sarcastic when I tell them I'm not interested where I have had some very "stroppy" cold callers from the UK when I tell them I'm not interested in what they are selling...

Tip: You get alot of Indian Chritsians and they have "English" names such as David, Natalie and Antony & Matthew and I actually have met some people who are Indian Christians with these names...

 

[Flash]

I do have a problem with British companies outsourcing such operations and thus taking food off British family's plates.

You've been watching too many BNP (British National P*icks) broadcasts on tele at the election time...

 

[Ashley]

Outsourcing call centers

In the UK we have a problem with large companies outsourcing call centers overseas costing tens of thousands of jobs in UK .

Is this happening in the US. I ask because I wonder if other countries also have this happening.

 

[Ashley]

My experience of calls centers recently is;

BT: I had to ask to speck to someone in the UK as we could not understand each other, was given a separate number. MOVED

Powergen: Again we could not understand each other in the end I ended the call without resoling issue. MOVED

Over the last few years I have moved away from companies that are forsaking UK jobs for profit and will continue to do so.

yup - had that teh other day - nice, happy laughing lady on the phone (lloydstsb) who took my a/c number 8 times before getting it right, very very thick accent...

hello....my name is Sharon.... no it isn't, is it, dear? LOL

I did not know Lloyds use oversea call centers, I phone a Newcastle number for mundane issues and always go though to a nice lady called Lorraine or I phone account manager (always answer machine but he does return my call), I will acknowledge I have never phoned outside of office hours. I will look into this and if it is so I will move our bank in support of British Jobs

When I have spoken to call centers and asked where they are based they have always been truthful with me. But I do find it hard to understand them and they me (Northern).

I don't have a problem with the people on the end of the phone doing their job.

I do have a problem with British companies outsourcing such operations and thus taking food off British family's plates.

I have to agree with this, rules should be simply laid out that restrain companies offering customer services outside of the EU.

I also find the fact that it is all done in the name of corporate greed upsetting. For me one of the most disgusting trends of recent years is that jobs are lost because the company is "not making enough profit". Now fair enough, if your company is losing money, it's at risk of closure, so losing jobs may be the only way to avoid insolvency. But "not enough profit"? It should be made illegal to have compulsory redundancies unless you're making a loss or can be justified by a major operational change. It's disgusting that people's lives are ruined so that some greedy financial institution (which is what most "shareholders" are) can make "more profit".

A interesting link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3292619.stm

 

[mobeyone]

carphone warehouse are venturing to south africa and no doubt in a year or two this will impact the huge recruitment they have done in the last few months.

o2 have been bought out by telefonica - i would expect jobs to go but more at the top of the tree then at the bottom.

scottishpower will be bought out soon - depends on who? if sp is bought locally then expect huge job losses. If internaitonal then it again it shoudl only affect the top and likes of HR.

Maybe a few years from now we will then see a reduction in cc and a return to the good old days.

 

[mobeyone]

A interesting link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3292619.stm

good link - but for the indians this is a god send and a great boost to thier countries contunied growth. Guys and gals down there are alread used to long and difficult work life.

 

[Mozzer]

In the UK we have a problem with large companies outsourcing call centers overseas costing tens of thousands of jobs in UK .

Is this happening in the US. I ask because I wonder if other countries also have this happening.

There is a concept of "follow the sun" which means that from 8am - 8pm you only pay standard rate for an agent providing customer service, from 8pm - 8am you have to pay more because of "unsocial hours". So the follow the sun concept suggests that you find someone somewhere else around the globe to whom the hours are not "unsociable" and at a cost that is less than those of the initial country.

With the cost differentials between paying someone in London / Paris / Berlin or paying them in Mumbai / Casablanca / Poland, it is easy to justify outsourcing, to my mind this justification becomes harder when you are comparing with US prices, so no I do not think that the US is affected as much.

I'm not sure that the problem is that other countries are stealing our jobs, I think that part of the issue is that entry level employees expect to get too much for doing too little and because they can find people willing to work harder for less in other countries, corporations are voting with their feet.

 

[Ashley]

good link - but for the indians this is a god send and a great boost to thier countries contunied growth. Guys and gals down there are alread used to long and difficult work life.

Bottom line is, I do not feel it is our concern. The welfare of the British population and its economy must be our first concern.

If something is not done about this then people in Britain will continue to lose their jobs. Is it possible that I.T support jobs will also go in the future?

I know website builders are complaining over the fact they can not compete with the developing countries where the same work can be done at fraction of the costs due to the cost of living.

So we are no longer are manufactures and what next do we see a large proportion of our service jobs go to developing countries. Who's left to spend money in the UK, how can this not affect all areas of our lives in the long term.