Call center outsourcing has reached a new low

[mickman1962]

I work for one of the largest companies in the world and this weekend I had a problem with a server in another building on site. Who was I talking to? Someone in Brazil I needed someone who could flip a switch, not read from a troubleshooting list. Still not working and won't be until someone comes back in this morning to flip the switch.

 

[Galahad]

Dell had such a problem with this that they brought their tech support for BUSINESS customers back to the US. They left the consumer tech support overseas though which shows you how much they care about consumers. Here's an article:


http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-11-24-dell-support-home_x.htm

Interesting. And with more consumers getting their computers through their employer's deals with Dell and the like.... That explains why I've never talked to an outsourced CS person at Dell. We bought our Dell's through the university where DW works so we are under their service agreement. My company is pretty large and offers a similar deal. I'll bet it's pretty common.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Gee, it's 3 a.m. Reckon I ought to go to bed? Nah!

Or is it reeeeaaaallllllyyyy 3 a.m. where you are - or are you one of those new outsourced DISers from India in disguise to help keep the DIS moving?

 

[Mskanga]

That used to happen to me with I believe it was directv , you called for something and you got someone in India saying , hi my name is XXXXX but you can call me Jake. Well, I couldn't understand "Jake".
Vonage is also one of those companies, one time I had a problem and I just could not understand 70% of what was being said to me, I finally asked if I could speak to someone in the USA and guess what? they transfered me to someone in the USA !
The secret for that? call their customer service number and chose the "choppy connection" option, that will take you straight into the USA csr's.

 

[Sleepy]

Try going into an AMERICAN military exchange (which is similar to a small department store) and finding 90% of the employees are NOT American. The good portion of those people don't even speak English and most of the ones who do, have no clue what you are asking for. I need food vacuum sealer bags...not Ziplock bags. I need cookie cutters.....not for you to tell me you have no idea what that is or that you don't speak English. If you can't speak English, how on Earth can you do your job? I would never in a million years try to get a job out on the local economy even if I qualified. Language barrier makes you useless. It's sad that the latest advice here is to just automatically DEMAND to speak to someone who is American so you are guaranteed to get proper assistance.

 

[disneysteve]

A few months ago, my MIL called Verizon for phone service. The rep had a heavy Spanish accent MIL asked where he was. He said "Southwestern US." She then asked specifically where in the Southwestern US and he said "Mexico." Funny, but I don't remember us granting them statehood.

 

[cardaway]

People from another country I can take, as long as they can be understood.

It's the script reading that I do not accept. If I wanted the script I could go to a website. Totally unhelpful, and at it's worst, totally ridiculous. In between looks to the manual I had one try and make small talk. Since I am from Washington STATE the person tried to ask me about the local teams... Redskins, Nationals, Wizards...

 

[Jennasis]

"Outsourcing" doesn't bother me. What bothers me is when I am unable to understand the phone operator (And frankly , that goes for the numerous unintelligible operators with a thick southern drawl I've come across). To this end, I am quite appreciative of the effort most companies put in trying to teach their foreign employees to "sound American". So far the companies I've found that outsource quite heavily are the airlines. Every person is entitled to try to make a living. So If a company wishes to move it's call center to Sri Lanka then so be it. That's GREAT for the Sri Lankans who may now have a chance at earning some kind of a wage (maybe not a great wage, but a wage nonetheless). It does take away from job opportunities for American workers, but there are other companies to work for (and to patronize if you don't like the ones who outsource).

If you happen to call a company and get someone in Bangladesh, simply ask to be transferred to someone in America. Works like a charm!

 

[Horseshoes]

The hospital I work at will be outsourcing their radiology services during off hours.

All tests will be emailed to India and read by radiologists there.

 

[disneysteve]

The hospital I work at will be outsourcing their radiology services during off hours.

All tests will be emailed to India and read by radiologists there.

I've heard that this is being done and I'm curious how malpractice insurance and licensing is handled. I need a medical license for every state in which I practice, and my malpractice insurance has to cover those practice locations. If those Indian doctors have to pay for US licensing and malpractice, I wonder how much less they can really be charging for their services. But I guess even a small discount per study adds up when you consider the volume of testing a hospital does.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

The hospital I work at will be outsourcing their radiology services during off hours.

All tests will be emailed to India and read by radiologists there.

Why does that scare me?
And what's going to happen the first time an x-ray gets misread and there is a malpractice suit?

 

[punkin]

I've heard that this is being done and I'm curious how malpractice insurance and licensing is handled. I need a medical license for every state in which I practice, and my malpractice insurance has to cover those practice locations. If those Indian doctors have to pay for US licensing and malpractice, I wonder how much less they can really be charging for their services. But I guess even a small discount per study adds up when you consider the volume of testing a hospital does.

They are not practicing in the US and therefore do not have US licensure and malpractice insurance requirements. They are also pretty well insulated from suit here in the US as they have no real contacts with this country. However, the hospital (or whatever US company) that contracted with them is not insulated and may be sued for malpractice here.

 

[disneysteve]

They are not practicing in the US and therefore do not have US licensure and malpractice insurance requirements.

Maybe the law says they aren't practicing in the US but they most certainly are. They are directly involved in the patient's care if they are interpreting radiologic studies. It doesn't matter if it is in person, by phone or online. I wonder if hospitals that are doing this inform patients that the radiologists reviewing their studies are unlicensed. I doubt it.