Call center outsourcing has reached a new low

[Marseeya]

Don't you HATE when you call customer service and reach a customer service rep in Pakistan who has a super strong accent and reads from a script? It's just as bad as trying to get help from a machine -- no way to explain individual preferences or needs.

Well outsourcing has reached a new low! I called a LOCAL number to order a pizza and got outsourced to someone who had no idea what I was trying to order. I tried to personalize my order and she kept insisting that she couldn't add breadsticks to my order and then she got really upset when I told her to cancel! She wanted me to talk to her supervisor. I refused and then hung up. I wasn't mad or frustrated with her -- it wasn't her fault. But, geez!

OMG! Have you ever heard of such a thing?

 

[kdibattista]

This is in no way making fun of an ethnic group but I LOVE when it's someone with a very, very, very thick accent and they are obviously in another country but they have an "American" name... like Judy

 

[Marseeya]

That's true. I didn't even catch her name because I was so stunned at the call being outsourced like that.

What clued me in was when she asked when my coupon expired (tomorrow) and she kept saying it was already the 3rd of January. Mmmkay, maybe where she lives!

 

[Papa Deuce]

Don't you HATE when you call customer service and reach a customer service rep in Pakistan who has a super strong accent and reads from a script? It's just as bad as trying to get help from a machine -- no way to explain individual preferences or needs.

Well outsourcing has reached a new low! I called a LOCAL number to order a pizza and got outsourced to someone who had no idea what I was trying to order. I tried to personalize my order and she kept insisting that she couldn't add breadsticks to my order and then she got really upset when I told her to cancel! She wanted me to talk to her supervisor. I refused and then hung up. I wasn't mad or frustrated with her -- it wasn't her fault. But, geez!

OMG! Have you ever heard of such a thing?

How do you KNOW it was outsourced? Maybe they had a foreign worker at the pizza shop.

 

[Marseeya]

How do you KNOW it was outsourced? Maybe they had a foreign worker at the pizza shop.

Because she said it was the 3rd where she was.

That does tend to clue you in that I wasn't talking to the shop just a few blocks away!

 

[Stacerita]

This is in no way making fun of an ethnic group but I LOVE when it's someone with a very, very, very thick accent and they are obviously in another country but they have an "American" name... like Judy

Kinda like this, but I love when I look at my nails girls certificate at her station and it is no way pronouncable, and when I ask her what her name is she tells me "Gigi". Ummm yeah, thats not what it says there. lol


But outsourcing really bothers me too. Especially if the person on the other end doesn't understand or get what I am trying to explain because of a language issue.

I have heard of some fast food places out sourcing to India and Pakistan to "help" with drive through orders. That just sounds strange to me.

 

[bicker]

It all comes down to the American consumers' maniacal fixation on price over quality.

 

[MzDiz]

I love the way my mother handles calling customer service now. The first thing she says is "I mean no disrespect, but I would like to talk to someone in America, please" Eventually those jobs will come back home if everyone refuses to put up with it.
Grrr, outsourcing.

 

[dumboiu]

It all comes down to the American consumers' maniacal fixation on price over quality.

 

[Marseeya]

It all comes down to the American consumers' maniacal fixation on price over quality.

Yeah, well, they sure lost my business. I'm letting them know as soon as I can get to the actual pizza shop.

 

[bicker]

Eventually those jobs will come back home if everyone refuses to put up with it.

I hope so. However, I don't have much hope that people will reward the more expensive suppliers with American operators, and stop patronizing the lower-priced suppliers with foreign operators.

 

[Marseeya]

I love the way my mother handles calling customer service now. The first thing she says is "I mean no disrespect, but I would like to talk to someone in America, please" Eventually those jobs will come back home if everyone refuses to put up with it.
Grrr, outsourcing.

That's what I should have done when I had a problem with my computer and had to call HP. I got hold of a very lovely lady in India (must have been working from home because I could hear a baby crying). What I really needed was to talk to a computer geek who would understand when I needed to know how to do whatchamacallit to my thingamajig. She had no idea what I wanted.

 

[EthansMom]

I hope so. However, I don't have much hope that people will reward the more expensive suppliers with American operators, and stop patronizing the lower-priced suppliers with foreign operators.

In many instances, it's difficult to determine which products and services are actually being manufactured or performed in the U.S. My old '89 Honda Accord was assembled in the U.S. (parts were probably from all over the world). At the same time, one of the competitor U.S. cars (can't remember if it was Ford, GM, ?) was being assembled in Mexico.

Honestly, I don't think that most folks could trace the lineage of their car, computer, t.v., etc... not to mention the components of those items, or the customer support.

 

[MoniqueU]

Dells the worst. I can live without a pizza but when my laptop broke down 3 times in a MONTH and I had to speak to their outsourced reading by a script everything the OP said help people before they would send someone out to my house I vowed never to buy another Dell again. Funny how when they sell you the dang thing the salesperson doesn't speak to you like that.

 

[binny]

This is in no way making fun of an ethnic group but I LOVE when it's someone with a very, very, very thick accent and they are obviously in another country but they have an "American" name... like Judy

Me too~!!!


In my line of work this happens A LOT. I actually got a guy a few weeks ago who said ( in a VERY thick accent) "Hello, my name is Joe"

I got the giggles SO bad and I said " No, its not. Come on you can tell me, whats your real name?" He started cracking up too and told me ( though I'm sure I couldn't pronounce it again much less spell it)

It was hilarious!!!!




I know what you mean though about the local places outsourcing, someone said that their McDonalds DRIVE THRU was doing this, you spoke to the computer then paid at the window. how weird would THAT be?

 

[bigbabyblues]

Yep! I work for a medical billing office, and we have to call insurance companies on a regular basis. I know that we send our claims to a PO Box in the US for a certain large company, several different PO Boxes actually, but when I call them, the people are definitely not in the US, judging by the accents and the same thing as the OP, giving me the date that's a day ahead, etc. One told me where she was one time, and I don't remember where now, but that was the first time I realized they weren't in the US.

 

[RitaZ.]

It all comes down to the American consumers' maniacal fixation on price over quality.

That's not the entire picture.

A lot of it has to do with American corporations wanting to maximize their profits while minimizing their expenditures. American corporations, especially those in the tech industry, like having facilities in those countries because the labor is ultra cheap compared to the wages and benefits paid to their employees here in the US. Not only that, but they get top notch educated professionals in those countries. Many of these professionals are brought here by American corporations so that they can be trained by American employees, then they take their newly acquired knowledge back to their country. It's not hard to see why these corporations want to set up shop in those countries, they are saving millions of dollars every year by doing so. I could go on, but I won't.

BTW, if anyone is interested: Just pm me for the link to a funny toon that depicts the outsourcing situation.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Kinda like this, but I love when I look at my nails girls certificate at her station and it is no way pronouncable, and when I ask her what her name is she tells me "Gigi". Ummm yeah, thats not what it says there.

I had contacted Cingular and the guy on the other end claimed his name was "Neo Anderson". Ya, I asked twice and had him spell it.

At work we have several people in the company who use Americanized names. They choose to do that to make life easier then having to deal with teaching people how to pronounce their names.

It doesn't bother me that they do it and it doesn't bother me that outsourcing people do it either. The outsourcing itself bothers me and it really bothers me that they are Joe Smith from Los Angeles and try to tell me the weather is 75 and balmy when it's 50 and pouring.

 

[Marseeya]

That's not the entire picture.

BTW, if anyone is interested. PM RitaZ for link.

Too funny! And too true!

(You should probably put a language warning on that one, though -- doesn't bother me, but some people might want to know ahead of time)

 

[RitaZ.]

Marseeya, you're right. I think I'll delete the info, I don't want to offend anyone. For anyone interested, just send me a pm for the link.