Bestselling Indian author paints grim view of outsourcing jobs

[Walt Starr]

Bestselling Indian author paints grim view of outsourcing jobs

1 hour, 32 minutes ago

NEW DELHI (AFP) - Shyam Mehra, 26, hates it when the Americans call him Sam. He hates it even more when his boss calls him Sam too.

That's not all. He hates his work, his "semi-girlfriend" ... and himself.

Mehra is one of the American-hating characters from a new book that has struck a chord with India's fast-growing middle class.

<snip>

Meanwhile, an instructor preparing trainees for the job scribbles a golden rule on the blackboard for handling difficult customers: 10=35.

"Remember, a thirty-five-year-old American's brain and IQ is the same as a 10-year-old Indian's brain ... Americans are dumb, just accept it. I don't want anyone losing their cool during the calls..." the instructor tells a class.

<snip>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051229/ennew_afp/afpentertainmentliteratureindiaoutsourcing

And there you have it, the real reason why Indian Call Centers are unable to properly serve American customers and thus are actually ultimately damaging to the bottom line of American companies who take a short term view for their bottom line.

Before I make a puchase, I find out where the technical support call centers are located. I refuse to purchase any product that outsources support to India.

[Bridget Burke]

1. Wise advice from the instructor.....

Any help desk must assume that the User is a total fool who must be treated gently. Even if you're in the same building.

I don't care for this outsourcing, but I'm glad you check on it before you buy. Too many Americans don't bother to check. But when they find out they're talking to someone in another country, they think it's fun to be rude.

[sadiesworld]

8. Try flipping the nationalities...

or even inserting some others. How's that working for you? Still think it's "wise advice"? :eyes:

[Bridget Burke]

9. I'd ignore the nationalities....

But any User should generally be considered as a slightly slow child, who needs to be treated with calm patience. Of course, most of the Indians I've known are pretty bright.

[GrumpyGreg]

2. I found out,twice,that if you want to purchase you get an American

They handle sales.

Once they've got you they dump you to India.

I had a very Indian service rep once who's name was Heather !!!!!!

[annabanana]

3. (lol.. I'll BET it was)

They are often given pseudonyms for customer service work....(no link, I just remember reading it somewhere - maybe Mother Jones, years ago)

[No Exit]

5. Oh, yes--definitely!!

Well... usually. The guy who sold us our latest 2 computers was clearly not American-born. But he spoke real good, he shore did!

Lately some of the help people I've gotten have been impossible to understand. Originally, when I first noticed that the help people were mostly "furreigners", I also noticed that they spoke good English. But they must've run out of those types, b/c now I really can't understand many of them, though I try.

And so, considering that they are now getting slack, I do have high hopes that Walt Starr's prediction will come true--that outsourcing will turn into a LOSS for those companies that do it. That, to me, would almost make all the trouble it's given us WORTH IT.

[earth mom]

4. Hmm...they are in essence biting the hand that feeds them....

while they also take OUR jobs. :grr:

Wonder if they know or care just how much the new jobs they feel too superior to do have hurt our economy?! :grr:

[BuelahWitch]

6. Call centers ARE modern sweatshops!

Lazy ass supervisors who refuse to take supe calls, idiotic management that requires you to quote company slogans that don't have a damn thing to do with what the customer wants, asinine QC people who dock you for not saying stupid company slogan (and are also written up if they don't give their quota of "dings" for the month.) That's not even the customers, most of whom have a legit beef. Of course, you also get the jackasses who are so mean and hateful and taking out their miserable life on the operator.

I had to deal with an Indian girl on SBC tech support the other day. Inadvertently, she *did* help me with my problem, but she couldn't figure it out right away and switched me over to line maintenance. My only beef with her was that she kept interrupting me when I tried to answer he questions. Of course, I imagine she's just been told that her talk time is too high. Another stupid ass management way to strangle the CS worker...

edited because I forgot spell check...

[bpilgrim]

7. 10=35

roflmao, must be talking to a lot of freeps ;->

peace