Farming out Customer Service Centres to India (Or wherever)

[Nieninque]

Is fucking stupid.

The people on the end of the phone may be very nice people, may know a lot about the job they are doing, may be doing a fantastic job.

What fucking use is all of that if you cant understand what the fuck they are saying?

[CrystalTears]

Jes, I no wut j00 mean. :D

[Khariz]

heh, I've run into this twice in the last 2 days, dealing with Microsoft over the phone.

<puts on his Quik-E Mart accent> Hello, my name is Charlotte, how many I help you. <end accent>

Right...Charlotte...

Edit: OH, I got Steve the second time.

[Clove]

Room Service (RS): "Morrin. Roon sirbees."

Guest (G): "Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service."

RS: "Rye..Roon sirbees..morrin! Jewish to oddor sunteen??"

G: "Uh..yes..I'd like some bacon and eggs."

RS: "Ow July den?"

G: "What??"

RS: "Ow July den?...pryed, boyud, poochd?"

G : "Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry, scrambled please."

RS: "Ow July dee baykem? Crease?"

G: "Crisp will be fine."

RS : "Hokay. An Sahn toes?"

G: "What?"

RS:"An toes. July Sahn toes?"

G: "I don't think so."

RS: "No? Judo wan sahn toes??"

G: "I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'judo wan sahn toes' means."

RS: "Toes! Toes!...Why jew don juan toes? Ow bow Anglish moppin we bodder?"

G: "English muffin!! I've got it! You were saying 'Toast.' Fine. Yes, an English muffin will be fine."

RS: "We bodder?"

G: "No...just put the bodder on the side."

RS: "Wad?"

G: "I mean butter...just put it on the side."

RS: "Copy?"

G: "Excuse me?"

RS: "Copy...tea...meel?"

G: "Yes. Coffee, please, and that's all."

RS: "One Minnie. Scramah egg, crease baykem, Anglish moppin we bodder on sigh and copy....rye??"

G: "Whatever you say."

RS: "Tenjewberrymuds."

[Nieninque]

lol

[Gan]

Fundamentally outsourcing is something thats done every day in as small a distance as across town to across the globe. However, the implications of poor customer service due to cultural and language differences are quite serious in terms of customer service, customer satisfaction, and customer retention.

[Sean]

Although I may have some issues with the concept I've never had a problem with a language barrier due to outsourcing.

[CrystalTears]

http://www.illwillpress.com/vault.html

I'm not able to pinpoint just one, but any of the three customer support ones are hilarious.

[Sean of the Thread]

That was my biggest complaint with Dell.

[DeV]

Capital One outsources and it's annoying when I call because there are so many facets of our language and vernacular that outsourcing simply cannot teach someone from a different country with English as a second language to understand. I usually end up asking to speak to a supervisor and being transfered to an office in the states.

Then there are the medical insurance companies that outsource. Terrible.

And I just loooove how their names range anywhere from Steve, David, Linda, Janet, Mike, etc. Yeah, right.

[Nieninque]

Although I may have some issues with the concept I've never had a problem with a language barrier due to outsourcing.

I had to really struggle to figure out what the person I just spoke to from my credit card company was talking about. I shouldnt have to concentrate to understand wtf they are saying.

[Nieninque]

Capital One outsources

Thats my credit card company.

[Clove]

Fundamentally outsourcing is something thats done every day in as small a distance as across town to across the globe. However, the implications of poor customer service due to cultural and language differences are quite serious in terms of customer service, customer satisfaction, and customer retention.

Transparent communication between service rep. and consumer used to be valuable. But you get what you pay for, and businesses that outsource (overseas) don't think it's a quality worth paying for anymore.

Sadly, in my opinion, most consumers will just grumble and deal with it rather than flood these companies with complaints and look for businesses that have the same customer service priorities as they do.

[Amaron]

I had this problem with Dell.

So I started refusing to talk to the non-english speaking person and insisted on getting someone with English as a first language.

Eventually I got one.

J

[Miss X]

Thats my credit card company.


Ditto, very annoying. However.. Have you ever called BT? I've had to resort to screaming down the phone when calling them. I won't call BT at all now because I actually want to kill someone when Im trying to get them to comprehend what I'm saying and understand wtf they're saying.

[grapedog]

if you're gonna get a Dell, get an XPS model...there are some affordable XPS systems and they will soon be getting north american only tech support(US/Canada).

[Blazing247]

I have Capital One for my credit card as well. I'm beginning to think that it's a one man operation, because every time I call I get the same kid with his Netherlands accent.

Verizon uses India which is horrific (even worse they all give themselves fake English names), but the worst is calling for computer parts...to China or Korea. Ugh.

[Jazuela]

I'm legally deaf, though I can hear certain sounds and voices - if the person enunciates and doesn't have a thick accent. I actually chose to learn spanish, rather than try to decipher what the hispanic customers ordered from me with their thick heavy accents. SO much easier, heh.

So when I'm on the phone with customer service, and get an accent, I ask for the local call center number. If they tell me they -are- the local call center number, I ask to expedite to someone with English as their first language. But that local call center number is GOLD, if you don't like calling India.

[Sean of the Thread]

I had this problem with Dell.

So I started refusing to talk to the non-english speaking person and insisted on getting someone with English as a first language.

Eventually I got one.

J

I did the same exact thing. It was a multi million business account tho so I didn't feel bad busting balls to get an English first person. But even that took a good 45 minutes on average.

[Shari]

Clove's Post

Holy shit that was fucking hilarious, and sadly, so true.

[Alfster]

Charter has been the worst for me. My bill's literally never right and it's getting to the point where I'm just going to drop them because I"m sick of yelling at people who don't understand me.

[Khariz]

Charter has been the worst for me. My bill's literally never right and it's getting to the point where I'm just going to drop them because I"m sick of yelling at people who don't understand me.

Hmm sounds oddly familiar. What sucks for me though is, I have zero alternatives.

[Bobmuhthol]

Charter's customer service here owns. There's a Charter building a 5 minute walk away from my house.

[Kyra231]

Hmm sounds oddly familiar. What sucks for me though is, I have zero alternatives.


Fuck Charter sucks hugely in my part of Michigan, and sadly I'm in the same boat, zero alternative.

~K

[Some Rogue]

Charter sucks over here by St. Louis too. The day I cancelled because I got DishTV, the bitch got all snotty with me and finally said, "Oh well, we'll see you when you come back." I'll never use their service again.

[Asha]

I don't understand people that I call in this country with broad Scottish accents, so I'm fucked when I get Jaideep Hasan from Whateveristan on the end of my ISP customer service line.

[grapedog]

it used to be you were talking to some yokel in east-buttfuck...

so, i guess now it's east-buttfuck-istan?

[Parkbandit]

Is fucking stupid.

The people on the end of the phone may be very nice people, may know a lot about the job they are doing, may be doing a fantastic job.

What fucking use is all of that if you cant understand what the fuck they are saying?


Racist.

Xenophobe.

[Ignot]

Do you really have trouble understanding them or is it just a nuissance? Obviously the accent is there but if they are speaking in English I can understand what they are saying. I've never had a problem.

[Stretch]

The funniest is when someone who speaks mostly Spanish tries to get their point across to a call associate who speaks mostly Tagalog. High comedy.