My brother had just finished his studies in mechanical engineering at the University of Mumbai, and was waiting for a company to hire him. His friends who had studied information technology had already gotten jobs, and were now meeting their former classmates over weekends at plush malls. Manav began to circulate a single-page resume across employment websites. After three months of wait that included watching TV, scouting the Internet for courses for higher studies, and occasionally playing cricket, he finally announced that he had a job offer.
Elated, I offered to treat him and our parents to thin-crust pizza with extra chicken toppings. When I asked him the name of the company, he said, “FIS.” What do they do? He was silent for a moment, before blurting out, “It is a call center, for American Express cards.” I think he noticed that my eyes had popped out. After spending four years of time and money getting an engineering degree, a job with a call center was the last thing I’d want him to do.
Comments
I often get the feeling that the call center folks don't really work for the companies they represent. They are just human barriers. For example the other day I called my car insurance company to inquire why a single moving violation (running a red light) would make my insurance go up by 30% for five years and he found a way to repeat back to me the same information I just told him only in a slightly different way. I'm not really sure what I wanted him to say-maybe something along the lines of, "Well you know, all insurance companies are going to gouge you whenever they can to the maximum allowable amount." Finally I got him to join me in an actual conversation when I asked why my insurance rate went up when I took my ex-wife off my policy...he paused and added in a thick Indian accent, "She was a safe driver, while you are not!"
The Boston Globe (or rather its parent company the Boston media group, which is owned by the New York Times) outsourced it's call center to the Phillipines and its billing to India. They keep a small group of customer support reps in Boston. This is globelization and the new world order for you. But there is something odd about calling half a world away because your paper in Everett, Marblehead or Hingham was not delivered.
And given the time and wait entailed with overseas 'help' lines .. I've gone to chatting .. Or just dropping service x, y or z .. If a native speaker can't address my issues .. It's my bottom line too (time et al) .. Companies need to realize that and bring at least the 'supervisor' jobs home to US
Imagine if they learned a southern accent or a classic Maine accent? This would throw off anyone who objects to outsourcing jobs offshore.