Outsourcing Outrage

[pro_tempore]

i hope nobody takes this as a flamebait thread. not being in the call center industry, i'm just curious... does this sort of abuse happen often in the philippines?

Outsourcing outrage
Indian call-center workers suffer abuse
by Mike McPhate, Chronicle Foreign Service

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Noida, India -- While irate calls are a mainstay of customer service work in any country, many Indian call-center workers say they regularly face particular abuse from Americans, whose tantrums are sometimes racist and often inspired by anger over outsourcing.

This vitriol has fueled a "searing anger" among the Indian employees, says Vinod Shetty, a Bombay lawyer who has formed a collective for call-center workers. "A lot of trauma is caused."

Debalina Das, 22, a computer help-line agent in the city of Hyderabad in south India, punched the button last winter for a call from the United States.

The caller greeted her with a torrent of racial and sexual slurs, accused her of "roaming about naked without food and clothes" and asked, "What do you know about computers?"

The diatribe ended with the comment:"This company is just saving money by outsourcing to Third World countries like yours."

the rest here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/17/BUGB3FPGT01.DTL&hw=outsourcing+outrage&sn=002&sc=640

[Papichulo168]

i hope nobody takes this as a flamebait thread. not being in the call center industry, i'm just curious... does this sort of abuse happen often in the philippines?



the rest here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/17/BUGB3FPGT01.DTL&hw=outsourcing+outrage&sn=002&sc=640

Majority of Indian Call Center workers have a very apparent non American accent. They are also impatient and have short tempers and poor listening skills and that is why they get the abuse in return. Because of India's caste system, most Indian call center workers belong to higher classes of society and would have that arrogant and patronizing tone that they are used to communicate with their lower caste brothers.

In my experience in the call centers, if you have developed an American accent, and most importantly good listening skills, you not only avoid these kinds of verbal abuse, you also generate goodwill for your company/client, regardless of what you are selling or doing for them.

On the other hand Pinoys' are generally malambing and culturally submissive to Westerners through the frequent use of "sir/ma'am" which generally connotes respect or submissiveness. Call center newbies usually have this submissive tone and their fear and or lack of confidence in talking with Americans are very apparent during the first 2 months. After that, as they start to develop the American accent and gain confidence, the disrespect and hostility decreases. But realistically ALL call center agents go through this abuse. It's like a hazing ritual. A rite of passage. The key thing here is to NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY.

[Blue Zoo]

Three things:

1. Indians don't sound like Americans. In fact, Americans have a difficult time understanding Indians since Indian English is closer to British English than Americans. My US credit card uses a call center in India and I have trouble calling customer support. Even just reciting numbers is troublesome since I'm really unused to the accent. I imagine that this is worse for tie-dyed Americans who have not been exposed to other cultures, hence their aggravation.

2. Americans feel very self-entitled. In short, they believe that, as customers, they are always right and that they deserve top notch service. First of all, they are already calling to complain about something so if a new call center agent does not handle them exactly right, they get even madder.

3. Indians are just as obnoxious and frank as Americans unlike Filipinos who naturally deferential to other people. So when two bull-headed people end up talking on the phone...

Basically i think that Indian call centers are generally a bad experience for a customer. As someone who uses a lot of US-based services, I always have an easier time dealing with Philippine call centers than Indian. Maybe my opinion would change though if I were Indian...

[pro_tempore]

^ thanks... i was under the impression that the indians place as great an importance on accent neutralization as filipinos do though. that was why this bit of news concerned me. if BPOs in india and the philippines strive for the same quality standards, why are the indians getting the heat?

you may be correct though... employee attitude probably spells out all the difference.

[pro_tempore]

On the other hand Pinoys' are generally malambing and culturally submissive to Westerners through the frequent use of "sir/ma'am" which generally connotes respect or submissiveness.

i thought i read somewhere that call center agents are taught to NOT use sir/ma'am too much, because it could sound patronizing to an american, which would cause them to be angry. but i distinctly recall that the article was about indian call centers...

if pinoy call center agents liberally use sir/ma'am, it's ok?

[Blue Zoo]

i thought i read somewhere that call center agents are taught to NOT use sir/ma'am too much, because it could sound patronizing to an american, which would cause them to be angry. but i distinctly recall that the article was about indian call centers...

if pinoy call center agents liberally use sir/ma'am, it's ok?

It's not really that an agent uses sir/ma'am, it's how they use it.

Notice that Americans always say sir or ma'am crisply and with confidence ("Yes sir, right away!", "No ma'am, I don't believe that's right."). Filipino say sir/ma'am in this deferential way that yes, some Americans find irritating.

[BaryaLang]

It's not really that an agent uses sir/ma'am, it's how they use it.

Notice that Americans always say sir or ma'am crisply and with confidence ("Yes sir, right away!", "No ma'am, I don't believe that's right."). Filipino say sir/ma'am in this deferential way that yes, some Americans find irritating.

Blue Zoo you are 100%, completely correct. I'm 57 years American and 10th generation in the USA of our family. We came in 1640 and have built that country. So, believe me when I say Blue Zoo has got it right!


Barry

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[thehitman]

I spent 7 months in the Ops department of PS and I never received the racist type of abuse. I did have my share of irate callers, but they were usually irate about the services, the policies, etc.

And yes, we were taught not to say "sir/ma'am". I've learned also that using a person's name makes him/her a lot more attentive to what you're saying.

:cool:

[Blue Zoo]

Blue Zoo you are 100%, completely correct. I'm 57 years American and 10th generation in the USA of our family. We came in 1640 and have built that country. So, believe me when I say Blue Zoo has got it right!


10th generation? Wow, most Americans, save for the old families from New England, can't trace their lineages that far back.

Anyway yeah, I just wish I had audio here so I could demonstrate the ways NOT to say sir/ma'am. I think it's kind of weird that I can find executives in makati that say "sir" the same way that my driver does (not "sir"(s-uhr) but more like s-ehr).