I am so $%^*ing sick of offshore telephone support

Just got finished trying to change a car reservation on Orbitz. I had to deal with an obviously-offshored "customer assistance" representative. His English was passable, but he couldn't understand complicated sentences, and I had to slow down so he could follow along. He was also vaguely rude and smarmy, and I constantly had the feeling that I was dealing with someone who didn't really have any interest in helping me.

I have had a similar experience probably ten times in the past year and I am ::Censor:: sick of it! You want to send jobs to India (or wherever) to save money, fine, but hire someone who is actually fluent in English and who has a decent work ethic. Don't give me some snotty, half-baked dip::Censor:: who I have to work hard to communicate with.

What happened to Carrie, the nice girl from Iowa who I always used to get when I called customer service? It seems she's been replaced by "John" and "Steven" and "Melissa" from God-knows-where. I'm sure they're technically proficient in English, but talking on the phone is an especially difficult environment in which to understand someone. You don't have body language or lip reading to help you. 95% of the offshored reps I've dealt with are noticeably worse than what you usually get from native English speakers.

For the record: this isn't intended to be racist in the slightest. I don't care where you're from or what color your skin is. I just want you to be able to help me in a professional, friendly, and efficient manner. Offshored call centers are not yet up to snuff on these fronts.

::Censor::

::Censor::

S.

Agreed.

http://hometown.aol.com/darktemplar0...w_from_box.jpg

But yeah... I have to work with our "offshore" software developers on a daily basis and fluent English does make it easier. And by fluent, I mean understands the jargon and slang of our business.

Amen. If we as a country don't change this stupid ::Censor:: ing craze, we'll end up as the next 3rd world country.

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Originally Posted by srivendel

His English was passable, but he couldn't understand complicated sentences, and I had to slow down so he could follow along. He was also vaguely rude and smarmy, and I constantly had the feeling that I was dealing with someone who didn't really have any interest in helping me.

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You sure you weren't talking with Altiain, sounds so familiar! ::Rimshot:







Try the Veal! ::Clown::

I read somewhere that McDonald's is test marketing Off-shore drive through... You give your order to someone in India who enters it into the computer so the teenager inside only needs to take the money and hand you the food. :rolleyes:

It's true... it's being used now in the Pac Northwest...

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Originally Posted by Titus

I read somewhere that McDonald's is test marketing Off-shore drive through... You give your order to someone in India who enters it into the computer so the teenager inside only needs to take the money and hand you the food. :rolleyes:

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What is the point of that? I mean they have to hire employees in another country and have the software and networking hardware to link it up. Wouldn't cost more than it would save?

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Originally Posted by blackzx3_13

What is the point of that? I mean they have to hire employees in another country and have the software and networking hardware to link it up. Wouldn't cost more than it would save?

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Not really... McDonalds (like most big corporations these days) likely already had offshore operations for other things like programming and billing, so everything was already networked. The pay window computer already interfaces with the food window terminal and the food preparation monitors, and I am sure that these terminals are all connected to the same corporate network that stretches all the way to India. The ordering speaker could connect to India over the same network almost as easily as it connects to the wireless headphones they all wear.

During busy times, there is someone taking orders, someone taking money, and someone handing out the food. The problem is, they only need this many people during peak hours, but you can't pay someone to work just the 2 hour lunch rush. If they can shift orders off shore for $1 an hour for two hours, rather than paying a kid $6/hr for a 8 hour shift, they save $46 a day per store. It is always lunch somewhere so the guy in India can simply follow the lunch rush through the time zones.

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Originally Posted by Titus

The pay window computer already interfaces with the food window terminal and the food preparation monitors, and I am sure that these terminals are all connected to the same corporate network that stretches all the way to India.

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I am not sure about this. Alot of corporate restaurants are wired to the network, but mainly to transfer sales reports, and payroll etc. It would take quite a bit of work to get the network to see every single order for every single MCdonalds.

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Originally Posted by Majik

I am not sure about this. Alot of corporate restaurants are wired to the network, but mainly to transfer sales reports, and payroll etc. It would take quite a bit of work to get the network to see every single order for every single MCdonalds.

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Granted, I know little about the restaurant business. I was comparing it to bank teller terminals that where transfered from specialized teller networks onto the corporate networks several years ago.

Well you can never underestimate Mcdonalds. It just seems like alot of information to transfer back and forth. At the bank, how much info is transferred? Each transaction? End of day counts? I also know little about banks. But I would guess Mcdonads doing this, would be similar to someone in india being able to tell which bills were just deposited into someones account. And quickly too, because people are waiting in line.

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Originally Posted by POS Racing

You sure you weren't talking with Altiain, sounds so familiar! ::Rimshot:

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Now that is funny! :nutkick:

S.

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Originally Posted by Majik

Well you can never underestimate Mcdonalds. It just seems like alot of information to transfer back and forth. At the bank, how much info is transferred? Each transaction? End of day counts? I also know little about banks. But I would guess Mcdonads doing this, would be similar to someone in india being able to tell which bills were just deposited into someones account. And quickly too, because people are waiting in line.

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You would be amazed... you can take money out at an ATM or from a teller and see the transaction via online banking within seconds. If someone deposits a check you wrote, you can log in and see scans of the front and back in less than 24 hours.

It's totally believable... those who don't think that we're in a global economy should at least take a look at the McDonald's model.

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Originally Posted by Majik

I am not sure about this. Alot of corporate restaurants are wired to the network, but mainly to transfer sales reports, and payroll etc. It would take quite a bit of work to get the network to see every single order for every single MCdonalds.

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Actually all it would probably take would be some software upgrades on the registers and connecting up the intercom system to an E&M voice module on a router.

G.729 codec voice traffic takes up 24k of bandwidth on an IP network... and the ordering info would be even less traffic than a typical credit card transaction. You probably don't even have to upgrade the existing WAN connections - all you need is to add some QoS settings so the voice traffic has priority and POOF!

RJ

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Originally Posted by channelmaniac

G.729 codec voice traffic takes up 24k of bandwidth on an IP network. . .- all you need is to add some QoS settings so the voice traffic has priority and POOF!

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Thats all greek to me.::Blink::

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Originally Posted by channelmaniac

Blah blah needs a new flux capacitor blah blah

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:confused: :scratch:

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Originally Posted by Titus

You would be amazed... you can take money out at an ATM or from a teller and see the transaction via online banking within seconds. If someone deposits a check you wrote, you can log in and see scans of the front and back in less than 24 hours.

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Yeah I guess I didnt think about that. I use the same thing everyday. And with channel's explanation it is technically possible. Ill go with the idea that it is a horrible idea for a resaurant. Customer service it what makes or breaks a restaurant. More specifically a lack of customer service can break a resaurant. Think about what if Mcdonalds people got the order wrong all of the time? Would you go there again or the Jack in the Crack on the opposite corner.

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Originally Posted by Majik

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Originally Posted by channelmaniac

Blah blah needs a new flux capacitor blah blah

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:confused: :scratch:

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Now that's freakin' funny! :mrgreen:

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Originally Posted by altiain

Now that's freakin' funny! :mrgreen:

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OK...

So much for engineer talk... I'll dumb it down to salesperson levels... ::Clown::

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Originally Posted by Majik

Yeah I guess I didnt think about that. I use the same thing everyday. And with channel's explanation it is technically possible. Ill go with the idea that it is a horrible idea for a resaurant. Customer service it what makes or breaks a restaurant. More specifically a lack of customer service can break a resaurant. Think about what if Mcdonalds people got the order wrong all of the time? Would you go there again or the Jack in the Crack on the opposite corner.

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It's one of Corporate America's dirty little secrets, and they are willing to bet that you won't figure it out. Do you ever really pay close enough attention to tell which employee you were speaking to? Was it the guy from window one or the guy from window two? Chances are that 99.9% of customers will assume they spoke to one of the guys from the windows.

The other day I had to call our internal Computer Support line that is managed by Plano based EDS. While making small talk, I asked the woman on the phone where her call center was located. Alberta, Canada. Those tricky bastards!

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Originally Posted by blackzx3_13

Thats all greek to me.::Blink::

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The term is Geek not Greek ;)

Look around guys....This is the next "Third World Country"....http://www.starbase1.co.uk/downloads/no2.gif

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Originally Posted by riverracer

Look around guys....This is the next "Third World Country"....

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I dare ask... how so?

In my opinion before too very long there will be no more middle class. Just the very rich and the very poor. That to me will be third world. I realize that is only one fairly old man's opinion.

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Originally Posted by channelmaniac

I'll dumb it down to salesperson levels... ::Clown::

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Thank you. ;)

S.

if you think that's bad.. try talking to travelocity... Never in my life an I going to order anything thru that f'n company again...


FWIW, the DISH network guy wouldn't tell me where he was when I asked... And i think he was in teh US even...

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Originally Posted by rx7gslse

FWIW, the DISH network guy wouldn't tell me where he was when I asked... And i think he was in teh US even...

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Hmmm... I asked my friend Yahoo! and he said this:

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Originally Posted by Yahoo!

According to http://www.ccnews.com/enews/2004.06.01/story2.htm, Dish Network operates call centers in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey... They are also expanding - adding 1,000 new jobs to their Tulsa, Oklahoma center.

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Welcome to my life. One little trick I have devised is this: When you obviously get someone in India or wherever, keep telling them you cannot understand their accent. I usually tell them I am from the South and cannot understand proper English. They will eventually transfer you to someone stateside. Works most of the time.

Heh... I think they heard us bitching...

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Originally Posted by channelmaniac

Hmmm... I asked my friend Yahoo! and he said this:

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Good to know.. We were just talking about weather while my new box was DL'ing some programming and all he could tell me was that he was 'North' of me.

FWIW, I thought DISH telephone support was excellent! About the only positive experiance I've had in a long time with calls...

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Originally Posted by tailchaser

Heh... I think they heard us bitching...

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It's BS for people to get racist about it. That's a shame, and a poor reflection on us as Americans. But, I do stand by my original comments: the workers need to speak American English like an American speaks it. Otherwise there are too many missed cues, misunderstandings, and too much frustration.

*sigh* Notice that the article never blames the companies for making the move to India too quickly. Instead it focuses solely on the customers, and doesn't differentiate between those who are frustrated and those who are racist ::Censor::.

S.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by srivendel

It's BS for people to get racist about it. That's a shame, and a poor reflection on us as Americans. But, I do stand by my original comments: the workers need to speak American English like an American speaks it. Otherwise there are too many missed cues, misunderstandings, and too much frustration.

*sigh* Notice that the article never blames the companies for making the move to India too quickly. Instead it focuses solely on the customers, and doesn't differentiate between those who are frustrated and those who are racist ::Censor::.

S.

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Well... note where the article was printed... not that there's anything fanatically left-wing about SF, or anything...