Call Center Outsourcing

[Deleted472477User]

I've worked in call centers since 1998. It's not the greatest job in the world, but sometimes even with a college education, you can't always get what you want. So I am pretty much against outsourcing call centers, because it's cost me a job on several occasions, and makes it harder to get into the call center work that is available here. Also, I've noticed a backlash starting up against the companies who do use it, so it's going to start costing them eventually. What do you guys think?

[JimboUK]

Speaking as a consumer I think it's a bloody terrible idea, communication should be a priority when dealing with customers yet time and again I call these companies and can't understand what the person on the other end of the phone is saying. UK based call centres are a big selling point for me, for important things like banking I won't use a company that has overseas call centres.

[marharth]

No.

 

Both of the reasons you stated in the poll.

 

But that's capitalism for you, they make more money from outsourcing jobs.

[bben46]

A part of my job includes telephone tech support. I live in the southern US and deal with customers all over the world. The major thing that the executives who make the decision to outsource telephone support make is not realizing how important culture is to communication. The guy on the other end is probably very technically competent, however, he is having a hard time getting the concepts across (except for those who think tech support can be done from a script :rolleyes: )

 

Many local metaphors will not be understood even by people from other English speaking countries. Or even people from another part of the country who's culture does not include certain things that are common in another. Even small changes in pronunciation and word usage can be very difficult to follow. You will find yourself listening to the diferences in the way they speak rather than the content of what they are saying. When I am dealing with someone from another culture, I listen very carefully and ask for clarifications a lot. And even then there are many misunderstandings.

 

I do have a BS in Business Administration and was an MBA candidate for a year, so I actually do understand the reasoning in outsourcing telephone support. Support is a cost center and does not directly contribute to profit. However what they are missing is that it can indirectly impact profit. If handled wrong - such as outsourcing that frustrates customers, it will negatively impact profit. If handled properly, it can have a tremendous positive impact.

 

Then, the concept of metrics as applied to tech support is entirely wrong. How many 3 minute calls you are able to handle in a shift is not a good way to evaluate the effectiveness of the support. Neither is a questionare after the call or how many upsells he makes. It is not uncommon for me to spend 20 to 30 minutes with one customer and with a half dozen calls spread over several hours, with the result being a very happy customer who will be willing to buy from my company again. We have many customers who have told the boss that they buy from us because they know they will get real support instead of a phone guy who is worried that he is spending too much time on this call or that he has not made his quota of upsells for the week.

 

My company also does not rely on a 'phone tree'. A receptionist picks up every call and routs it to the proper person - We are killing our competition with this one 'innovation' The owner says our receptionist more than pays for herself in repeat business. :thumbsup: We also return calls promptly. If you don't take care of your customers, someone else will. :cool:

[HeyYou]

A part of my job includes telephone tech support. I live in the southern US and deal with customers all over the world. The major thing that the executives who make the decision to outsource telephone support make is not realizing how important culture is to communication. The guy on the other end is probably very technically competent, however, he is having a hard time getting the concepts across (except for those who think tech support can be done from a script :rolleyes: )

 

Many local metaphors will not be understood even by people from other English speaking countries. Or even people from another part of the country who's culture does not include certain things that are common in another. Even small changes in pronunciation and word usage can be very difficult to follow. You will find yourself listening to the diferences in the way they speak rather than the content of what they are saying. When I am dealing with someone from another culture, I listen very carefully and ask for clarifications a lot. And even then there are many misunderstandings.

 

I do have a BS in Business Administration and was an MBA candidate for a year, so I actually do understand the reasoning in outsourcing telephone support. Support is a cost center and does not directly contribute to profit. However what they are missing is that it can indirectly impact profit. If handled wrong - such as outsourcing that frustrates customers, it will negatively impact profit. If handled properly, it can have a tremendous positive impact.

 

Then, the concept of metrics as applied to tech support is entirely wrong. How many 3 minute calls you are able to handle in a shift is not a good way to evaluate the effectiveness of the support. Neither is a questionare after the call or how many upsells he makes. It is not uncommon for me to spend 20 to 30 minutes with one customer and with a half dozen calls spread over several hours, with the result being a very happy customer who will be willing to buy from my company again. We have many customers who have told the boss that they buy from us because they know they will get real support instead of a phone guy who is worried that he is spending too much time on this call or that he has not made his quota of upsells for the week.

 

My company also does not rely on a 'phone tree'. A receptionist picks up every call and routs it to the proper person - We are killing our competition with this one 'innovation' The owner says our receptionist more than pays for herself in repeat business. :thumbsup: We also return calls promptly. If you don't take care of your customers, someone else will. :cool:

 

This.

 

I have been on both ends of the phone, both customer, and phone tech. I never used a script, until the problem was correctly diagnosed, and then the solutions were scripted out, as some of them were rather convoluted....... It's the personal touch that keeps customers happy, and coming back to your company. Some guy in India doesn't care if you get repeat business, so long as he still has his job, he couldn't care less.

 

Tech support should be able to speak your language clearly, and actually have a clue about what they are trying to help you with. Making a customer go thru the same steps, multiple times, for the same problem, just pisses 'em off, and pretty much guarantees that they WON'T be a repeat customer. This is one of the reasons I left verizon. I couldn't understand their techs, their techs had absolutely NO idea of what they were doing, they were simply reading from a script. If they had any technical skills/education at all, I would have been quite surprised. If you deviated from the script in any way, they would be lost, and wouldn't know what to do. After being ran thru the same set of steps for the dozenth time, trying to get the 'tech' I was talking to to actually READ the case history, and notice that I had been thru it so many times before....... I finally told the tech that I wanted to speak to someone in charge. After being a right bastard, I FINALLY got someone in authority. I flat out told him that I was done with Verizon, as their customer support was pretty much worthless, and I was seriously tired and frustrated with dealing with them. I switched all my services to Comcast. At least with them, when I call tech support, and finish wading thru multiple layers of computer voiced menu's, I actually get to talk to someone that has english as a FIRST language, and has a clue about what they are dealing with.

[Thor.]

Don't call me, i'll just put you on the federal do not call listhttp://www.thenexusforums.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/whistling.gif telemarketing is the http://www.thenexusforums.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/down.gif Although for instants getting rogers or bell to help you off hours is a pain so yea I'm against out sourcinghttp://www.thenexusforums.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/confused.gif Edited July 4, 2011 by Thor.

[Sync182]

A part of my job includes telephone tech support. I live in the southern US and deal with customers all over the world. The major thing that the executives who make the decision to outsource telephone support make is not realizing how important culture is to communication. The guy on the other end is probably very technically competent, however, he is having a hard time getting the concepts across (except for those who think tech support can be done from a script :rolleyes: )

 

Many local metaphors will not be understood even by people from other English speaking countries. Or even people from another part of the country who's culture does not include certain things that are common in another. Even small changes in pronunciation and word usage can be very difficult to follow. You will find yourself listening to the diferences in the way they speak rather than the content of what they are saying. When I am dealing with someone from another culture, I listen very carefully and ask for clarifications a lot. And even then there are many misunderstandings.

 

I do have a BS in Business Administration and was an MBA candidate for a year, so I actually do understand the reasoning in outsourcing telephone support. Support is a cost center and does not directly contribute to profit. However what they are missing is that it can indirectly impact profit. If handled wrong - such as outsourcing that frustrates customers, it will negatively impact profit. If handled properly, it can have a tremendous positive impact.

 

Then, the concept of metrics as applied to tech support is entirely wrong. How many 3 minute calls you are able to handle in a shift is not a good way to evaluate the effectiveness of the support. Neither is a questionare after the call or how many upsells he makes. It is not uncommon for me to spend 20 to 30 minutes with one customer and with a half dozen calls spread over several hours, with the result being a very happy customer who will be willing to buy from my company again. We have many customers who have told the boss that they buy from us because they know they will get real support instead of a phone guy who is worried that he is spending too much time on this call or that he has not made his quota of upsells for the week.

 

My company also does not rely on a 'phone tree'. A receptionist picks up every call and routs it to the proper person - We are killing our competition with this one 'innovation' The owner says our receptionist more than pays for herself in repeat business. :thumbsup: We also return calls promptly. If you don't take care of your customers, someone else will. :cool:

 

This +2

 

I have a personal hatred for the companies that use call centers whose staff you can ask "So what's the weather like where you are?" and know that you're going to get an answer that in no way represents the weather conditions in your own country at that moment.

 

Companies that outsource to save money are ignoring that time-honoured adage "You've got to spend money to make money". This includes in-house support...whatever it may be.

 

//EDIT: I also hate those companies that think those ridiculous Voice-Recognition Menus are a wonderful thing...when I have a problem, I want to talk to a person, dammit!

Edited July 5, 2011 by Sync182

[csgators]

If people cared they would spend their money on companies that do not outsource and pay more for it. Obviously people like to complain about it more than they want to spend more money for a local call center.

[marharth]

If people cared they would spend their money on companies that do not outsource and pay more for it. Obviously people like to complain about it more than they want to spend more money for a local call center.

What company does not outsource?

 

Nearly every large company outsources jobs at some point, it isn't really fair to blame consumers for it.

[Deleted472477User]

If people cared they would spend their money on companies that do not outsource and pay more for it. Obviously people like to complain about it more than they want to spend more money for a local call center.

 

 

Agreed, though it isn't always so easy, since so many of them do it! It's coming back to bite them on the butts though, since people are starting to find the places that don't outsource and are taking their money elsewhere.