Who else think its snobbish of ads to advertise Call Centres which are in this Country?

Question

is that really a selling point? People whinge about people in India taking calls...what are you jealous ..that they are becoming an exonomic power on a par with the west...quit whinging...

Answer 1

at least if the call centres are in the UK you have half a chance of understanding what they are saying

Answer 2

I think it depends on what the company is dealing with.
If it is insurance and you are trying to make a claim I think people get frustrated trying to explain what has happened to somebody who's first language isn't English or don't understand the kind of problems we have in England.
I would imagine someone in India would find it just as difficult if there call centres were in the UK.
The reason the companies are using call centres abroad are because it is cheaper and not considering their customer preferences.
So to some people where the call centre is located will matter to them and for that reason it is a selling point.
The Natwest got pulled over their advert when they mentioned Indian call centres so they changed it to abroad.

Medical notes are getting written abroad and the people doing it have no idea what they are writing about, this has caused a lot of concern to patients especially when things are written in the wrong context. It is important that you completely understand the language of the other country to be able to do this and that isn't happening.

I think we have enough people in this country to do these jobs and if companies are doing it to save money they will lose customers that is a risk they are willing to take.

I would use a company that uses call centres in the UK as they understand my problems better.

Answer 3

no, its not snobbish, people dont want to talk to foreign people on the phone when its an important issue, the fact that they cannot speak english well and that they have a poor understanding of what is being said puts most people off, it certainly does me.
My partner is a customer service manager for a bank, and by far the most new customers are the people that come in and ask "do you have aforeign call centre?" when the answer is "No" they sign up. Foreign call centres are nothing but EXTREMLY frustrating ways of annoying your customers, and if you think this is the reason that indias economy is booming, maybe you should move out there and take a job with them!

Answer 4

Yes, of course it's a selling point! The only reason companies open overseas call centres is to save money....which means putting people in this country out of work. They take advantage of lower wages overseas, but the people working there just don't have the 'local knowledge' needed to answer some of the queries. I'd far rather speak to someone with the knowledge and initiative to help me and answer my question, that's the kind of service I hope for when I contact a company; the overseas call centres just seem to read off their computer screens and can't handle 'awkward' questions. It's certainly not jealousy, more a case of efficiency (and patriotism, though I'm not sure us Brits are allowed to be patriotic any more! LOL)

Answer 5

I dont agree!

Theres nothing worse than having something explained to you when you cant understand what the other person is saying to you.

I have had to make many repeat phone calls because of misunderstandings on both parts, so i appreciate a call centre in this country where i have more chance of getting something resolved quickly and easily. So does that make me a snob.

And yes, i think it is a selling point as many people seem to have a similar attitude with call centres in other countries.

However, the same thing can and does happen with british call centres too.

Answer 6

Not to be mean, but i do not think that it is snobbish for them to be advertising call centers in the US. I am not whining about people taking calls in india. I am B-I-T-C-H-I-N-G. The people in india will work for less money and less customer care. i used to work for a major call center in the US (AT&T)and they company moved the call center out of the US to India, i no longer will deal with AT&T because of this fact. If the big companies want the US dollars then they need to keep the jobs in the US espicially if they main clientel is the US people. I am not JEALOUS.... but after working for a long time for a major call center and they fire so many people because they can get cheaper labor, that is wrong. At least when the call centers are in the US and you need local information, the call centers in the US can give local help. Try finding local information from someone who has never set foot in your town much less the US. SO to H-E-L-L with them

Answer 7

Never mind the bullshit about economic powers - I want to speak to an ENGLISH person when I'm spending a fortune on phone calls to a help line, not somebody with an accent that sounds like a part-time motor boat.
You might notice, that when the same companies want to sell you something expensive, you get an Oxford accent then. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
(By the way, I assume by "Exonomic" you meant to type ECOnomic)

Answer 8

You're right, Asia is becoming an economic power and good luck to them. I speak to Asian IT people on the phone a lot and they are often very good at what they do, however, as good as their English is there are often communication problems which can be very frustrating. I've had to learn to be more patient because I have no choice but to deal with them. The general public though expect to speak to someone where there are NO communication problems. So the direct answer to your question is NO it isn't snobbish - it is a sales tactic to attract people who are worried about the problems I've outlined. We'll have to wait and see if it works though, because obviously English call centres cost more to run, therefore company profits go down OR you pass on the cost to the customer.

Answer 9

I think it is a good form of patriotism. Every time I talk to an Indian call center I have a problem with the fact that the company I am speaking with has decided to outsource a bunch of American jobs. I also get annoyed talking to some guy in India that really doesn't understand me or has an accent I can barely understand.

Answer 10

No, it's not snobbish, but it is a manipulative way of getting customers - ie. we employ English people and don't outsource. However, many UK citizens wouldn't touch telesales / support line work as they feel it below them, and those that do (students / sudenly unemployed) rarely stay long in the job. Indians on the other hand may well be paid less, but genuinely appreciate a job. *That's* why we outsource - *we* are the snobs.

Answer 11

I don;t think it is snobbish, th question is multi-layered. generally in adverts (not always) it is a black person who asks question (so they do not appear racis, eg.g. primarily many people against call centres abroad because of racism)!!!
Spatial shifting e.g. moving production to another location/country becuase it is cheaper has long been a feature of westermised capaitalism. most of the clothes we wear sadly are made by overworked, unerpaid people (and children) in thrid world countries. Comapines argue that although in comarison to Uk wages are low they are good for that countrry and enables them to save (but what about the ethics). many clothing workers and others have lost their job in Uk through this practice,, and increasingly so in call centres in UK. For many people they just want to work, and make an honest living, just as the weavers et moved to the towns in the inustrial revolution to find work, as theri industries died, so have miners, dockers, clothing workers moved to the call centres, as their tradtional jobs went, and had to embrace the new "servie industry" which was supposed to be the future!!! Only to find themselves displaced again as jobs are spatially shifted out, and people in other countries are exploited and the question of the ethics of the wages, conditions etc of those working in centres abroad is another thorny issue!!!

However maybe you don;t want to ponder too much on the consumption model, econmics etc.

For may the ethics is't the issue, for some it is because they lose their jobs again) and for many racism (they will wear closthes made by people from aborad but they won;t talk to them)!!!