Just returning your call... to the UK

[oloks]

A consumer backlash against foreign call centres has led some companies to return operations to the UK. After all the talk of lower costs, where did it all go wrong?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6353491.stm

[Spacecadet]

where did it all go wrong?

never underestimate pikey xenophobia

I've spent hours on the phone to foreign call centers and never had a problem with either their english or their accent or their ability to understand me.

[reformation]

never underestimate pikey xenophobia

I've spent hours on the phone to foreign call centers and never had a problem with either their english or their accent or their ability to understand me.

You're either a fibber or you dont ring them as often as I do. They are appauling and i find communication an issue as well as their ability to deal with a problem effectively due to the fact they're 5000 miles away from the problems source. They have a script and if you deviate from it they're f*cked, it's not being racist it's just the fact English isnt their first language. Theres loads of outsourcing to Bratislava and it's the same problem there, showers of sh*t the lot of them.

[Spacecadet]

i used to have tiscali as my broadband supplier - had connection problems and had to go through their indian call center to resolve it. Spent over an hour on the phone going through all the possible causes at my end without a hitch.

Yeah they work from a script, most call centers do no matter where they're based (UK or abroad) its a lot cheaper to employ an untrained monkey to go through a script than to employ someone with technical knowledge. I've had to use UK call centers to get server support, again that was scripted, no willingness to deviate.

[scooterscot]

It went wrong when the directors put shareholders before customers. They were then followed by directors who could not think for themselves like sheep, baaaa, now they are all paying the price for not thinking for themselves.

Customers, such an undervalued stakeholders in business these – they’ll learn the hard way.

It’s a local problem requiring a local solution you IT people want to control the world with script!!

[HankWangford]

i used to have tiscali as my broadband supplier - had connection problems and had to go through their indian call center to resolve it. Spent over an hour on the phone going through all the possible causes at my end without a hitch.

Yeah they work from a script, most call centers do no matter where they're based (UK or abroad) its a lot cheaper to employ an untrained monkey to go through a script than to employ someone with technical knowledge. I've had to use UK call centers to get server support, again that was scripted, no willingness to deviate.

It was always a non starter for me, as soon as they answer the call and fekin lie about themselves being called tommy.

[foritisme]

i used to have tiscali as my broadband supplier - had connection problems and had to go through their indian call center to resolve it. Spent over an hour on the phone going through all the possible causes at my end without a hitch.

Yeah they work from a script, most call centers do no matter where they're based (UK or abroad) its a lot cheaper to employ an untrained monkey to go through a script than to employ someone with technical knowledge. I've had to use UK call centers to get server support, again that was scripted, no willingness to deviate.

I'm also a tiscal broadband user and found them absolutely useless when I had an email problem. These were the steps they suggested to solve the problem

1. Check outlook settings (fair enough, even I told them nothing had changed
2. Reinstall Outlook !!
3. Contact Microsoft so they could solve problem with outlook !!!!!


The problem was that they were upgrading their email servers - I found this out from an English call centre who dealt with people who wanted to disconnect.

[bogeyman]

never underestimate pikey xenophobia

I've spent hours on the phone to foreign call centers and never had a problem with either their english or their accent or their ability to understand me.

I am neither a 'pikey' nor a xenophobe but have had plenty of problems with offshored call centers.

While their accent might be passable, on the surface, their grasp of the English language is generally poor. They are taught to follow a script (with conditionals, like a flowchart) and cannot deviate from it.

If your problem doesn't fit the predetermined path then forget it!

[Moose423956]

When offshore call centres were first being used, and before we signed up to the Telephone Preference Service, we used to get lots of cold calls from people with obviously Indian accents, but using British sounding names like Derek, Angela, etc.

I swear, one day I got a phone call from one of them, and he said his name was Morgan McKenna.

[freakydancer]

I don't trust them Johnny Foreigners.