TheBigMan

Typical.

To anyone on here that thinks that pikey companies putting call centres in the depths of world depravity in order to save a few quid to the detriment of customer service and UK employment - stick this in ya pipe and fecking smoke it.

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

Foreign call centres - waste of time and a sure sign of a CRAP company.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005280724,00.html

bobn3

And of cause you belive it, cause the Sun never makes **** up????

boxst

Hello

There will be a backlash at some stage in the future. Certainly NatWest are already using the UK call center as a differentiator from the competition.

I have some involvement with setting up these things, and most of them are secure but even I do not like to be spoken to by someone called "John" who I can hardly understand and doesn't understand my answers.

Steve

paul-s

I think it does the company no favours, if they offshore to save a few quid how many peoples' business are they going to lose because theyre now looked upon as a cheap pikey company I think of any company as crap if i end up speaking to someone who cant understand me and ill try and do business with someone else if possible instead.

I wouldnt say its made up just cos its from the sun, you cant just pull stories out of your ***, theres got to be something to substantiate their claims.

TheBigMan

This was highlighted by the Sun and being subsequently reported across all media.

No, i don't *always* believe the Sun however when something is backed up with evidence I don't care from what source it comes.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I'm happy to slate overseas call centres (especially one of the major computer companies!!!), but lets not forget the UK ones.

I just spoke to a major banking company in the UK, I was on hold for 10 minutes, and when I got through they were unable to give me my details as they were "too busy". The guy I spoke to sounded young, fumbled his script several times, had a crap telephone manner, was one step away from calling me mate, and had no idea what customer service was!!

I bank with First Direct, who may be owned by HSBC, but have always had a UK call centre.

boxst

Hello

All the calls are recorded, take a note of the agents name, the approximate time and ask to speak to the manager. They can then dig out the call and listen to the way in which you were dealt.

Steve

TheBigMan

Difference is, they were probably just busy, you got as trainee and was unsure of what to do.

They can be trained.

A Bangladeshi flood victim can't be trained to to be understood by us.

Companies - take note, it was a good idea but it just doesn't work.

paul-s

yea dell's call centre service is crap

Dracoro

All I want is call centre staff that understand me and vice versa. About 90% of the time, the worst ones IME are the UK ones. Many of them with string regional accents make no effort to 'de-regionalise' their accents so I can understand them, they then get uppity coz I can't make out what they're saying. Many Indian call centres have far greater english skills in that they are clearly understood and in addition the politeness is sometimes second to none.

No doubt there are good UK ones and bad overseas ones as well. If that's the case then vote with your 'feet' and take your trade elsewhere. Most of you won't though as it's doesn't really bother you enough to do such a thing.

It's just a trade thing. After all, how many of you buy a foreign built and financed car? Personally I'll just go with who's best for me, if I don't like what they do then I'll go elsewhere. Simple.

TheBigMan

I went with Elephant (insurance), needed to talk to someone regarding my policy.

Wasted 25 mins, going around in circles being asked questions that were obviously from a script. I recall answering the same question on multiple occasions. All that was needed was a degree of common sense and a fundamental grasp of the English language. BOTH, I'm afraid were conspicuous by their absence.

Insurance cancelled, went to reputable company - no problems.

DISCLAIMER - My problem is with the companies, not the foreign staff. At least they want to work which is better than many lazy bludgers in this country.

Jap2Scrap

lol.. Had to call Capital One last night about my credit card. Waited a reasonable amount of time before being connected to Robert Never has a Robert sounded like that.. Anyway, the call was actually ok, he answered my query (though to be fair you do kinda have to estimate what the sentences are from the 3 out of 4 words you catch) and after asking if there was anything else I required the call ended..

Me: "Cheers mate, have a good'un."
Him: "Cheers mate, have a good'un." in thick Indian accent.

PMSL

TheBigMan

"Cheers mate have a good 'un please very good"

gsm1

You people must be stupid if you can't understand a call operator in India. I've never had any trouble understanding them. Most UK call centres I've spoken to are situated in Scotland or Northern Ireland. I've had no trouble with them either but if you can undersand their accents any better then there must be something wrong with you.
As for English, those operators in India would p*ss all over you when it came to proper English and most are graduates. It's hilarious when I see the SN users who can't even string a sentence together properly in English complain about others.

TheBigMan

Steady gsm1 - perhaps you've just had better experiences cos thus far mine have been terrible.

They may be graduates but if so, why do they work answering phones??

Also, if it was an Indian company with a UK call centre they would jave just as much cause for complain if we couldn't be accurate talking their languaue. Again, it's the companies - not the people I have the problem with.

astraboy

I dont have a problem with Indian call centres in principle.
What I do have a problem with is Indian Call centres filled without exception with retards and idiots who cannot understand what I'm saying and when they give me an answer the problem is reversed.
astraboy.

Richard_P

I've spoken to numerous call centres based in india, Some of the people I can understand easily and others I cannot. It sticks in peoples minds when they can't though.

As for customer service in this country, it's probably because the people in them don't give a toss as they're being paid £6 an hour. Everyone in this country wants 24 hour service on the phone but nobody wants to work in a call centre to provide it - This leads to crap service.

Brendan Hughes

Ah yes, but when they then ship it abroad to graduates in India they are stealing jobs from the English, no?

Richard_P

No.

Nobody wants to do it, so why not ship it abroad where the job is considered a good career.

davegtt

mixture of experiences here. last 1 I spoke too was brilliant, very polite and had a very good understanding of the language and easy to understand. most of the othe times though have been a nightmare.... some really simple questions like

me: Id like to change my car on the insurance policy please
them: You want 2 cars on the insurance?
me: No, just take the old car off and add the new car
them: Im not sure I understand what you require sir
me: look you insure me on xxxxxxx car. I dont own it anymore. I own this car, can I insure it please...
them: so you want to cancel your policy

I just hang up and ring back hoping to get someone with a bit more brains....

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

The problem with overseas call centres is they can't understand you. If your question or problem doesn't match with their rehersed script, they are totally useless. With standard stuff they are usually ok (admitedly you do get some right ones...better off hanging up and starting again and prey you get somebody different the next time ). But anything technical - forget it, they lack the english and training to go any further than the basics.

And don't think the UK call centres get off so easy. They understand what your saying alright. But the problem is here they don't give a f**k - and that is the typical attitude. If you have a REAL problem or something to difficult or more than their jobsworth to sort out. Then they'll happily fob you off or send you into a game of call transfer-tennis so they can take a call which doesn't require them to use their brains. It's beacuse of these useless jobsworths and their ****e productivity, low retuns and inflated (cheers Tony) salary that made the penny pinchers move things overseas in the first place

InvisibleMan

ive posted this before but for those who missed it. Its very funny

Tech Support

davegtt

very good

Jap2Scrap

Following up; I've just been chatting to my office colleague, a Bradford guy as Yorks at it gets but from an Indian heritage. He visits India occaisionally and also watches the Indian TV channels where recently the Indian version of Oprah was interviewing some teenagers and graduates with relation to call centre work.

The reason these graduates work in call-centres is that they can earn many times the average wage there. £50 pcm is not unusual and that's upwards of 5 times the average salary. The good ones know the English language inside out and can often identify where we are in the country from our dialect. They revise things such as storylines in Eastenders, Corrie and Emerdale and often know the regional weather for the day, to your region not just the country!

Some of them work ever so hard because they know at the end of the day they get paid well and the best can almost command their own wage rises.

Like anything though, you get good and bad which is why we've all had experiences of both. No one's likely to come on here and start a post saying, "Phoned a great call centre last night!"

As for slating their English, no way. It's the accent that gets me usually but I have that trouble when talking to the Northern monkeys up here in Leeds

wez_sti

i've got two different view points on this subject...

not really knowing what i want to do career wise yet, i've had quite a few temp jobs, and 9/10 temp jobs you seem to be offered are in call centres. As someone pointed out, its a sh1te job with sh1te pay, and no-one wants to do it. worked in about 4 different ones now, and they are exactly the same kind of people that work there,

-those not sure on what job they want
-Graduates that dont have a permanent job yet or are saving up to travel
-40/50yr olds (normally women) who've been out of work for a while and just want something casual
-losers who cant get a better job

now none of these people actually care about the company they work for, and i promise you if you worked in a call centre for one day, you wouldnt give a **** about the customers either.

unbelievably depressing job, was a shock to the system seeing just how many people lack basic manners, alot of customers think your a piece of **** and should be talked to as such

on the other side of things, i bank with Abbey and their telephone banking seems to go through to India now, and i had to ring them THREE TIMES just to cancel a direct debit. the first call was about 10mins long explaining what i wanted to do, she said she understood and would do it imediatly but i suspected she didnt.

ended up being charged by the bank because of their 'money saving' scheme. rung up, spoke to english person in the end, got refund!

BTW the scotish call centres are annoying, as everytime i get a female operator i startimagining what she looks like and flirting! love the accent!

(trouble is she's probaly 50, fat and ginger!) ...no offence to the gingers'!

Wez

Dracoro

but full offence to the fat or middle aged

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

You ever spoken to Sky in their Scotish office recently? talk about a bad attitude problem. Words like 'depths of world depravity' really make you look like a ****.

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

Your problem is that you are a racist, I can tell from reading this post. Firstly the call cantres are not located in Bangladesh, they are located in India (now your probably going to say, 'well there all the fu**** same' just like your parents before you and there parents before them said'). Secondly it's not the poor guy in the call centre that is to blame, it is the inept western world country that has invested poorly into the call centres.

The people that work in these call centres are very well educated, just not in the 'british way'.

wez_sti

oh most definately! lowest of the low!

Dracoro

LOL. Agree totally, just had to be sure etc.