If Virgin Ever Heads off to India......

mossy2102 · 04-01-2008, 20:15

jeez, I think I'd blow my lid!!

I don't want to come aross all Bernard Manning (RIP Not!) but I hate dealing with Indian call centres......and it far from racially motivated.

You've got:

the language barriers - the reps don't understand you an I'm f

d if I ever understand them!

the horrible and daft silence on the line whilst the voices bounce backwards and forwards across either side of the world

the fact that nasty litle companies are do people out of a job and transferring their work to India, like Barclaycard who I had the unfortunate task of deling with today - they recently closed down their Manchester centre

the ever ending list of security questions that go on and on and on and......
Doing my budgets today I've had to deal with 3 Indian Call Centres and everyone a nightmare - it's so robotic!

In the last call, I think I had to answer 6 security questions, because I got one wrong,which was something like how long is a piece of string? UK call centres dont do this, theres that connection there where you know they know you are who you say you are! At the end of one call even I started to believe I wasnt who I was but a fraud!

Don't get me wrong, I've dealt with Indian and other ethnic reps but they were in British call centres and there attitude to dealing with you was no differnt, relaxed and not robotic!

If Virgin went over, it's so difficult and futrating getting straight answers as it never mind Indian operators!

And the end result makng the employed unemployed! Nice country!

TheNorm · 04-01-2008, 20:19

Would you rather pay extra for your service?

dev · 04-01-2008, 20:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNorm

Would you rather pay extra for your service?

course he wouldn't, this is the uk! everyone here wants the world for nothing. people in uk call centers (and other jobs) wants more money, the company pays them more and charges customers more, customers get the hump and complain. the call center staff are replaceable easily and so they get replaced with people who'll work for less

mossy2102 · 04-01-2008, 20:26

Oh aye! I dont deal with companies that have Indian call centres because 9 times out of 10 they strugge to deal with anything more basic than a straight forward yes or no question.

Its more the way I think their trained and I imagine the stict rules of the call centre policy makers themselves.

I bank with Natwest an am so glad they never entertained the idea.

Why anyway, have you got proof of any compaies that have reduced costs by floating across the waves? I havnt!

TheNorm · 04-01-2008, 20:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by mossy2102

... Why anyway, have you got proof of any compaies that have reduced costs by floating across the waves? I havnt!

Why else would they do it?

Anyway, don't worry if you can't cope with the Indian accent, I bet call centres will soon be outsourced to China ...

foreverwar · 04-01-2008, 20:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by mossy2102

...snippety snip snip..
Why anyway, have you got proof of any compaies that have reduced costs by floating across the waves? I havnt!

I have, having worked in implementing call-centres and call-centre systems.

Spent a month in Mumbai and Pune looking at opening centres there - set up costs are higher, staffing costs much lower; you get grads at £3.5k pa, and post-grads at £4 - £4.5k pa.

They are very bright, it is just the UK companies who cut costs by lack of training and badly written scripts (imho). The company I worked for also has call centres in the UK, and part of the deal was that unless the off-shore call centres had the same training and systems as the UK ones, the deals wouldn't go ahead.

mossy2102 · 04-01-2008, 20:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by dev

people in uk call centers (and other jobs) wants more money, the company pays them more

Come of it...i've had the misfortune years back to wok for call centres and no-one complains because no-one can...ccentres dont allow unions.

Result, people work in call centres for bottom of the scale wages knowing (an im talking the basic of cc jobs here, not 2nd/3rd line supports etc) that ther is no way of complaining....and not many skills are gathered from cc work (belive me) so when ship sets sail, all you end up doing is working in another cc at the bottom rung once again

---------- Post added at 20:38 ---------- Previous post was at 20:34 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by mossy2102

Why anyway, have you got proof of any compaies that have reduced costs by floating across the waves? I havnt!

Sorry

I meant in relation to the answer

Would you rather pay extra for your service?

When has a company ever announced that by relocating its passing their saving back onto the customer

Bri_G · 04-01-2008, 21:12

I work with people from all nations daily, it's part of my job, either face to face or on the phone (I don't work in a call center).
I have NO predjustices (is that spelt right) that I am aware of, race colour or creed, BUT if I get a call at 19:00 from a rep in a call center and I can't understand the first line they say I hang up.
50% of the time they call back and say "I think we were cut off", to which I reply "No, I hung up" and hang up again.
It's cold calling, if the first line grabs your'e attention you will stay on the line.
If the first line can't be understood....expect the "click".

TimIgoe · 04-01-2008, 21:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNorm

Would you rather pay extra for your service?

Personally, I'd rather pay to deal with support if it ment i got a useful service - the number of companies i've had to call with indian call centers where other than the language barrier they don't have enough training in how things work over here, making assumptions or whatever about lifestyles or how systems work in this country

**Rob** · 04-01-2008, 22:07

In case the OP hasn't noticed, a large part of VM's support services for internet are already provided by India based call centres

darthlinux · 05-01-2008, 11:51

I Have to say the indian based call centres arent working its not there fault its vm but they are masters at cutting corners look at stm for example

AndyIggs83 · 05-01-2008, 12:13

Virgin is the only company I use that has Indian call centres, I refuse to join any company that has outsourced its work overseas. Only with Virgin due to the fact that I can only get 1Mbit on a BT line!

Its not their fault, they do a very good job as I would not be able to do their job if it was the other way around! Its just I've had that many problems over the years I have shifted everything over

tweetypie/8 · 05-01-2008, 13:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNorm

Why else would they do it?

Anyway, don't worry if you can't cope with the Indian accent, I bet call centres will soon be outsourced to China ...

whoowee

tay77 · 05-01-2008, 14:01

I have this problem whenever I call Apple about my ever-breaking iMac. Some of the call centre staff are so rude when you ask them to repeat what they last said.

Fortunately, if you ring Apple at a certain time of day, you get put through to an Irish call centre. I think there's one in the Midlands too, and the UK staff are so much more helpful and easier to talk to.

ikthius · 05-01-2008, 14:08

a ploy to not working with them is talking like a ned (chav) talk loosly, and ask them security questions..... like, what is the 2 & 5 digit of my account number? in my last bill, what films did I watch?

they hit us with security questions why should we not hit them with the same?

and phone early in the morning, you mainly get britain, as india should be a good few hours in front

ik