I got a call from a guy in a thick Indian accent who said, "Hello, this is John Smith calling from Citibank."

Ugh.

Fundamentally I don't have a problem with outsourcing, but I do have a problem with outsourcing when our economy and workforce doesn't rise up over the jobs that are being outsourced. Meaning that there are a lot of people in this country who are willing and able to do these types of jobs, however our economy doesn't support them. I believe creating a bigger divide of the rich and poor here.


Problems:

1. Our cost of living is too high.
2. Unions are too powerful.
3. Lack of options/alternatives for those that don't want to go to college.
4. Lack of proper infrastructure for both blue and white collar jobs.

In order for things like NAFTA to work we need to bolster the aforementioned parts that are lacking.

 

Except sometimes it's unavoidable.

 

I haven't had too big of a problem with telemarketers that I assume were from India. My primary experience is with American Express, and nothing has been too eye-gauging.

I find Comcast's customer service to be worse. They have clearly out-sourced part of their operation to an eastern european country. It's not that these people are too difficult to understand, they are just massively annoying. They ask permission for EVERYTHING.. I'm going to look up your information, is that OK Sir? Yes. I'm going to pull up your last bill, is that OK Sir? YES. You need to talk to a person in this department, OK Sir? ****ING-A YES. I'm going to transfer you over, OK SIR? **** YOU, MORAN. And it's not like these are rhetorical questions.. they won't proceed unless you give an answer.

 

This can be risky, but I've found that adopting a similar accent to the one whomever you are speaking with has helps. You risk having them think you are making fun of them so tone is pretty important.

I had so much trouble understand a guy once and asked over a dozen times in a few minutes, "Could you repeat that?" "Pardon me?" that eventually he thought I was making fun of his language skills and told me to "shut up." I spoke to his manager and expressed how displeased I was that somehow I became the bad guy for calling the call centre that specifically said "English" next to the phone number, only to speak with someone who communicates at roughly a 3/10 level.

 

They are told to use American names.

I'm sure its frustrating at times, otherwise there wouldnt be so many heartfelt rants in this thread. A problem is that to find skilled call center people in the US is difficult given the price of labor.

Yes I'm of Indian origin, but I was born and raised in the US, so the only accent I have is when I try to speak the Indian language my grandparents speak.

I do obviously have some empathy for them, because I have relatives in the industry. The people in IT are highly educated and speak clear precise English. Of course it does have an English (GBR) flair to it.

 

Try working with them on a daily basis. No matter how detailed I get with my BRDs, they still find a way to #### up the development. The quality is just not there. Frankly, I don't think they give a two chits. Unfortunately, it's un-avoidable as I work with one of the bigger investment banks that is ever expanding into areas for investment and cutting cost.

 

I'm with you on almost everything you said, except points 3 and 4.

I think there are plenty of options out there for people who don't go to college, but, 9/10 individuals who don't go to college don't pursue them appropriate or they aren't aware of them. A job search is a job in itself. This goes along with something that was mentioned in the other California relocation thread about "just drop everything, and move and you will find a job a lot quicker than you think." There are plenty of people out there making very decent livings without college educations but there are far more who aren't making good livings with the same education. Why is that, luck? No. There is a direct relationship to the drive & motivation of the individual. I hope I expressed myself well enough on this one, kind of went around and around.

What exactly do you mean here? I don't understand what infrastructure of which you feel there is a lack. Care to elaborate?

 

I'm going to have to disagree there. There is always the English as a second language accent.

Different letters have different sounds in other languages and this bleeds over into the pronunciation. When you have an underlying Indian pronunciation with an overlay of British English, while it may be understood, it is seldom readily understandable on the phone where you have only one level of communication.

When you are accustomed to speaking to a particular person with an accent or a particular ethnic group then you get sensitized to their manner of speaking and can more easily piece together their meanings than someone who is not.

I can understand a lot of Mexican and Mexican English because I am around them all the time, but it takes me a while to figure out Indian, Chinese, or sometimes even British English.

 

Philippino is a good example of the different letter pronunciations, p's and b's and such, it's confusing until you are accustomed to it.

 

Very valid point, ive been around ESL Indian people all my life so it would be much easier for me to understand.