"Elaine" wrote in message
...
"Peter Webb" wrote in message
...


The Banks and Telcos are almost the LAST organisations to outsource
off-shore. Most of Australia's secondary industries (manufacturing etc)
outsourced off-shore years ago. For example, almost all textiles and
footwear companies did this in the 80s or earlier. Banks and telcos are
simply following this trend, much later than many other industries, and
certainly not leading it. Or would you call clothing manufacturers "the
greediest and most socially immoral entities".


Whilst I agree in broad terms with what you're saying about outsourcing as
a
general trend, the original post was about customer service call centres
and, whilst the location of the factory or language of the workers isn't
usually going to make any difference to the quality of the shirt or shoes
you buy, it can certainly have an effect on the quality of customer
service
you receive.

For example, I was recently trying to calculate the annual water
consumption
of one of my clients, so I phoned the water supplier to get some old meter
readings (something I do on a regular basis). The client was a small
private school, which I'll call St Sharon's School, situated in a
well-known
English town, which I'll call Manchester. The conversation went something
like this:

Customer Service Person: Welcome to useful utilities, can I take your
account number please.
Me: Yes it's - - - - - -
CSP: And the name on the account?
Me: St Sharon's School, Manchester.
CSP: And your name please?
Me: Elaine.
CSP: Thank you Mrs Elaine, is Mr Banshter there please?
Me: Sorry, who is Mr Banshter?
CSP: I thought you said that the account was for someone called Banshter.
Me (realising she has misheard and trying to speak more slowly and
clearly):
Oh, no it's St Sharon's School, Manchester.
CSP: Sorry, I misheard. Is Mr Manchester there please?
Me (now speaking even more slowly and becoming slightly louder): No, the
account is for St Sharon's *School*, *in* Manchester.
CSP: I'm sorry Mrs Elaine, I can only give details of accounts to the
person whose name the account is in. Could you ask Mr School to call back
please.

At which point I put the phone down in frustration.

The politics and finances of this trend are a whole different issue, I
would
just like to be able to speak to someone who can understand what I'm
saying.

Elaine


Your point is taken.

John L was clearly arguing about the morality of outsourcing; I was just
identifying that his argument was incorrect.

You are looking at this from a business perspective of whether the lower
quality of the service justifies the lower cost ... this is a case by case
argument. If its something that requires local knowledge, then maybe it
isn't a good prospect for an offshore call centre - like your application.

The single best thing the rich West can do for the world's poor is to give
them jobs. Trade in services is particularly attractive, as it allows the
development of an urban middle class. Moving call centres off-shore is far
better than giving aid to the recipient country ...