Upset now!

haleygrey

omelette451 wrote: »

Why do you assume that just because it's a 'funny sounding' member of staff it's in a different country? Surely in this multicultural society of ours it's reasonable to expect a diverse staff even in a UK call centre?

In any case, as long as they do their jobs properly I don't see what the problem would have been if it had been overseas. You don't have to be British to be able to answer a phone!

Probably because now its unusual for a company to have UK centres. After dealing with the call centres from my creditors, you can imagine why i was concerned.

peachyprice

haleygrey wrote: »

phew panic over, it was ok, i checked and it was their new business centre in Manchester!

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
I know they talk funny up there H, but even so

omelette451

haleygrey wrote: »

Probably because now its unusual for a company to have UK centres.

Is it? Or is this just the media-induced sensationalist idea that we're supposed to believe? If you counted the proportion of call centre advisers based overseas I very much doubt it would be anywhere near half, let alone the 'most' that you seem to be suggesting it is. It's just that we hear much more about 'foreign' ones in the media, and they're more memorable because they're subconsciously on the mind, so you extrapolate and assume they are all like that. If that makes sense... Certainly most of the call centres I speak to are in the UK, and no that's not because of a 'patriotic' decision I made.

DON79

http://www.callukcentres.co.uk/

"The benefits to companies choosing to operate from overseas call centres are purely financial, their operating costs are significantly lower, especially in India where staff may be paid as much us 80% less than a UK based operator. This means companies can afford to hire more staff and your call is often answered quicker than if you called a UK based centre. Cheaper costs also enable a 24/7 service.

However, although you may speak to an operator quicker, you tend to spend longer on the phone due to the fact that English isn't their first language. Many consumers experience difficulty in understanding accents and problems also tend to multiply when overseas call centres are asked a question that is outside their normal operator script."

I have no problem with speaking to someone abroad but all of the above is true when you do have to use a call centre abroad. Particularly if you are Scottish like me! They cannae understand me!

haleygrey

and dont i know all about companies relocating to foreign countries in the pursuit of money saving!

omelette451

DON79 wrote: »

I have no problem with speaking to someone abroad but all of the above is true when you do have to use a call centre abroad. Particularly if you are Scottish like me! They cannae understand me!

Yes, and I agree that some outsourcing companies are better than others at giving their staff training in understanding British regional accents. Apparently Billy Connolly is frequently used to help with Scottish customers! Often it's more the computer software and the poor line quality that causes problems though, rather than lack of understanding, and it's something the industry really does need to work on.

Anyway, my point here is that it works the other way round too. I sometimes struggle when ringing the Tesco Finance call centre (based in Glasgow), and I'm English!

AAW_2

omelette451 wrote: »

Yes, and I agree that some outsourcing companies are better than others at giving their staff training in understanding British regional accents. Apparently Billy Connolly is frequently used to help with Scottish customers! Often it's more the computer software and the poor line quality that causes problems though, rather than lack of understanding, and it's something the industry really does need to work on.

Anyway, my point here is that it works the other way round too. I sometimes struggle when ringing the Tesco Finance call centre (based in Glasgow), and I'm English!

I think that you are blowing this way out of proportion. I think that 99% of people reading this thread will completely understand the point that the original poster was making.........I think you are trying to make this into something it's not.

philnicandamy

one word omelette......yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn

RRWJ

Haley - I bet you were kacking yourself to start with - I know I would be! Glad it's straightened out now though. *hugs*

Omelette - there are times and places for rants such as yours, and this is neither the time nor the place. As someone has already suggested, I think you've missed the point of the thread. I don't think Haley could care a jot if it was a foreign call centre or not if it wasn't for the fact that Co-op openly advertise the fact that they only use UK call centres. If it was a foreign call centre it indicates that there's some kind of foul play going on. That's the essence of the thread, not an anti-anything-not-british hate campaign.

There's my 2p.

omelette451

Actually my first rant was very relevant: just because someone 'doesn't sound British' it doesn't mean they're not. If I got carried away with the rest then I'm sorry. Obviously there's less scope for off-topic discussion here than on other parts of the forum.