Delta Returns Outsourced Call-Center Jobs From India To USA

From the Boston Globe newspaper:

"Delta says it's no longer outsourcing reservation calls to India. Why? The move was made in response to years of complaints by American customers who say they sometimes have a tremendous amount of difficulty understanding the foreign telephone workers."

The airline company closed its India call-center during the first quarter of 2009, and employs about 4,500 call-center workers in the USA. will continue to operate call centers in Jamaica and South Africa. Delta Air Line's offshore outsourced call-center change comes about two months after United Airlines announced the closing of its call center in India.

While the changes affect a tiny number of jobs, I believe that this is important for several reasons. First, it is good that Delta is responding to customer dissatisfaction. Poor quality or incompetence is unacceptable in whatever country the call-center is located.

Second, both airlines have been transparent in their communications with consumers. More companies need to follow their lead and tell consumers exactly what they are doing.

Third, Delta's move may or may not be a positive one in the long term. It depends how the company handles customer service. The move will be a positive one if Delta improves its human customer service. The move will be a negative one if Delta replaces human customer service with automated messages, forcing consumers to navigate an extensive loop of phone-based menu selections, and reply only via e-mails or letter. There are certain instances when consumers need to talk with a human customer service representative.

Fourth, when companies use offshore outsourcing, it means that customers' sensitive personal data is being moved across country borders. Call-centers in more countries means more risk since more sensitive personal data is moving around the globe; risks that companies rarely discuss including the associated data breaches at these call-center locations.

Fourth, like the airline companies all of the major credit reporting agencies outsource their call-center operations to vendors in several countries. Since I began this blog, I have repeatedly heard complaints from consumers about poor and low-quality customer service, especially about the agencies' online credit monitoring services. The silence and lack of transparent communications by the credit reporting agencies speaks volumes about these companies' lack of consumer focus.

Comments

[Call Center Jobs]

Indian call center jobs are supportive for the domestic and international customers. Call center jobs play an important role in economic boom. Employees are responsible to solve the problems and queries of customer. Site provides details of call center jobs for fresher and experienced persons.

http://www.theindiajob.com/

[George]

Call Center Jobs: I am sure that Indian call center vendors are supportive of domestic and international customers. My point is this: we consumers in the USA **never hear** about data breaches at offshore vendors. So, either the data security is so good that data breaches at offshore outsourcing vendors don't happen, or they happen and consumers aren't told. Which do you think that it is?

George
Editor
http://ivebeenmugged.typepad.com

[Richard]

I think if the employees are not given good training they would perform really bad on calls which make Foreign Customer's complain, about the data security Indian companies are safe.

___________________
Richard
Right place for Outsourcing in BPO & Contact Center
www.iwaayconsultant.com

[Caitlin]

I think India is number one in call center services from other country.Indians employees are try to solve the problem very sincerely.Why delta returns to USA?

[George]

Outbound Call Center: you say India is number one. Please clarify and provide some facts. Which do you mean by "number one":
- The largest number of outsourcing arrangements?
- The largest number of outsourcing firms compared to other countries?
- The greatest outsourcing revenues?
- The number of citizens in India involved in your offshore outsourcing industry?
- The fewest data breaches at your outsourcing vendors?

We American citizens hear little to nothing about this and are curious.

George
Editor
http://ivebeenmugged.typepad.com

[mike]

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[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=706411193]

There are too many reasons why these jobs need to remain or come back to the U.S. I worked at a call center and people in the U.S. do not want to speak to anyone in India.

The customer service culture is non-existent in India. They have no idea how to take care of a customer and this is beyond frustrating to the clientele. Even if they are trained they will do what they like, often hanging up on the client.

I have been on both ends of the spectrum of this issue and even now deal with a call center for one of the biggest cosmetics companies in the world. I refuse to deal with them and this makes me not want to sell the products for this company.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=706411193]

What is really hilarious and has not been commented on is the fact that obviously Indians are reading this blog, posting as though REALLY their call centers could ever be up to snuff. They steal personal info of the clientele and sell it to make 2 rupees.

[George]

Dear Mike:

Thanks for the invite. I will visit your site later this week and see what it is about.

Dear readers:

About the 2 comments above from a Facebook user, I've left this person's comments in the thread above to illustrate the bigotry that often exists around offshore outsourcing. This bigotry is to stereotype all people in a country as being a certain way or having certain habits. And this Facebook user doesn't have the good manners to identify his or her self by name.

I am sure that readers of this blog will give the Facebook user's 2 above comments the attention they deserve.

George
Editor
http://ivebeenmugged.typepad.com

[Bob Walters]

I have had some of my worst experiences dealing with call center reps in India. Most of them are busy pretending they are Americans by using western names and twisting their tounges to sound American. One such customer service rep of AOL asked me to perform a task that would have deleted the data in my hard drive. Fortunately I am not computer illeterate and didn't follw this guy's instructions. At another time recently when I contacted the customer service for Dish Network to discontinue 2 channels on my account this fellow made me believe he had done so and charged me $20.00. I realized several days later when I received my bill that only one of the two channels had been discontinued and I had been billed for the other channel even though I had not viwed that channel. Another fellow, for Chase home mortgage, asked me if I had taken out fire insurance for my empty residential lot.

Whenever I call for customer service I pray that my call does not go to an off shore call center. The vast majority at these off shore call centers do not have any idea of life and workings in the US.

I congratulate Delta and US Air for their decision to relocate their customer service centers in the US and urge other US businesses to follow their examples.

[victor T]

Seems much of hoopla about outsourcing to India well outsourcing is bad for economy than stop outsourcing American army their Bases thought the world, Stop Employing Mexicans for Scrubbing toilets’ and leave middle east rather than exploring for oil wells in Iraq. Can you stop this no then let outsourcing be a part of free flow of economy of world.

[Danielle]

I do agree with you Richard. An agent that do not happen to take any kind of training. Could possibly not perform well with their calls. By the way, thank you so much for sharing this to us. Keep it up!

Danielle

[Frank H Layana]

I take my hat off to Delta Airlines. I fully understand the implications of understanding Indians who try to speak the English language in a rambling tone with all words locked in together as if there were no syllables in the language. It's just plain hard to understand them , period. If we don't stand together then what will happen if this great nation has a global risk of war ? Will the Indians come and stand by our side ? wake up America and you fat cats that are bashing the general American public, you are all Benedict Arnolds and are heading our nation into a future conflict. I wonder where you will be when that time comes ? Probably shivering and hiding under the bed and begging the general public to take care of the problem. It's time to thin out the fat and greedy cats. A patriot.

[Akshay]

With all due respect to the comments mentioned above, would like to bring to your notice that WE(INDIANS) have been running the business for you all for years now....I agree that there have been some instances in the past that affected the image of real India but i m sure you all would agree that things like these are a part of our daily lives, they are bound to happen....For you all, check :

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_tot_cri_percap-crime-total-crimes-per-capita

Not only that, it was never our decision to take your work from you all & do it ourselves, this was something decided by people like you of your own country, isn't?? Then how come we are at fault??

We do not sleep at nights because we have to match your time zones(Hope you all know!!) so that you guys can live a carefree life(we provide almost all services over the phone)....

& then most of you talk about LANGUAGE or the COMMUNICATION STYLE...I can bet you all, NOT EVEN 10% OF YOUR PEOPLE CAN SPEAK OUR NATIVE LANGUAGE BUT WE HAVE ATLEAST ONE PERSON IN EVERY SINGLE FAMILY IN INDIA WHO KNOWS HOW TO TALK IN ENGLISH...that's called the REAL INDIA!!

To the ones, who have'd a bad experience in the past, i would like to say we work under the guidelines provided by our clients which are people amongst you, who ask us to run their business as it saves them money and time.....

So, at last just one thing to say....

I know a rotten apple spoils the bunch but I am sure you all would agree that not every apple is a rotten one....

If you can't APPRECIATE what we are doing, do not CRITICIZE us......

Cheers
Akshay aka Dexter Green

[Frank]

That is a very patriotic act from Delta's. Perhaps outsourcing is cheaper, but it brings up the unemployment rate. I think this was a very important decision.

[call center]

Sometimes, replacing your employees is not really the solution in order for you to improve your customer service. And I cannot blame also Delta if they did that for in maybe that's their strategy on making their services more improve. I just feel sorry for the lay-off employees in India. But there are many ways to improve customer service in a company. Trainings and seminars are good. Motivating your employees especially during the hardest times are good also and so much more. It jut really depends on the company which one will be more effective and more applicable to them.

[sandra]

Hi! Details of call center jobs for fresher and experienced persons are really interesting. Thanks for writing on this important topic.Where can i get more information about call center services?

[simeonslv]

Hello !! I am specialist in doing evening makeup.
Very good article about Outsourced Call-Center Jobs From India To USA. I wish to get a job in this field.Thanks for information.

[קוסמטיקאית]

Well, that could really be not a so good news for some. But, I am hoping that it was made for a very reasonable purpose. Thanks for sharing this news. I'll surely make sometime visiting your blog to read some more updates. Keep it up and more power.

[call center philippines]

This is so. Call center agents must be trained properly to level foreign customers when making calls. The result of outsourcing for lower labor cost but not considering the factors of maintaining quality and good customer service.

[sanjay bhsole]

hey i work in Indian cal center , we don't sell sell your data for rs 2 we sell it for rs 20 now and for credit card an financial info we charge commission of 30 to 40 % on amount stolen from your account Ok

[גלוריה]

The move will be negative if Delta replaces human customer service with automated messages, forcing consumers to navigate through a large loop of menu choices based on the phone.

[Account Deleted]

Please kindly delete the comment with a link to my site posted on Sharlinstone | Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 06:17 AM. Will appreciate your quick response.

[George]

Sharlin:

As requested, your comment has been deleted.

George
Editor
http://ivebeenmugged.typepad.com