Are you in America? Or phone call from a potential SC

[Blinky]

So, I'm sitting at my desk and the guy next to me is on the phone and I hear him say, "Yes sir, I'm in America." Apparently the guy on the phone has just canceled his membership with one company and joined ours because he had heard we don't outsource our work. He just wanted to call and make sure.

During the course of the conversation he said that the last company had all their centers in India and went on a mildly racist rant. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he had called and gotten the girl that sits down at the end of the row. You guessed it, she's from India.

Since I don't want her or anyone, for that matter, to have to go through that and I'm the guy that would have to take that complaint call. Everyone join me in a prayer to whom ever you believe in that he doesn't call back and if he does, that he doesn't get her on the phone.

[Argabarga]

There's just no pleasing folks like that, I'm content to let them live in their xenophobic, hate-filled little bubble worlds where they won't associate in any way with things that aren't exactly like them until that lifetime of pointless stressing about wether those around them are "with" or "against" them finaly catches up to them and they have a heart attack at 43....

It takes energy to stay angry all the time.... why bother?

[myswtghst]

I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he had called and gotten the girl that sits down at the end of the row. You guessed it, she's from India.

I've thought about that as well, as I've heard lots of people make comments about being grateful that we're in America.

Our best tech support agents are a motley bunch, including quite a few guys and gals with discernable accents, including Korean, Indian, Russian and Hispanic. We've got at least 3 women with discernable Indian accents in the call center, a gentleman from Namibia, and plenty more to choose from.

And once you make a comment about any of their accents to me, I'm through playing nice with you, as I know that all of them are fantastic at their jobs and patient with repeating things to techs who can't understand them.

[AdminAssistant]

I had to call Dell Support about some battery issues, and I had a really hard time understanding the tech. She was very sweet about it, though. Then I got to talk to her supervisor (apparently the call was monitored?) to make sure I was happy. I definitely couldn't understand him. I just started saying 'umm, yeah' to whatever he said. :P

With most people, I don't think it's xenophobia so much as it's a frustration with jobs going overseas. Some people only want to support companies that employ Americans. (not saying that's right or wrong, just that it is). That still doesn't give them a right to be sucky, though.

[JLRodgers]

.... I definitely couldn't understand him.....

With most people, I don't think it's xenophobia so much as it's a frustration with jobs going overseas. Some people only want to support companies that employ Americans. (not saying that's right or wrong, just that it is). That still doesn't give them a right to be sucky, though.

I know that a while back (years) there was a big article in a IT magazine about an IT firm in Boston (or someplace that way) that was paying IT people about half the USA going rate -- and they were getting more people applying than they could hire. Their philosophy was that there are a lot of people here in this country needing jobs, and would be willing to do them even at less pay than the "standard". They said why outsource to another country, when there's more than enough people here looking for work and are willing to do it for less.

[AnqeiicDemise]

Sometimes, very rarely, I get the 'I cannot understand you. Get me a supervisor who is American remark."

So I transfer her to our Supervisor L.... who was born in Michigan... but spent nine years in Kenya....

Or M, who was born in Seattle... but was raised in Cairo...

[Blinky]

With most people, I don't think it's xenophobia so much as it's a frustration with jobs going overseas. Some people only want to support companies that employ Americans. (not saying that's right or wrong, just that it is). That still doesn't give them a right to be sucky, though.

and I understand and respect that, just keep the racist rant out of it and I don't have any problems.

[bainsidhe]

On occasion I've talked to my credit card company and dealt with CSR's that were difficult to understand. Did this irritate me? You bet. Were they stateside? Possibly not. However, hearing stories on this forum helps me to appreciate the other end of the phone line, wherever or whoever they may be.

[CancelMyService]

I like when people call in and before I even speak they start with the "WHERE ARE YOU AT??" stuff. Then they quiz me when I tell them I'm in Pittsburgh, I guess to prove I really am where I say I am. They want to know what part of town, or ask questions only locals would know.

I get why people hate speaking to people who are not native speakers, but I shudder to think what the folks who work in my call center who have accents go through. We have a few people from India, one from Africa, and a guy who's accent was one of those that was european but hard to pin down to a certain nationality before I found out he was from Bosnia of all places.

[marasbaras]

I see these folks here in town (I'm in Tacloban, Leyte, the Philippines). Had one older guy just go OFF on a couple of the pharmicists here (you know, graduate degrees, licensed by the province, smart, etc.) because they couldn't find his medicine.

The moron had brought his bottles with him thinking that the name of medicines is the same all over the world. It was these girls' (they're all late 20's+) fault that HE didn't bother to get generic names, chemical names, something BESIDES the US-specific brand name before he left the States.

I can't count the number of times I've said "I'm sorry about that. Not all of us Americans that way." What I often get back is so funny ... "We know. You're one of the nice ones." (which is their way of saying, "true, bust MOST are").

[Anriana]

With most people, I don't think it's xenophobia so much as it's a frustration with jobs going overseas. Some people only want to support companies that employ Americans. (not saying that's right or wrong, just that it is). That still doesn't give them a right to be sucky, though.

I might agree with that if EVERY caller who opened the call with "Where ya from honey?" or "Am I talkin to someone in America?" didn't immediately launch into a racist and political rant. They always make several racist/xenophic remarks, and even if they ever manged to phrase it in a non-racist manner, who thinks it's acceptable to call up random companies and spew your political beliefs all over them? I work for a tech support line, not a minuteman one; I wish people would get some manners and realize that.

[marasbaras]

I called a tech support line recently through my Vonage phone line (it's plugged into my router so it's like I have US dial tone) and ended up a girl in Manila for tech support.

I didn't ask her "where are you". I noticed that just by habit and without even thinking about it, I start replying to her in Tagalog (Filipino) for short answers. Since she responded correctly, I knew she was pinay.

[Argabarga]

I see these folks here in town (I'm in Tacloban, Leyte, the Philippines). Had one older guy just go OFF on a couple of the pharmicists here (you know, graduate degrees, licensed by the province, smart, etc.) because they couldn't find his medicine.

The moron had brought his bottles with him thinking that the name of medicines is the same all over the world. It was these girls' (they're all late 20's+) fault that HE didn't bother to get generic names, chemical names, something BESIDES the US-specific brand name before he left the States.

That used to drive me nuts in pharmacy, ranking only second to customers who didn't know what med they needed other than "my blood pressure one" when the doctor has been bouncing them around several kinds in several doses trying to find the one that will work.

[friendofjimmyk]

BLINKY!!!!! You made a post!

I have a badge for you...but I keep forgetting to give it to you whenever I do see you.

[marasbaras]

That used to drive me nuts in pharmacy, ranking only second to customers who didn't know what med they needed other than "my blood pressure one" when the doctor has been bouncing them around several kinds in several doses trying to find the one that will work.

I can only imagine. Plus, this guy had the gall to complain about their English. OK, so they have accents. These girls' English was better (more correct) than most of ours.

You're in a foreign country, you don't know the generic or chemical name for your medication, and you're complaining that the people who are clearly working very hard (two of them were searching through thick medical books/catalogs) to help you out don't speak perfect TV anchor English? Clue in pal, you're NOT in America right now!