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

[Javakat]

Ten years ago, my now-hubby and I used to live in Columbus, Ohio. He did tech support for Bell South dial-up internet and had to pretend that his call center was located in Atlanta, GA. Dog forbid anyone calling in knew that they were being helped by a Yankee!

[Misanthropical]

I have people asking me where I'm calling from. I tell them PA, but then they want to know the city. We don't tell people what city we are in for security purposes.

These people will get all kinds of mad that I won't give them our address, you know, because we have theirs. Yes, we do, but no one from here is in the habit of tracking down customers. We have had customers show up at our call center, because they got a rep dumb enough to give out our address.

The only accent I have ever been accused of having is midwest. As in, midwest in the United States.

The coworkers who sit near me all have New York accents.

[marasbaras]

Ten years ago, my now-hubby and I used to live in Columbus, Ohio. He did tech support for Bell South dial-up internet and had to pretend that his call center was located in Atlanta, GA. Dog forbid anyone calling in knew that they were being helped by a Yankee!

Now THAT is just pathetic.

[Peppergirl]

Chiming in:

I'm a travel agent and when I have to call this one particular airline and I know it's going to be a complicated issue, I know how to manipulate the phone system to get an agent in the US. That's the ONLY time I do it.

I'm far from racist, but when I have a complicated itinerary or something WAY out of the norm, I find that it's difficult to resolve the issue with an agent at an overseas call center. It's not THEIR fault...I blame the airline for not training them properly on how to handle issues that require a big deviation from the script they use.

If it's a simple issue that can be resolved easily, I happily follow the rules and let the call route wherever it may go.

I hate people that get all bent out of shape about stuff like this. As long as they can help you and you can communicate with one another, who freaking cares?

[marasbaras]

I blame the airline for not training them properly on how to handle issues that require a big deviation from the script they use.

Exactly. Management goes cheap on the labor and totally cheap on the training.

[Andara Bledin]

Exactly. Management goes cheap on the labor and totally cheap on the training.

Yeah, that's usually the big problem.

Other than that, my only real complaint about call centers are for those where it's painfully obvious that the person I'm trying to talk to didn't pay enough attention in their English as a Second Language classes.

Strangely enough, the ones that have the worst accents I've ever had to deal with were all in the US. When I (the go-to person for dealing with heavy accents) have to have a person spell the word "sales" you know it's a touch accent.

^-.-^

[Brightglaive]

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.

I only speak Ilongo visayan with a smattering of Cebuano, Tagalog, Kinaraya Visayan and Aklanon Visayan. But if I can speak it to a call center employee in the Philippines I do speak it. They will usually understand but I never know if I'm talking to someone who is from manila or Ilocos, or Iloilo or Cebu or Bacolod or Davao or Mindanao etc. This is why I always ask them as my first question, "taga diin ka?" (Ilonggo meaning "where are you from?") Or "Taga nasaan ka po?" (tagalog meaning the same thing) So that I know they can understand me. If they don't reply in visaysan or tell me they are from another province and don't speak visayan I will continue in english...occaisionally responding in Tagalog if I know the words.

[Slytovhand]

Personally - I'd get really annoyed if I kept getting my callers asking if I'm in America... but then... I'm in Australia

But anyways... I do get that sort of question every so often, and have a few different nationalities working here.

I do agree with localising call centres. Imagine if someone rang asking about street directions - to someone on the other side of the planet??

[Cyphr]

Personally - I'd get really annoyed if I kept getting my callers asking if I'm in America... but then... I'm in Australia

:uts on fake russian accent:: "no sir i am in the great motherland of Russia you make in 3 seconds what I make ina lifetime you american bastard:

[jerkface11]

I don't mind the call centers being in other countries. As long as the people answering the phone can speak English. I've had a few issues where it was clear the person taking my call just knew the company script.

[draftermatt]

I think the only time I was every frustrated with a telephone rep because of an accent was a man with a southern accent so thick I could barely understand what he was saying. So Southern Ricky Rudd or Jeff Foxworthy would have said "Do what now?"

The "foreign" accent doesn't bother me as long as the problem gets solved.

[Andara Bledin]

I do agree with localising call centres. Imagine if someone rang asking about street directions - to someone on the other side of the planet??

Isn't that what Google maps is for?

I've actually given directions to my old boss from my comfy southern California desk while he was driving around not-quite-lost somewhere in New York or Canada.

^-.-^

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

:uts on fake russian accent:: "no sir i am in the great motherland of Russia you make in 3 seconds what I make ina lifetime you american bastard:

In Great Motherland of Russia, tech support calls you!

[Primer]

I hate people that get all bent out of shape about stuff like this. As long as they can help you and you can communicate with one another, who freaking cares?

Strangely enough, the ones that have the worst accents I've ever had to deal with were all in the US. When I (the go-to person for dealing with heavy accents) have to have a person spell the word "sales" you know it's a touch accent.

I think the only time I was every frustrated with a telephone rep because of an accent was a man with a southern accent so thick I could barely understand what he was saying. So Southern Ricky Rudd or Jeff Foxworthy would have said "Do what now?"

The "foreign" accent doesn't bother me as long as the problem gets solved.

I have found Americans to have worse (more difficult to understand) accents than "foreigners." Those who have learned English as a second language usually try very hard to enunciate and communicate.

I once had a college professor that I ended up dropping because I could not understand him, and he was born and bred in the US. I don't know what the language is called now, but about 10 years after I dropped his class it was "recognized" as Ebonics.

I'll go away now.

[myswtghst]

I'm far from racist, but when I have a complicated itinerary or something WAY out of the norm, I find that it's difficult to resolve the issue with an agent at an overseas call center. It's not THEIR fault...I blame the airline for not training them properly on how to handle issues that require a big deviation from the script they use.

Other than that, my only real complaint about call centers are for those where it's painfully obvious that the person I'm trying to talk to didn't pay enough attention in their English as a Second Language classes.

This about sums up my concerns. It's one thing to deal with someone who is a tad difficult to understand, or to need to have certain words repeated. It's entirely something else when it becomes very clear that the person I'm speaking with has absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, or how to help me, and gets discernably upset if I deviate from their script.

I've had a problem like that in dealing with a different division within the company I work for (i.e. cell phones, whereas I deal with radio equipment primarily). The call center is in Central/Latin America somewheres, and it was VERY obvious that the agents did not know much of any English outside of what was used in the script they were given to follow, and simply gave completely useless answers to any attempt to veer off the script.

Even the supervisor I eventually spoke with seemed to have only a limited understanding of what I was asking, which didn't seem terribly difficult to me - especially frustrating as I work in a different call center for the same company!