Is it safe to assume that all call centers are going to be outsourced at some point?
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@1sph- agreed... once upon a time, unions were noble organizations fighting to keep corporations from abusing the worker. Those days have long passed, though... the pendulum has swung the other way in spades. once they got fair treatment for the worker, they had to find a way to justify the dues paid to them. since then all unions have done is try to get one more day off per year, or another 15 minute break each day. another way to do less for more money. they've used relative isolation to reduce the value of their members.... all while the membership cheered them along. now that the technology exists to utilize reps in other markets. now the lack of value is exposed, and the company is responding appropriately.
an American union rep makes around $30/hr. a Philippine rep makes about $2/hr US (this is a fair wage in this country that allows a good lifestyle). as far as i can tell, the only advantage the American offers is that their native language is english. the demographic group that primarily wish to speak to a rep is getting smaller and smaller every day. the group that is replacing them would rather use chat if it's necessary that they have to contact a rep at all. chat reduces the language barrier to a great degree, thereby reducing the American unionized reps advantage. that extra $28/hr looks less and less appealing every day.
duh. we are already outsourcing wireless to domestic workers at almost half the pay Verizon call center reps make and overseas is in the works at pennies on the dollar I'm sure.
1xot... American reps have priced themselves out of competition. they cost waaaayyy too much per hour, and the union culture promotes a lack of productivity. the only reason we still have American reps is because the unions have made it difficult to get rid of them. obviously, we're reducing our dependence on them, and moving to self serve and vendors more and more. besides... who wants to talk to a rep anyway? old people, that's who. customers we're trying to get rid of anyway. and, yes... if i cannot resolve my problem by self serve or chat (btw... there's a non american on the other end there too), i prefer to speak to an american. however, i realize that's unlikely. realistically, i don't think it's possible, but the unions need to be working on ways to make their reps more attractive to the business, instead, they just rolled over on the last set of negotiations. i think union leadership realizes the American rep is a sinking ship, and are just trying to ride out their cushy jobs till the the last bubble rises to the surface.
Of course.
There are very few things in this life more comforting than calling a phone number you expect to be answered by an American that is instead answered by a person whose first language is not English.
Who amongst us does not relish the challenge of simultaneously being p-ss-d off because our service is not operating as promised, with the added obstacle heaped upon us of a person who is deficient in the language, and who is falsely claiming to be “”Jed” in Kentucky ( how about those Mets! ).
This c-ap is infuriating to us peons. I wish corporate America could realize how frustrating it can be, when one does not have access to the “phone number” that works, the phone number the upper echelons possess. We all pay for service. We all pay the same amount. Give me the American number that gets things expeditiously accomplished.
Have they closed any so far? What makes you think it's over?
I would think so.
yes