Support That Is Based Outside Of USA

Atrocities · #1 September 16th, 2005, 06:27 PM

I have noticed a growing trend where tech support for many companies, especially computer based ones, is being out sourced to other countries, namely India.

Not that I have a problem with this, however I do, why are companies doing this? Cost I would guess is the primary factor but then again India has some seriously smart people living there.

What I dislike about it is not that they, the Indians, are doing the tech support, its the fact that I feel uncomfortable giving them personal information and have to really work hard to understand what they are saying. For the most part they are professional and very willing to help. However not being able to understand them, and knowning that they are in another country completely really undermines my confedence in HP and or other companies for which I am seeking tech support. It feels as if they don't value us as customers if they have to hire some firm in INDIA to handle their tech support.

Just my $0.02 cents worth.

Renegade 13 · #2 September 16th, 2005, 07:20 PM

Well cost would be the primary consideration for any large company, such as HP. Simple fact is, there's a lot of people in India desperate for a job, any job, as long as it brings in some money. They're willing to work for a wage that most American's would reject right away. Also, I'm not sure if the US has minimum wage laws or not, but here in BC, Canada, there's a minimum wage that employers have to give workers. I think it's $8 per hour, or something like that. If the US has similar laws, they couldn't get away with paying their American workers less than that, but in a foreign country, such as India, they can.

Fyron · #3 September 16th, 2005, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Not that I have a problem with this, however I do

*blinks* What? You don't have a problem with this, but you do?

Arkcon · #4 September 16th, 2005, 08:29 PM

Atrocities said:
its the fact that I feel uncomfortable giving them personal information and ... For the most part they are professional and very willing to help.

So, I'm guessing you missed {this} news story a couple years ago.

EvilGenius4ABetterTomorro · #5 September 16th, 2005, 08:55 PM

The problems I have with it are, I usually can't understand the person's accent over a bad phone or phone line. I just hung up yesterday with someone because they were speaking in a heavy Indian accent, overmodulating the phone mic, and the line had some static on it. Guy kept saying "Dircha Petoo" I already gave Jabba his money and I don't speak Star Wars, sorry!
I also feel uncomfortable about the personal information given out internationally. Don't want to end up buying some Tamil Rebel suicide speedboats now with my VISA.

"We vishu a berry chrismas and a harpy new year"

Slynky · #6 September 16th, 2005, 09:30 PM

Well, as an IT person, I generally pay attention to this activity.

Though there are MANY instances of there being no savings in actuality, corporations are moved to do it because they want to appease profit-seeking stockholders hollering (without knowledge) that IT be outsourced to save money. Yea, verily, SOME companies still believe there are savings to be had, so THAT'S why they do it.

And there are many more stories than what Arkon posted where a loss of sensitive information occurred. Yet it continues. And why are there no laws agasint it? Why does it turn into a tax break? 'Cause it's political "payback" business as usual. Each succeeding president (and the cronies below them) will continue to sell out the US bit-by-bit in an effort to help them get what they want until there is no more of the US to give out.

Want to be insulted? Try this on for size... For the average person owning a DELL system and calling in for assistance, they get India tech support reading down flowcharts of "does it do this, if so, then..." actions and tough accents to deal with. BUT, I work for the US government. When we purchased our PCs, we got Premium support option. We get people housed in the US with accents you'd expect and experience you'd expect. It's like Dell is saying, "Yeah, we realized the levels of support are different but we need to save money by giving the cheap support to the average citizen."

Profit is what drives this country and what helped make it great. But now, there seems to be more of a drive to hurry up and get your fortune before the US goes to hell in a handbasket.

I mean, why do you think it takes longer, on average, to pay for a few things than it did to run into the store and load them in a cart?

Kamog · #7 September 16th, 2005, 09:54 PM

Yeah, some of those accents are hard to understand. I have to ask them to repeat every other sentence. Strangely, they don't seem to have trouble understanding what I say.

Jack Simth · #8 September 16th, 2005, 09:59 PM

Comprehension of an additional language is easier than pronunciation of an additional language - especially when a person's originial language is missing several of the sounds common in the additional language (as happens with Hindu/English).

El_Phil · #9 September 16th, 2005, 10:17 PM

Dell has been cutting it's tech support viciously for the last few years. You want cheap? Head to India. There you get computer science graduates working for tuppence ha-penny (thats a couple of cents) an hour and pleased for the wages.

You think data doesn't leak out of US phone centres? It does, but that isn't news. Bear in mind that news isn't what happens, it's what is repoted. There's a massive difference.

Slynky if you pay peanuts, you will get monkeys. Looking at the costs involved you can't pay western workers to do phone tech support. Unless you charge premium rates for tech support numbers, which you can't as you'll be torn apart in the media. What do you expect? You're buying a cheap system, so you get bad tech support.

Besides 99% of problems can be solved with a flow sheet, for those who's problems can't.... Well peanuts and monkeys. You haven't paid for decent tech support, why should you get it?

Atrocities · #10 September 17th, 2005, 12:16 AM

I don't mind people in India working and earning money, I do mind companies that are not up front about who is giving you tech support and that your call isn't going to a tech support person in the US, but in INDIA.

Seems professional and are professional are two very differant things. They can be polite on the phone, but in reality, they are most likely going to send me a part laced with anthrax and or they intend to tell their Arab buddies where I live so they can come cut my head off. (I guess I should not have mentioned the fact that I burned the Quron in protest to the Americans being murdered in its name.)

My bad. And for his part, he didn't even get mad. That takes talent and a certain degree of tolerance. Good for him. (I will be sleeping lightly from now on.)