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RandalFlagg
Stranger
Registered: 06/15/02
Posts: 15,608
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Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line
#4247130 - 06/02/05 06:20 AM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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I thought this was kind of funny.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1494871,00.html
Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line
Firms provide counselling to help staff insulted by British customers
Amelia Gentleman, New Delhi Sunday May 29, 2005 The Observer
Abuse from British and American customers is driving increasing numbers of Indian call centre workers from their jobs, defeated by the strain of handling persistent rudeness.
Irate customers was cited as one of the main industry stress factors in a recent survey of call centre staff and some organisations have begun employing psychiatrists and counsellors to help employees to cope.
'I've had people tell me, "Back off, Paki, and don't call me again" , said Eugene, 27, whose former employer, Spectrumind, provided an accounts services for BT. 'There was a lot of racist abuse once people detected from our accents that we weren't English. I saw girls reduced to tears by it.'
Pooja Chopra, 29, from Delhi, who spent two years fielding calls for BT Cellnet and America Online, faced similar abuse. 'People would say, "You're a Paki, I don't want to talk to you, pass me to someone who can speak my language".
Workers face a spectrum of rudeness - from sexual harassment to fury at unsolicited sales calls, to open racism. Industry analysts have seen the phenomenon of racist clients grow in recent years, as customers in the UK and the US become increasingly sensitive to the political issue of jobs outsourced to India.
Shyamanuja Das, editor of Global Outsourcing magazine, which published a study on the stress factors triggering call centre resignations, said that hostility from clients was one of the factors which caused workers to quit - 25 per cent of those questioned said client vitriol was a major cause of stress.
'The anger in the West over job losses and fear about offshoring has made this a growing problem. Some people call up with deliberately difficult questions. Most just say things like: "You're from India. You don't know anything. I don't want to speak to you", he said.
Vijay Mukhi, a call centre analyst, said websites have sprung up in the US giving phone numbers of companies which use call centres in India, and listing Hindi swear words to be used to abuse staff. 'When you move jobs away from a country, there's going to be a lot of pent-up frustration which gets let out on Indian workers,' he said.
As staff turnover is a major problem, with some companies battling an annual departure rate of 60-70 per cent, organisations are taking radical steps to help staff to deal with abuse. In recent months some firms have decided to provide psychological support to their workers. Sanjay Salooja's Delhi-based firm, Empower, has 20 trained counsellors who tour the city's largest call centres, providing support to harassed employees.
'Most employees are very young and don't have the skills to allow them to cope with this kind of abuse,' he said. Workers are already feeling the stress of having to work through the night and are under extreme pressure to meet productivity targets. 'They are vulnerable anyway, and an abusive call really knocks confidence. They don't want to take another call for an hour or two, and their performance is impacted.'
The idea of consulting therapists remains taboo in much of Indian society, but the stigma is waning. 'Our research shows that about 50 per cent of workers would like the chance to receive counselling,' Deepal Raheja, one of the programme's psychiatrists, said.
The therapists try to help staff realise that the abuse is not personal and to put things in perspective, he said. 'Somebody I counselled was very upset after a British customer had asked for an address near Trafalgar Square and he had to admit he didn't know where Trafalgar Square was. His customer became very abusive, and the incident really dented his self-esteem,' he said.
Some companies still specify staff must anglicise their names, adopting forenames such as Mary and John, to try to stave off resentment.
There are no unions yet to represent the 350,000 workers in the Indian call centre business, but unionist Gautam Mody, who is trying to launch the first call centre workers' collective, said this was a problem that needed to be addressed urgently abroad. 'Some workers are deeply hurt by this abuse. The issue of xenophobia cannot be resolved from this end; there must be a battle against it in the countries responsible.'
More organisations have started to let staff hang up on persistently rude customers (formerly a sackable offence), after warning them three times to mind their language. Trainers try to help new staff understand the different cultural forms of rudeness they are likely to encounter.
'British customers can be very rude but in a polite way,' Anita Bhuttar, training vice-president of GTL, a Mumbai-based company, said. 'Usually they won't use abusive language but you can tell from the tone of their voice they're angry.'
'I found it difficult to work for British clients,' Pooja Chopra said. 'They wouldn't call you names, but you could hear the hostility in their voices. The US customers were generally much more easy-going.'
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boO
Registered: 06/25/99
Posts: 5,364
Last seen: 2 years, 7 months
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: RandalFlagg]
#4247138 - 06/02/05 06:35 AM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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i don't think it's a very funny article, quite sad really.
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Krishna
कृष्ण,LOL
Registered: 05/08/03
Posts: 23,285
Loc: oakland
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: boO]
#4247141 - 06/02/05 06:42 AM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
boO said: i don't think it's a very funny article, quite sad really.
and i really don't understand your use of gr?mlins...
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RandalFlagg
Stranger
Registered: 06/15/02
Posts: 15,608
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: boO]
#4247142 - 06/02/05 06:43 AM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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i don't think it's a very funny article, quite sad really.
I have a weird sense of humor. I would absolutely love to hear some of those phone calls. They should make a CD compilation and sell it.
Edited by RandalFlagg (06/02/05 06:45 AM)
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RandalFlagg
Stranger
Registered: 06/15/02
Posts: 15,608
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: Krishna]
#4247143 - 06/02/05 06:44 AM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
Krishna said:
Quote:
boO said: i don't think it's a very funny article, quite sad really.
and i really don't understand your use of gr?mlins...
That is me laughing after the funny highlighted bold areas.
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Hambo
Limey
Registered: 09/23/04
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Loc: UK
Last seen: 17 years, 1 month
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: RandalFlagg]
#4247189 - 06/02/05 07:28 AM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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I could imagine a certain amount of distress if I were to phone up somewhere to sort out some pressing issue, and I had to speak to someone I can barely understand. Not all pakistanis speak in this way, but some do, like my doctor... at least he's right there in front of me not on some shitty quiet crackly phone line, and I can get my message across.
Personally I couldn't give a fuck about call centre jobs going out to India though. If its one less shitty job the DSS can try and force me into while Im on the dole between jobs, as I have been recently, all the better.
I feel sorry for the Indians doing them if anything. IMHO I'd rather clean stanking public toilets than work in a poxy call centre.
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afoaf
CEO DBK?
Registered: 11/08/02
Posts: 32,665
Loc: Ripple's Heart
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line *DELETED* [Re: RandalFlagg]
#4247239 - 06/02/05 08:02 AM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Post deleted by gdmanReason for deletion: no
-------------------- All I know is The Growery is a place where losers who get banned here go.
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looner2
ABBA fan
Registered: 06/20/04
Posts: 3,849
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: afoaf]
#4247245 - 06/02/05 08:04 AM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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I think its funny, especially considering a lot of them undergo speech training to hide their accent in an attempt to sound "american". That is good stuff.
-------------------- I am in love with Acidic_Sloth
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OJK
Stranger
Registered: 06/08/03
Posts: 10,629
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: looner2]
#4248025 - 06/02/05 12:51 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
the political issue of jobs outsourced to India.
How is outsourcing jobs to India a political issue?
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DieCommie
Registered: 12/11/03
Posts: 29,258
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: OJK]
#4248042 - 06/02/05 12:55 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Funny.. Im gonna learn some Hindi swear words.
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Irishdrunk
Democracy? We Deliver!!!
Registered: 09/12/03
Posts: 24,201
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: DieCommie]
#4248054 - 06/02/05 12:59 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Call center workers and email spam administrators are the fucking lowest forms of life behind hard drug dealers.
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OJK
Stranger
Registered: 06/08/03
Posts: 10,629
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: Irishdrunk]
#4248064 - 06/02/05 01:02 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Depends on the call center surely? If you're calling for advice on how to operate a peice of electrical equipment or how much washing powder to use, how is the person helping you out a lowlife?
Plus, don't be all down on drug dealers, I like mine.
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Vex
Stranger
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Last seen: 18 years, 5 months
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line *DELETED* [Re: afoaf]
#4248110 - 06/02/05 01:13 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
afoaf said: Post deleted by gdman<p>Reason for deletion: no
lol oh that's a good reason. gdman you friggin whacker.
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Redstorm
Prince of Bugs
Registered: 10/08/02
Posts: 44,175
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: RandalFlagg]
#4248148 - 06/02/05 01:23 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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They should be happy with their jobs and stop whining.
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blink
eye of horus
Registered: 03/31/02
Posts: 11,349
Loc: Geographic Location (Stat...
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line *DELETED* [Re: Irishdrunk]
#4248173 - 06/02/05 01:28 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Post deleted by blinkidiotReason for deletion: Im sorry
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Edited by blinkidiot (06/02/05 01:40 PM)
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WoodsCall
own it
Registered: 12/06/04
Posts: 1,486
Loc: eye of the beerholder
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: blink]
#4248209 - 06/02/05 01:37 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
blinkidiot said:
Quote:
Irishdrunk said: Call center workers ... are the fucking lowest forms of life behind hard drug dealers.
Asshat of the year award goes to you.
Making blanket assumptions like that is lower than fucking low; it's that opinion that people in call centers are robots that are there for your abuse that makes *ANYBODY* that has worked in a call center resent people that are rude and racist to fellow workers.
I can list off a litany of shroomery members and mods that have been or are still actively working in call centers. You've got no idea what you're talking about and neither do the people that spit out that vile abuse.
Fuck you and if I get a ban or warning about flaming, it's well earned.
As open and accepting as the Pub is, let alone this WHOLE website... I am ashamed. I honestly did not expect those responses after I read teh article and scrolled down a little further...
ASSES.
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Live free or die.
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newuser1492
Registered: 06/12/03
Posts: 3,104
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: blink]
#4248211 - 06/02/05 01:37 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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I can list off a litany of shroomery members and mods that have been or are still actively working in call centers.
Call center workers ... are the fucking lowest forms of life behind hard drug dealers.
I think the article is pretty funny. It might suck for the call center workers but I've had to deal with Dell tech support a few times after they moved their call center to India. I had to ask for a different person almost every time because I couldn't understand what the hell the "Paki" was saying. US companies need to realize (and are realizing) that the bottom line is more complex than just how much it costs to pay a worker per hour. Lost revenue due to discontent customers could be a major problem.
And for the call center workers, if they really don't like getting yelled at for not being able to speak the language properly FOR THE FUCKING JOB THEY APPLIED then learn to speak the language properly.
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Vex
Stranger
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Posts: 1,284
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: blink]
#4248218 - 06/02/05 01:40 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
blinkidiot said:
Quote:
Irishdrunk said: Call center workers ... are the fucking lowest forms of life behind hard drug dealers.
Asshat of the year award goes to you.
Making blanket assumptions like that is lower than fucking low; it's that opinion that people in call centers are robots that are there for your abuse that makes *ANYBODY* that has worked in a call center resent people that are rude and racist to fellow workers.
I can list off a litany of shroomery members and mods that have been or are still actively working in call centers. You've got no idea what you're talking about and neither do the people that spit out that vile abuse.
Fuck you and if I get a ban or warning about flaming, it's well earned.
shut the fuck up you moron. stop acting so high and mighty
and btw, fuck call center workers. fucking losers.
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blink
eye of horus
Registered: 03/31/02
Posts: 11,349
Loc: Geographic Location (Stat...
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: newuser1492]
#4248230 - 06/02/05 01:42 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Do you yell at a child and call it [rasist slur here] when he or she is unsuccessful?
If you can't treat your child like that, why shouldn't you do it to others new to a language?
You guys act like you're the only ones to have dialed an 800 number and gotten transfered to India....
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newuser1492
Registered: 06/12/03
Posts: 3,104
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Re: Indian call staff quit over abuse on the line [Re: blink]
#4248239 - 06/02/05 01:45 PM (18 years, 9 months ago) |
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Do you yell at a child and call it [rasist slur here] when he or she is unsuccessful?
They're not children. They're grown adults who made a conscious decision to work for a company. If they can't perform properly they should either be sent back to training or fired.
If you can't treat your child like that, why shouldn't you do it to others new to a language?
They're not children ...
You guys act like you're the only ones to have dialed an 800 number and gotten transfered to India....
How exactly am I doing that?
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