Working at a call center anywhere has always seemed like a tough job, but it the Indians who have recently taken charge of a large chunk of that market seem to be having a particularly hard time adjusting.
Now, to help the industry survive there -- and to cut down on employee turnover, which can top 100 percent -- the outsourcing call centers are trying to help Indians seem more American.
Reports the Los Angeles Times:
The Indians responded according to their own deepest natures: They were silent when they didn't understand, and they often committed to more than their employers could deliver. They would tell the Americans that someone would get back to them tomorrow to check on their problems, and no one would.Customer satisfaction plummeted. The U.S. clients grew alarmed. Some even returned their business to U.S. call centers.
Realizing that a new multibillion-dollar industry with 150,000 employees was at risk, Indian call centers have recently embarked on much more comprehensive training. New hires are taught how to express empathy, strategies to successfully open and close conversations, and above all how to be assertive, however unnatural it might feel.
Posted by tgibbons at August 4, 2004 06:09 PM