We've all experienced them... we call the customer service number on the back of our cards or on our statements and after going through the silly voice prompts and/or pushing the stupid buttons, we reach "Steve" or "Sally" in India.
We then struggle to understand each other, "Steve" or "Sally" can't seem to understand your sense of urgency and they can really do no more than read from a script that tells them to say "I understand your frustration"... we get no where.
Now we can do something about it.
First, always ask the answering rep "are you located in the United States" and if they won't answer "due to security reasons" then...
Second, request to be transferred to a United States supervisor. If they somehow balk at that, then...
Third, ask to speak with their immediate supervisor. If they hesitate, just simply state that you will wait while they get one, then...
Fourth, when that supervisor comes on the line, request again that your call be transferred back to a United States supervisor.
Here are the facts: every call center I've ever reached can do this. They might not admit to it at first, but they have all been able to route me back to America to speak with someone here.
Another fact: the reps in India always give out a fake name, most of them make $200-$400 per month or less, and they really have no authority to do anything other than simply look at a screen and tell you what it says about your account. Hey, I'm sure they're good people, but it's just plain common sense... they don't have our sense of urgency and they don't have a knack for "think outside the box" customer service.
Last fact: American companies are getting the message loud and clear. They're getting reports that overseas call centers are bad news, and that consumers are fed up with playing the phone game. Dell Computers closed their India operations. JC Penney Credit Card Services got the message, too. Others are following. The more we DON'T conduct business with overseas call centers, the more we request to speak with American call centers instead, the louder our voice becomes and the sooner we'll actually reach a LIVE person in the United States.
