DJ’s in Philadelphia are not alone in lobbing verbal assaults at
Indian call center agents. Industry executives and analysts say abusive hate
calls are commonplace, and a primary cause of workplace stress. The Washington
Post reports:
Rohail Manzoor thought he had what it took to work in a telephone call center.
All he had to do was pick up the phone and answer queries from American customers
about their long-distance bills. He was armed with lessons on how to speak English
like the Americans — adjust the r’s, say “zee” instead of “zed,” “mail” instead
of “post.”
He even called himself “Jim,” and figured he would pretend to
be an American customer service agent.
But nothing prepared him for the shower of curses that came his way when he
picked up the phone one night on the job.
“‘You Indians suck!’ an American screamed on the phone,” recalled
a soft-spoken Manzoor, 25. “He was using a lot of four-letter
words, too. He called me names left, right and center.”
As a result, some call centers now offer classes on stress-management,
meditation, breathing, yoga, and even how to be more American:
Industry watchers say some call centers have giant TV screens showing the
weather in different U.S. cities, the scores from latest New York Knicks game
or news about the latest play on Broadway. The agents use the information on
the screen to make small talk with the caller and mask their location in India.
The training given to the call center aspirants not only involves diction,
but also a crash course in American culture. Maneesh Ahooja, a voice and accent
trainer for call center employees in Bombay, often makes them watch popular TV
shows such as “Friends” and “Dharma and Greg.”
Obviously, part of the problem is with the training itself. After all, when
was “Dharma and Greg” ever considered popular? And does anyone really
ask about the score of the Knicks game? These days, isn’t it safe to assume
that they’re losing? Of course, most of
the problem, say executives, finds its source in American anger
over outsourcing, and Jason
Alexander.
The Washington Post: India
call centers suffer storm of 4-letter words (Free
registration required)
Continue reading →
