The Death of Customer Service

Customer service, like conversation, is dying. The modern corporate environment – which is where you’re likely to encounter customer service personnel in one form or another – has put so much emphasis on career-building that many have forgotten how to focus on meeting the customers halfway. People have become so focused on managing their careers that they may have forgotten how to manage their responsibilities beyond meeting the bare minimum the company asks of them. For the past two decades, good customer service in the US corporate environment – whether it’s computer technical support or a fast food service – is but a mere empty husk of what it used to be. Is it any wonder that many companies are outsourcing when they can?

India was the first stop for companies looking for cheaper employees to fill the ranks of their on-the-phone customer service departments. Indians have an accent and intonation that differs greatly from American English, with even the best training having difficulty making their manner of speaking not sound distinct to an American listener. However, India was also a natural location due to the IT boom that had occurred there. Many companies had moved what IT operations they could over to India, where the wages cost them less and there aren’t so many demands for company perks and employee benefits. The greatest problem was still the accent, however. Despite their best efforts, trainers often find it nearly impossible to completely neutralize an Indian representative’s accent – and the stigma against agents with such an accent has only grown since they started their jobs.

The accent is probably the only consistent, persistent concern. That, and the moments when Indian agents simply start to seem unreasonable to US customers. There are many who believe that customer service is not the ideal thing for Indian representatives to be handling, particularly since there could be a bit of heavy-handedness to them when they’re frustrated. Since it’s quite easy for them to become agitated when the customer gets agitated, rather than attempt to defuse the situation and remain calm, they’re not entirely suited for something like customer support. Customer support often demands calmer heads, where warm tones and comforting words are more valuable currency than the ability to out-argue someone or presenting technical data that’s beyond the scope of most people’s knowledge. That’s when some US companies remembered the Philippines.

The former US colony’s people have a reputation for being friendly, welcoming, and warm towards strangers, guests, and outsiders – a sharp contrast to most of their neighbors. The country also has a strong background in English, having been under American occupation from some time. US companies have also had strong ties in the business sector of the country. These factors made it an excellent location for US companies to attempt to set up call centers in the country, which had the side effect of boosting the local economy by providing thousands – if not millions – of job opportunities.

The local people have accents, but trainers report that it is much easier to remove than the Indian accent. The country’s history as a US colony also means it has a stronger background in American English, rather than the British English that is more prevalent in India. US media and trends have also been prominent parts of the country’s entertainment scene, so US metaphors and figures of speech are not entirely unfamiliar. The friendliness of the people also make them good at resolving conflicts without resorting to combat tactics, with a vast number of representatives being calm and diplomatic when faced with an irate customer.

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