US promises ‘right accent’ at BPOs

Indian experts feel America does not have the manpower

NEW YORK: With US lawmakers having introduced the bill to bring back jobs to America, most multinationals, which were outsourcing jobs to India, have changed their stance. Providing jobs to Americans also serves the purpose of employment, which has been hit by the global economic recession. Another problem is that of accent, as most Americans have difficulty in understanding. 

Dell, for its part, has said it will guarantee - for an extra $12.95 a month — that the person picking up the phone on a support call will be, as company ads announce in bold text, "based in North America."

Without the upgrade, a customer is  still likely to get technical help from someone in India, the Philippines or other places where Dell has operators. Big button cell phone maker Jitterbug, targeted at older Americans, similarly boasts in ads that its operators are in the US, but it does not charge extra to speak to them. The company's TV spots advertise "US-based customer service" and show a headset draped in an American flag.

“Occasionally, we've heard from customers that it's hard to understand a particular accent and that they couldn't understand the instructions they were getting," Dell spokesperson Bob Kaufman told US media. "This illustrates Dell's commitment to customer choice."

By charging customers extra for an American voice, Dell's program represents a new strategy for easing the strains of globalization while staying profitable, say industry officials.

“You'd be amazed how many customers ask, 'Where are you based?' The response we get when we say, 'We're in Auburn Hills, Michigan, ma'am,' — well, they love it," David Inns, Jitterbug's chief executive told The Washington Post. "We really believe our customer satisfaction saves us more money in the long term than off-shoring," added Inns.

However, Raman Roy Chairman and MD, Quattro BPO Solutions and father of Indian BPO industry feels the US does not have the manpower to handle the outsourcing business. "If it will become law it will be of huge concern for the BPO industry. I do not think they have enough manpower to handle the outsourcing business."

Roy who was angry over the development added, "Why do they always target India. What about China? It is unreal how can they have such law. These are just rhetoric and not practically possible."