Call centers need to provide proper language services

Top of the day to you out there!  I’m Donna J. Jodhan, president of www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Today, my attention turns towards those controversial call centers in India.

Call centers need to provide proper language services

One thing that still has me baffled is this:  Why is it that when you phone a call center for help, most companies do not provide you with staff that are able to converse fluently or adequately in your requested language?  Take for example:

So many companies have relocated their call centers to India in order to save costs but they seem to have forgotten one major factor.  Most of the call takers in India do not really understand English well enough to provide acceptable service.  It is difficult to understand and decipher their accents and in turn they are unable to understand the English language well enough in order to provide quality service.  These two factors often lead to frustration on both sides of the phone and on both sides of the world and it is why so many companies are constantly running into problems with their customers.

On the one hand companies are saving money but on the other they are greatly neglecting the needs of their customers.  So which is more important?  Cutting costs but at the same time losing customers who are very dissatisfied with their phone service?  I think that maybe, just maybe, many companies have either failed to take into consideration that they should be employing call takers who are able to converse fluently in English or they believe that they can get away with this type of shoddy service.  I think that when I phone a company’s customer service line, I am entitled to receive service in my requested language from reps who can converse with me in my chosen language, who can understand my request and who have enough knowledge to provide me with a solution in my chosen language.

It is an absolute insult to provide one’s customer with sub par service when for example they request service in English but they receive service from a rep who is unable to converse in English, speak properly in English, and understand a request made in English.  I hope that companies take note and do something about this growing problem sooner than later.  Maybe it is time for them to re-examine the work force possibilities right here in North America.

If you require translation services then please visit www.translationpeople.com, a subsidiary of www.sterlingcreations.ca.

I’m Donna J Jodhan wishing you a terrific day.

Donna J Jodhan is the president of Sterling Creations

Now you can view blogs and editorials written by Donna at:

 http://numpadplus.com/blog/?page_id=7 (access and accessibility)

http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/acnews/editorials/donna.php (accessibility issues in Canada)

http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com (accessibility and disability issues on the international scene)

http://www.onestopbookcafe.com (under the café talk link) 

http://www.untappedwealth.com/businessdesk.html (important answers to consumers concerns)

https://www.sterlingcreations.ca/magazine.html (monthly editorial)

https://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog/blog.html (blogs for language professionals and special needs business consultants)