Indian author paints grim view of outsourcing jobs
“One Night at the Call Center” is a
fictional account of one eventful night at a call center handling customer
queries for a US-based computer and appliances company.
“One Night at the Call Center” is a fictional account of one eventful night at a call center handling customer queries for a US-based computer and appliances company.
The book traces the story of six call center “agents” whose difficult boss, unreasonable customers, and low self-esteem take such a huge toll on them that only a phone call from God can bail them out of the crisis.
As their night shift begins, Radhika Jha becomes Regina Jones and Esha Singh becomes Eliza Singer to help their customers open their vacuum cleaners and pre-heat their ovens.
An instructor preparing trainees for the job scribbles a golden rule on the blackboard for handling difficult customers: 10=35.
“Remember, a thirty-five-year-old American’s brain and IQ is the same as a 10-year-old Indian’s brain … Americans are dumb, just accept it. I don’t want anyone losing their cool during the calls…” the instructor tells a class.
I hope — before folks get all defensive over a very small excerpt — you reflect on how easy it is for anyone in a service job to dislike the folks they have to serve.
Special Thanks to Stefan Dill, not only for his Bollywood Blog; but, his other talents as editor and musician.
Posted: Mon - January 16, 2006 at 11:31 AM