Why I hate VM's Indian tech support

[thenry]

Originally Posted by General Maximus

Sounds like typical VM if you ask me dude. They would rather waste millions on rubbish customer service just like they like to waste a fortune on dishing shubs out willy nilly instead of investing in decent cpe. The irony is that although VM try to economise at every opportunity, it costs them more in the long run.

their saving apparently

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Top banana

They need to be firmly taught????????? Good lord this is the year 2012

I've worked in customer service roles in the past. Each time I have thrown everything I've got in to learning the business and knowing the customer. Adapting to their needs. It makes me better at my job of helping them and I view doing so as the very basics of respect and courtesy. So when I see this so blatantly ignored especially when the money I pay should be going towards training them correctly, yes I'm going to be annoyed.

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Not a myth - I have set up outsourced call-centres in Pune and Mumbai, and the minimum qual was a degree, and over a third had post-grad quals...

Yes but you're not as stupid and incompetant as... ehmm *cough* some companies *cough*

As I've said before, there are proper ways to run off-shore call centres and there are a select few that are extremely good. It is possible to do it properly, it's just most don't...

[Skie]

Degree or not, anyone can end up sounding like an idiot if they are forced to use a script or specific methods of dealing with calls that leave no room for manoeuvre.

Originally Posted by Skie

Degree or not, anyone can end up sounding like an idiot if they are forced to use a script or specific methods of dealing with calls that leave no room for manoeuvre.

And that's the problem - it would appear that any deviation from the script is not allowed, leaving no room for initiative; if the same policies were implemented in a UK Call Centre, the same problems would occur.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Hugh

And that's the problem - it would appear that any deviation from the script is not allowed, leaving no room for initiative; if the same policies were implemented in a UK Call Centre, the same problems would occur.

And this I feel is the crux of the matter. For some reason Indian callcentre operators either refuse or are not permitted to use common sense and use discretion. I was once told it was because they still have a mentality of 'serving their colonial masters' which means instead of being there to serve us (the customer), they serve their employer which includes rigidly doing as they're told. On its own that is not a bad thing but in practical terms is leads to a lot of avoidable frustration and complaints.

[Mick Fisher]

Originally Posted by Hugh

And that's the problem - it would appear that any deviation from the script is not allowed, leaving no room for initiative; if the same policies were implemented in a UK Call Centre, the same problems would occur.

To force strict adherence to a script is far more cost effective than proper training. In view of VM's past record of chronic short termism this is a more likely scenario by far.

In my dealings with VM's off shored support I have seen no evidence of the "millions" spent on training and as for University Degrees, I hear they are for sale right next to the counterfeit antibiotics from many outlets in the local Bazaar.

[Mick Fisher]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Who said the degrees are in anything relevant to technical support, they might as well be in Egyptian archeology or basket weaving for all the good it does.

Too true.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Who said the degrees are in anything relevant to technical support, they might as well be in Egyptian archeology or basket weaving for all the good it does.

In fairness having a recognised degree normally indicates a level of academia which should in turn mean they pick up VM's tech support easier.

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by Hugh

And that's the problem - it would appear that any deviation from the script is not allowed, leaving no room for initiative; if the same policies were implemented in a UK Call Centre, the same problems would occur.

And indeed it does.

Back to the point of degrees... They are only a symbol of academic achievement. I am frequently appalled by the mentality of some people with "a degree" and absolutely no common sense or ability to function in the real world.

I've seen technical support departments where those with computing science degrees were totally useless and the absolute worst at their job and those with no qualifications whatsoever being the best in their department. Go figure.

---------- Post added at 18:19 ---------- Previous post was at 18:18 ----------

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Who said the degrees are in anything relevant to technical support, they might as well be in Egyptian archeology or basket weaving for all the good it does.

Even people with computing degrees can be utterly useless at computing support jobs.

---------- Post added at 18:20 ---------- Previous post was at 18:19 ----------

Originally Posted by Russ

In fairness having a recognised degree normally indicates a level of academia which should in turn mean they pick up VM's tech support easier.

Tech support != academia.

The skills required in one are often not obtained in the other. Computing Science is a great example of a degree that's useless for tech support jobs, while on the other hand those with a practical networking degree from a no-name polytechnic fare miles better. Why? Because the practical networking degree teaches people how to actual making things work in the field instead of theorizing hypothetical microprocessor architectures or cluster computing message passing algorithms in a lab.

It's no use for a network support tech to know how to build a quantum computer if they can't figure out which way a network cable goes in...

[lowei]

`AQ

[Russ]

I wasn't likening tech support to academia. I was suggesting that someone with a degree is likely to have an aptitude for learning new things, such the training tech support people would require.

[Sephiroth]

Some years ago my wife and I had tea in the Taj Mahal, Bombay. We got chatting to the waiter; he had a First from Pune University (where I was working BTW). He said that without a degree you wouldn't get a job in the café.

There's a billion people in India; you don't get any non-humping job without a degree. These are (in my fairly wide experience) highly articulate people with excellent brains.

So any failure is down to the scripting (and likely lack of subject matter training) and this is laid at the door of Virgin Media.

[lowei]

Originally Posted by lowei

carlwaring

WTF


Is somebody hacking the forum because i never said...
`AQ

EHHH...
MODS ???????????

AND THAT WAS A QUOTE FROM WHAT I SAID????


BAN HIM

[Sephiroth]

Reading the above, you might have posted something into the wrong thread and the mods screwed up their edit.