Outsourced Call Centers

[happy01]

Do you have to be SOOOOOO Negative?? perhaps posting in a positive way rather than always finding the negative might help your cause. Isn't there enough negativity in the world already without adding to it?

I'm sorry UPNAWAY just made me so %$#@&* mad. I suppose I could have written it nicer, so UPNAWAY wouldn't get upset over the negativity again. But, darnit my username is Happy for a reason I'm always happy and UPNAWAY has accomplished what very very few can do...make me mad. I appreciate the spirited debate on this site, and am always up to a challenge to try and get others to see things from another side, but UPNAWAY's logic is beyond me.

 

[nycbusdriver]

....if english is our lang of choice then bring the jobs back period.....

I agree about bringing the jobs back, but in defense of the Manila center and the use of English...

All schooling in the Philippines has been conducted in English for decades. The Philippines has many various languages/dialects of their own depending on the geography. Tagalog is the "official" national language, and everyone in Manila uses it most of the time to talk to one another. However, I never found anyone in Manila who was not perfectly fluent in English. They do have a particular accent, but they are as easily understood as someone from the US with a regional "twang." (I can understand a Filipino a lot easier than someone from deep Georgia woods.)

The actual call center in Manila is in the area called Makati City. It is a very modern, urban environment and the call center is housed in a modern high-rise office building that is situated in an area that could easily be taken for downtown Chicago.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

I agree about bringing the jobs back, but in defense of the Manila center and the use of English...

However, I never found anyone in Manila who was not perfectly fluent in English. They do have a particular accent, but they are as easily understood as someone from the US with a regional "twang." (I can understand a Filipino a lot easier than someone from deep Georgia woods.)

Good point!

My issue with the outsourced call centers is more that they are outsourced to begin with. Outsourced to people who don't really have a stake in US Airways. I would guess is that Philippine Airlines has very good and capable people working for them in their own rez center. Good and capable because they actually work for PAL and have a stake in it. And that's how it should be.

 

[WCT]

RENO? RENO? RENO? WHERE ARE YOU?? WHY ARE WE PAYING YOU?? WHERE ARE YOU RENO? WHERE ARE YOU RENO? CAN YOU HERE ME?? DOUGIE, WHY DON"T YOU DIRECT THE CALLS TO RENO???!!!!

 

[WCT]

RENO? RENO? RENO? WHERE ARE YOU?? WHY ARE WE PAYING YOU?? WHERE ARE YOU RENO? WHERE ARE YOU RENO? CAN YOU HERE ME?? DOUGIE, WHY DON"T YOU DIRECT THE CALLS TO RENO???!!!!

Always been great Res agents. SO why are you not giving US the business????! RNO agents are waiting.....! Wait, they are dealing to much with the over the seas traffic, hold on....................................?

 

[YVINTERN]

*Phone Rings*
*Clicks* US Airways, Platinum Desk Hold Please...
*Music Playing & Advertisements*

*Phone Rings*
*Clicks* US Airways, Platinum Desk Hold Please...
*Music Playing & Advertisements*

*Phone Rings*
*Clicks* US Airways, Platinum Desk Hold Please...
*Music Playing & Advertisements*

*Phone Rings*
*Clicks* US Airways, Platinum Desk Hold Please...
*Music Playing & Advertisements*

*Phone Rings*
*Clicks* US Airways, Platinum Desk Hold Please...
*Music Playing & Advertisements*

*Phone Rings*
*Clicks* US Airways, Platinum Desk Hold Please...
*Music Playing & Advertisements*

*Phone Rings*
*Clicks* US Airways, Platinum Desk Hold Please...
*Music Playing & Advertisements*

*Phone Rings*
*Clicks* US Airways, Platinum Desk Hold Please...
*Music Playing & Advertisements*

*Phone Rings*
*Clicks* US Airways, Platinum Desk Hold Please...
*Music Playing & Advertisements*

*Phone Rings*
*Clicks* US Airways, Platinum Desk Hold Please...
*Music Playing & Advertisements*

Get the point?

 

[avion]

HEY UPANWAY the reason the ORIGINAL US outsourced was to get rid of US ORIGINAL FOLKS to cut down expenses to be more in line with AMATUER WEST. that also played true when our union CWA and US employees were being thrown the incredible pay reduction of 13.95 the the max HP agent was getting paid.. we could not stop laughing well guess what atleast US YES US said no way and because of that action the so called WEST customer service agents are getting gradual PAY RAISES this also includes your American based rez agents so dont call US pathetic you are the one . this merger would not have happened unless WE AT US took some hits and please do not come back with ... WE SHOULD HAVE NOT MERGED WITH U GUYS AND THIS AND THAT.. HP was also in trouble .. WE helped each other out.. just remember YOU MAY NOT BE WHERE YOU WANT TO BE BUT ATLEAST YOURE NOT WHERE YOU WERE. that goes your for your job life and your personal life.

 

[PhxMama]

HEY UPANWAY the reason the ORIGINAL US outsourced was to get rid of US ORIGINAL FOLKS to cut down expenses to be more in line with AMATUER WEST. that also played true when our union CWA and US employees were being thrown the incredible pay reduction of 13.95 the the max HP agent was getting paid.. we could not stop laughing well guess what atleast US YES US said no way and because of that action the so called WEST customer service agents are getting gradual PAY RAISES this also includes your American based rez agents so dont call US pathetic you are the one . this merger would not have happened unless WE AT US took some hits and please do not come back with ... WE SHOULD HAVE NOT MERGED WITH U GUYS AND THIS AND THAT.. HP was also in trouble .. WE helped each other out.. just remember YOU MAY NOT BE WHERE YOU WANT TO BE BUT ATLEAST YOURE NOT WHERE YOU WERE. that goes your for your job life and your personal life.

Still gotta make it an east west thing. Us, "so called" West customer service employees had just voted teamsters in and would have gotten raises anyway. Once again, we cannot move forward if we cannot bury the divisions between the former companies employees east and west. We all know there are major problems with the outsourced agents but beating each other up is not going to solve anything. Am I right in that CWA contract calls for any end to outsourcing in 2011? If so, lets focus on looking to see where a new center will be located and how we can make sure these agents are trained properly on whatever system we will be using to end some of these debacles. Lets just hope the new agents can tell the diff bewteen sjc, sjd and sjo!!!!! Mama

 

[avion]

i did not start the name calling believe US has had tons of names over the last 67 years. what i dont appreciate is being called pathetic.. and yes i know you had just voted in teamsters.. and guess what you it would been 1 -2 years before you saw anything of a contract when the company merged. you got an instant contract and immediate work rules gradual pay raises etc. with the track record of PHX management they dont seem to be in such a rush when it comes to honestly sitting down and talking a good example is the lastest proposal to fleet service that basically said if you have more than 9 years of seniority you pay us back. thats because the average seniortiy at HP is so low. but that is for another topic. i totally agree with the one company thing but until everyone is on the same page there is alot of work to be done. we still have Piedmont employees in CLT who still dont realize that they lost the Civil War.! The name calling has to stop and the outsourcing needs to come back to America. it may come sooner than you think prior to the renewal of the CSA contd wiract. the complaints are just incredible that we get at the ticket counters. i have had customers in tears because of rude overseas rez agents and not knowing that you book RTFC s in X class and dont know how to spell a name... how can you screw up a name like Johnson..l i got a booking i could not find because they spelled it Gohsmson....and with Shares internationally you need to know your geography and airline hubs and you know these folks see availability in Shares and they say oh no one flys there and guess what they do.. the money we have lost to outsourcing must be off the wall... our international profits i get bet have tanked since Shares came into play and this outsourcing.. i apologize if i offended anyone . that is not me

 

[Dog Wonder]

All hersay and speculatiion.
Also, the bad people are YOU as in US! This managment did not move those jobs off shore or sign those contracts And just for the records HP RES is hiring presumibly Americans to work in America, you guys are just pathetic!

OHHHHHHH Lord its hard to be humble.
When you're perfect in every way.

Well all except for hersay, managment, and presumibly.

Please insult us in English.

 

[john john]

Us, "so called" West customer service employees had just voted teamsters in and would have gotten raises anyway.

You do realize that HP agents were among the worst pay in the industry
And if you believe a $5.00 hour raise was coming your way without CWA. I have an ALPA sonority list I’ll will sale you

 

[PhxMama]

I probably understand what you are saying better than most due to having heard what you are saying a million times. We have had to jump thru hoops to correct some mistakes that if done inhouse would never have occurred. Outsourcing is a way of business which needs to end, period. I just hope that the new contract allows for higher pay for new hires. Whether our new hires are competent is always questionable due to low wages. Avion, I know you just want to help your customers. I know the frustration of feeling that if customers werent given the wrong information you wouldnt have to reeducate them about the correct procedures such as in your x class of service example which is based on that avail. I feel your pain. We are on the same side just in different geographical areas. Lets plan on celebrating when ALL the outsourcing is gone!!! Mama

 

[flybynite]

When it comes to outsourcing or off-shoring jobs from the USA, I get my knickers in a twist!!

It comes down to slave labor. Our trade policies are slaying the middle class worker in this country.

Our Call Center employees were not making that much money to begin with yet we started to off-shore those jobs without a thought in our head as to how that would impact not only those employees in the US but our customers.

Our customers don't like it because they are being serviced by CSR's that can't speak English well and or thier accent is so thick that no one can understand them. And because in thier gut they know these are jobs that have been lost for Americans.

I for one refuse to speak to a Customer Servise Rep if they are not in the USA. I ask them to transfer me back to the US. I will wait patiently, until I get an American on the phone. The way I look at it...it's a job saved here at home.

 

[happy01]

I agree about bringing the jobs back, but in defense of the Manila center and the use of English...

All schooling in the Philippines has been conducted in English for decades. The Philippines has many various languages/dialects of their own depending on the geography. Tagalog is the "official" national language, and everyone in Manila uses it most of the time to talk to one another. However, I never found anyone in Manila who was not perfectly fluent in English. They do have a particular accent, but they are as easily understood as someone from the US with a regional "twang." (I can understand a Filipino a lot easier than someone from deep Georgia woods.)

The actual call center in Manila is in the area called Makati City. It is a very modern, urban environment and the call center is housed in a modern high-rise office building that is situated in an area that could easily be taken for downtown Chicago.

Understanding them is only a very small part of the problem. I can understand them, but then again I am familiar with fare rules and airline policy. Imagine if you didn't know any of that, and having someone with an accent that you can't understand try and explain it to you. I had a passenger ask me the other day if the were speaking to him in Swahili(sp?). And guess what he couldn't understand what she was explaining to him about applying a ticket towards future travel. He thought he had to pay a $100 penalty fee and that his ticket would be refunded. Or maybe that is what she told him, I'm not sure it could have gone either way.
Also, Dont Call Me Shirley made an excellent point, they're not employees so they have no vested interest in how the company performs or if the customers ever come back.
But the biggest problem is they lie! Somehow or other the passenger always understands their accented English, when they are making $%#@ up and lying through their teeth. There are no reprecussions in Manila, because they are not employees and the likely hood of ever finding the agent who did it is slim and none. Because I highly doubt every other female in Manila is named Madonna or Roxanne, or for the guys Jack or Harlem.

 

[Dog Wonder]

What is your name?

Smith.

Can you spell it?

Yes. Can you?

Spell it please.

S M I T H.

Is Smith your name?

Yes.

Thank you Mr. Smith.