danjon16

british telecom today announced it is setting up 2 call centres in india because of its attempt to reduce costs?

any coments?

thnx4allthefish

Alot of companies do it, and you never know. It's to cut down costs here. It's like alot of IT companies get their development done in India, as it's cheaper as well.

young_lad

Apparently, some of these call centres train their Indian staff to speak with regional English accents, and give their staff examples of current English small-talk (ie weather, tv soaps etc). The icing on the cake is Indian staff are then given stereotypical English names.

So 'Dave, based Newcastle' could actually be Jitesh from Mumbai.

Could be an urban myth, but fact is sometimes stranger than fiction!

danjon16

hahahaa

sounds quality bit like julio jordio on the fast show or harry enfield a few years ago

phone up bt for info on soaps, sport weather instead of watching tele, what a valuable service

Thylacoleo

This is the lead story in this weeks issue of :
Business Review Weekly (Aus)

Also out sourcing of software etc to India. Unions starting to build support amongst IT workers, getting stroppy.

Probably China in a few years, English now taught (badly) as a compulsary second language in nearly all Chinese schools.

Unemployment in Aus IT 11% now double national all industry average 6%.

Alan Collett

Hmmmm ... in terms of bottom line profit it might make sense for BT, but where do you draw the line? Isn't there a point where companies should have a social responsibility to the local (ie UK) workforce as well?

Personally where I have a choice between a product made in Australia or made overseas I would buy Australian, as it might be my neighbour's job that I'm exporting if I bought the foreign manufactured product.

With the quality of international communications these days I can see why BT have taken this course ... but what's the long term consequence if all of UK plc takes the route of exporting this type of employment? Even fewer jobs for those who are less educated and more social division.

Ho hum ...

Thylacoleo

Your musings are the same as those close to the Globalization debate.

We will see more of this on the TV News if jobs start to disappear.

ianduggan5

Australian companies are already farming IT work out to Indian companies, this is part of the downturn in IT at present. If you ring any HSBC bank worldwide your call can be placed and serviced in India and you would be none the wiser. An agent I know has been asked to find 2nd or 3rd generation Indians who wish to emigrate to India to work in call centres and IT and instruct local staff on the cuture of UK, Europe, America, Australia, etc.

The long term view is the same for business everywhere in the world, cut costs, live until the next financial budget.

The Simpsons

I don't know about you, but I get embarrassed talking to the HSBC staff in India. Discussing my huge overdraft and what my salary is etc, is not really something I want to do with someone who is probably being paid very little. I also think it's important that the person I speak to has the same frame of reference with regard to what life is like financially in London/UK, so they can have a bit of sympathy for me, rather than thinking I'm ungrateful etc!!

Don't get me wrong, these staff are well trained and extremely polite, but I get the impression their understanding of my circumstances is put on.

Inked

This has all been done before, just a different industry now.. Recall that cotton sheets etc in Australia are called ‘Manchester’, that’s because Manchester in the UK used to be the centre of the cotton industry until the entrepreneurs of the day realised that it could all be produced in India at a fraction of the cost, basically - labour costs etc are still rock bottom in India – interesting that it is still the case all these years later. Better watch out, migration agents might start becoming cheaper in India.

Joe

Thylacoleo

Remember how Aussies used to make ankle biters? Now out sourced.

Herman

I could'nt agree more. I am totally fed up with clients of ours continually chasing the next cost reduction at the expense of social responsibility. At the end of the day they chase the next saved dollar to try to add a few cents to their share price, that all important "shareholder value" and then a few months later a childish Board level rift or a piece of ill thought out market communication more than blows any shareholder value created. We are telling our clients this now, maybe some of them will even listen to us - do the basics right, have a conscience, behave in an ethical manner and the business/customers/shareholders will look after themselves. Not many listen - have a read of the strategy of the big corporates, they've all got China/India and other parts of Asia in their radars. Why? Low wages, minimal social responsibility required, low pollution control etc etc.

Alan Collett

Maybe I'm getting old, but am I alone in sensing that there is a definite lack of thinking through the consequences of short term decisions by those leading major companies in the UK/Australia/US - and (for what it's worth) those leading the countries themselves ...??

More musings from one who is jet-lagged after a flight back to the UK this morning ....

ianduggan5

Not you are definately NOT!

There needs to change, one way would be to force all goverment or board members to tie their own fortunes in with country or company for a longer term after they have left or been voted out of office.

For example their savings and assets are valued when they are elected or appointed, tied to the GDP or stock price, given 70% back when they leave and then 5% each year for the next six years. That way the stupid long term decisions would come back to haunt them. If the GDP or stock price went down then so would their savings and assets.

It could be workable but the trouble is no polictian would dare to impliment it.

garryinoz

But the question is would you be ready to pay a few hundred dollars more for an Ozzy made product, when u can get the same product which is made in China under well known names, cheaper here? I realised this when i bought my fridge, washing machine, dish washer, TV. All well known brands but made in China and there seems to be nothing wrong with their functioning.
The basic fact remains that a countries policies are driven by the maximum profits. To some extent it makes sense, but on the other hand thats killing the local business industry.
garryinoz