Indian call centres learn how to chew the fat!!
Feb 2nd 2004, 11:52 am
#1
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Joined: Nov 2003
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Indian call centres learn how to chew the fat!!
Indian call centres and outsourcing gets a fair old mention in this forum. This article reports on how Indian call centres are being shown UK TV programs so they can better understand their callers. Specifically this is about a Scottish TV program called 'Chewin' the Fat' and how it is used to help understand Scots callers.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...985518,00.html
The Sunday Times - Scotland
February 01, 2004
Indian call centres learn how to chew the fat
Karin Goodwin
BEMUSED workers in Indian call centres are being given lessons in Chewin’ the Fat catchphrases to help them understand Scottish customers.
“Gonnae no dae that�, “get it right up yiz�, and “gie’s a gonk, ya dobber� have been put on the training syllabus for phone operators in Bangalore and Bombay to attune their ears to the Scottish brogue and encourage an appreciation of the country’s popular culture.
Alongside the Banter Boys, Betty the Old Slapper, Big Man and Neds from the hit BBC Scotland comedy series, the Indians are also being given a glimpse of the Scottish psyche through comedians such as Elaine C Smith, Rikki Fulton and Jack Milroy.
The course includes lessons in national cuisine — in particular haggis, neaps, mince and tatties and egg and chips. Saltires, Jimmy hats, sporrans and the sgian dubh (an ornamental dagger) are also explained.
The young Indian graduates who man the centres, often through the night because of the time difference with Britain, are also learning about the Scots’ fascination with the weather and to understand the meaning of a “gey driech day�.
The course has been devised by Mary Rose Graham, a grandmother from Glasgow who works for Oceans Connect, a British firm that runs a call centre in Pune, south of Bombay.
Graham, 64, a former music teacher who taught in Scottish secondary schools for 28 years, said: “To give them an idea of the sort of banter you get in the west coast of Scotland I used phrases from comedies like Chewin’ the Fat. ‘Gonnae no dae that’ was a favourite.
“Being able to recognise different accents and colloquialisms really helps communication over the phone. My style of teaching is very much the old chalk and talk, and the students have to repeat things constantly so that it sticks. To reinforce things like the pronunciation of difficult town names such as Kirkcudbright and Milngavie I told them stories about the places.
“When we were discussing Aberdeen I told them about my mum and aunt queuing up for the cinema when they were young. If it was busy and they got separated in the queue my mum would shout: ‘Ye offa crushed up thair Mags?’ She would shout back ‘Nae offa’. The Indians all found that very amusing.�
Richard Coppel of Oceans Connect, which has 300 staff in India handling customer service and telesales, said the lessons in Scots culture had been invaluable. “From speaking to our employees we know that the cultural points help as an aide-mémoire with language points and helps them to retain the good grounding that the course gives them.
“They are also trained to recognise a customer’s mood from their voice,� he said. “Scots tend to have a firmer tone than Indians would. If the call handlers are not used to Scottish banter, they may not realise something is a joke.
“If the Indians understand some of the cultural points that may come up in the conversation, the phone call will go much more smoothly.�
Although soaps such as EastEnders and Coronation Street have been used to train staff in the past, Graham’s lessons are the first in Scottish culture.
A growing number of British companies are using call centres in India. Dr Peter Bain of Strathclyde University and Dr Phil Taylor of Stirling University have carried out research and found that half of Scottish call centre companies will have transferred some jobs to India within the next two years. More than 20 Scottish firms are already operating in there, but Bain says a lack of understanding of colloquial expressions and British culture remains a problem.
“So far Indian call centres have experienced linguistic and cultural difficulties that have led many companies to invest in more training. It is difficult enough for many British call handlers to understand all the accents of the UK,� he said.
“Using comedies to try to explain Scottish culture and accents shows the extreme difficulty of the task. But I must admit I am very cynical about the fact that you can impart so much information in such a short amount of time.�
OzTennis
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...985518,00.html
The Sunday Times - Scotland
February 01, 2004
Indian call centres learn how to chew the fat
Karin Goodwin
BEMUSED workers in Indian call centres are being given lessons in Chewin’ the Fat catchphrases to help them understand Scottish customers.
“Gonnae no dae that�, “get it right up yiz�, and “gie’s a gonk, ya dobber� have been put on the training syllabus for phone operators in Bangalore and Bombay to attune their ears to the Scottish brogue and encourage an appreciation of the country’s popular culture.
Alongside the Banter Boys, Betty the Old Slapper, Big Man and Neds from the hit BBC Scotland comedy series, the Indians are also being given a glimpse of the Scottish psyche through comedians such as Elaine C Smith, Rikki Fulton and Jack Milroy.
The course includes lessons in national cuisine — in particular haggis, neaps, mince and tatties and egg and chips. Saltires, Jimmy hats, sporrans and the sgian dubh (an ornamental dagger) are also explained.
The young Indian graduates who man the centres, often through the night because of the time difference with Britain, are also learning about the Scots’ fascination with the weather and to understand the meaning of a “gey driech day�.
The course has been devised by Mary Rose Graham, a grandmother from Glasgow who works for Oceans Connect, a British firm that runs a call centre in Pune, south of Bombay.
Graham, 64, a former music teacher who taught in Scottish secondary schools for 28 years, said: “To give them an idea of the sort of banter you get in the west coast of Scotland I used phrases from comedies like Chewin’ the Fat. ‘Gonnae no dae that’ was a favourite.
“Being able to recognise different accents and colloquialisms really helps communication over the phone. My style of teaching is very much the old chalk and talk, and the students have to repeat things constantly so that it sticks. To reinforce things like the pronunciation of difficult town names such as Kirkcudbright and Milngavie I told them stories about the places.
“When we were discussing Aberdeen I told them about my mum and aunt queuing up for the cinema when they were young. If it was busy and they got separated in the queue my mum would shout: ‘Ye offa crushed up thair Mags?’ She would shout back ‘Nae offa’. The Indians all found that very amusing.�
Richard Coppel of Oceans Connect, which has 300 staff in India handling customer service and telesales, said the lessons in Scots culture had been invaluable. “From speaking to our employees we know that the cultural points help as an aide-mémoire with language points and helps them to retain the good grounding that the course gives them.
“They are also trained to recognise a customer’s mood from their voice,� he said. “Scots tend to have a firmer tone than Indians would. If the call handlers are not used to Scottish banter, they may not realise something is a joke.
“If the Indians understand some of the cultural points that may come up in the conversation, the phone call will go much more smoothly.�
Although soaps such as EastEnders and Coronation Street have been used to train staff in the past, Graham’s lessons are the first in Scottish culture.
A growing number of British companies are using call centres in India. Dr Peter Bain of Strathclyde University and Dr Phil Taylor of Stirling University have carried out research and found that half of Scottish call centre companies will have transferred some jobs to India within the next two years. More than 20 Scottish firms are already operating in there, but Bain says a lack of understanding of colloquial expressions and British culture remains a problem.
“So far Indian call centres have experienced linguistic and cultural difficulties that have led many companies to invest in more training. It is difficult enough for many British call handlers to understand all the accents of the UK,� he said.
“Using comedies to try to explain Scottish culture and accents shows the extreme difficulty of the task. But I must admit I am very cynical about the fact that you can impart so much information in such a short amount of time.�
OzTennis
Feb 2nd 2004, 11:55 am
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Scotland
Posts: 7,949
So, nominations please of Australian TV programs to offer to the Indian call centres so they can understand their 'down under' callers?
OzTennis
OzTennis
Feb 2nd 2004, 11:58 am
#3
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Joined: May 2003
Location: Alloha snack bar
Posts: 24,246
Re: Indian call centres learn how to chew the fat!!
Originally posted by OzTennis
Indian call centres and outsourcing gets a fair old mention in this forum. This article reports on how Indian call centres are being shown UK TV programs so they can better understand their callers. Specifically this is about a Scottish TV program called 'Chewin' the Fat' and how it is used to help understand Scots callers.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...985518,00.html
The Sunday Times - Scotland
February 01, 2004
Indian call centres learn how to chew the fat
Karin Goodwin
BEMUSED workers in Indian call centres are being given lessons in Chewin’ the Fat catchphrases to help them understand Scottish customers.
“Gonnae no dae that�, “get it right up yiz�, and “gie’s a gonk, ya dobber� have been put on the training syllabus for phone operators in Bangalore and Bombay to attune their ears to the Scottish brogue and encourage an appreciation of the country’s popular culture.
Alongside the Banter Boys, Betty the Old Slapper, Big Man and Neds from the hit BBC Scotland comedy series, the Indians are also being given a glimpse of the Scottish psyche through comedians such as Elaine C Smith, Rikki Fulton and Jack Milroy.
The course includes lessons in national cuisine — in particular haggis, neaps, mince and tatties and egg and chips. Saltires, Jimmy hats, sporrans and the sgian dubh (an ornamental dagger) are also explained.
The young Indian graduates who man the centres, often through the night because of the time difference with Britain, are also learning about the Scots’ fascination with the weather and to understand the meaning of a “gey driech day�.
The course has been devised by Mary Rose Graham, a grandmother from Glasgow who works for Oceans Connect, a British firm that runs a call centre in Pune, south of Bombay.
Graham, 64, a former music teacher who taught in Scottish secondary schools for 28 years, said: “To give them an idea of the sort of banter you get in the west coast of Scotland I used phrases from comedies like Chewin’ the Fat. ‘Gonnae no dae that’ was a favourite.
“Being able to recognise different accents and colloquialisms really helps communication over the phone. My style of teaching is very much the old chalk and talk, and the students have to repeat things constantly so that it sticks. To reinforce things like the pronunciation of difficult town names such as Kirkcudbright and Milngavie I told them stories about the places.
“When we were discussing Aberdeen I told them about my mum and aunt queuing up for the cinema when they were young. If it was busy and they got separated in the queue my mum would shout: ‘Ye offa crushed up thair Mags?’ She would shout back ‘Nae offa’. The Indians all found that very amusing.�
Richard Coppel of Oceans Connect, which has 300 staff in India handling customer service and telesales, said the lessons in Scots culture had been invaluable. “From speaking to our employees we know that the cultural points help as an aide-mémoire with language points and helps them to retain the good grounding that the course gives them.
“They are also trained to recognise a customer’s mood from their voice,� he said. “Scots tend to have a firmer tone than Indians would. If the call handlers are not used to Scottish banter, they may not realise something is a joke.
“If the Indians understand some of the cultural points that may come up in the conversation, the phone call will go much more smoothly.�
Although soaps such as EastEnders and Coronation Street have been used to train staff in the past, Graham’s lessons are the first in Scottish culture.
A growing number of British companies are using call centres in India. Dr Peter Bain of Strathclyde University and Dr Phil Taylor of Stirling University have carried out research and found that half of Scottish call centre companies will have transferred some jobs to India within the next two years. More than 20 Scottish firms are already operating in there, but Bain says a lack of understanding of colloquial expressions and British culture remains a problem.
“So far Indian call centres have experienced linguistic and cultural difficulties that have led many companies to invest in more training. It is difficult enough for many British call handlers to understand all the accents of the UK,� he said.
“Using comedies to try to explain Scottish culture and accents shows the extreme difficulty of the task. But I must admit I am very cynical about the fact that you can impart so much information in such a short amount of time.�
OzTennis
Indian call centres and outsourcing gets a fair old mention in this forum. This article reports on how Indian call centres are being shown UK TV programs so they can better understand their callers. Specifically this is about a Scottish TV program called 'Chewin' the Fat' and how it is used to help understand Scots callers.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...985518,00.html
The Sunday Times - Scotland
February 01, 2004
Indian call centres learn how to chew the fat
Karin Goodwin
BEMUSED workers in Indian call centres are being given lessons in Chewin’ the Fat catchphrases to help them understand Scottish customers.
“Gonnae no dae that�, “get it right up yiz�, and “gie’s a gonk, ya dobber� have been put on the training syllabus for phone operators in Bangalore and Bombay to attune their ears to the Scottish brogue and encourage an appreciation of the country’s popular culture.
Alongside the Banter Boys, Betty the Old Slapper, Big Man and Neds from the hit BBC Scotland comedy series, the Indians are also being given a glimpse of the Scottish psyche through comedians such as Elaine C Smith, Rikki Fulton and Jack Milroy.
The course includes lessons in national cuisine — in particular haggis, neaps, mince and tatties and egg and chips. Saltires, Jimmy hats, sporrans and the sgian dubh (an ornamental dagger) are also explained.
The young Indian graduates who man the centres, often through the night because of the time difference with Britain, are also learning about the Scots’ fascination with the weather and to understand the meaning of a “gey driech day�.
The course has been devised by Mary Rose Graham, a grandmother from Glasgow who works for Oceans Connect, a British firm that runs a call centre in Pune, south of Bombay.
Graham, 64, a former music teacher who taught in Scottish secondary schools for 28 years, said: “To give them an idea of the sort of banter you get in the west coast of Scotland I used phrases from comedies like Chewin’ the Fat. ‘Gonnae no dae that’ was a favourite.
“Being able to recognise different accents and colloquialisms really helps communication over the phone. My style of teaching is very much the old chalk and talk, and the students have to repeat things constantly so that it sticks. To reinforce things like the pronunciation of difficult town names such as Kirkcudbright and Milngavie I told them stories about the places.
“When we were discussing Aberdeen I told them about my mum and aunt queuing up for the cinema when they were young. If it was busy and they got separated in the queue my mum would shout: ‘Ye offa crushed up thair Mags?’ She would shout back ‘Nae offa’. The Indians all found that very amusing.�
Richard Coppel of Oceans Connect, which has 300 staff in India handling customer service and telesales, said the lessons in Scots culture had been invaluable. “From speaking to our employees we know that the cultural points help as an aide-mémoire with language points and helps them to retain the good grounding that the course gives them.
“They are also trained to recognise a customer’s mood from their voice,� he said. “Scots tend to have a firmer tone than Indians would. If the call handlers are not used to Scottish banter, they may not realise something is a joke.
“If the Indians understand some of the cultural points that may come up in the conversation, the phone call will go much more smoothly.�
Although soaps such as EastEnders and Coronation Street have been used to train staff in the past, Graham’s lessons are the first in Scottish culture.
A growing number of British companies are using call centres in India. Dr Peter Bain of Strathclyde University and Dr Phil Taylor of Stirling University have carried out research and found that half of Scottish call centre companies will have transferred some jobs to India within the next two years. More than 20 Scottish firms are already operating in there, but Bain says a lack of understanding of colloquial expressions and British culture remains a problem.
“So far Indian call centres have experienced linguistic and cultural difficulties that have led many companies to invest in more training. It is difficult enough for many British call handlers to understand all the accents of the UK,� he said.
“Using comedies to try to explain Scottish culture and accents shows the extreme difficulty of the task. But I must admit I am very cynical about the fact that you can impart so much information in such a short amount of time.�
OzTennis
Feb 2nd 2004, 12:11 pm
#4
Banned
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,432
Originally posted by OzTennis
So, nominations please of Australian TV programs to offer to the Indian call centres so they can understand their 'down under' callers?
OzTennis
So, nominations please of Australian TV programs to offer to the Indian call centres so they can understand their 'down under' callers?
OzTennis
