BPO: Racism outsourced
By Manjusha R
DH News Service Bangalore:
Some customers pass racist comments while others say they do not want to talk to
an Indian.
If you have just completed your degree and are hunting for a job in Bangalore,
then in all probability you will be tempted to take up a job at a call centre,
thanks to its attractive salary and perks. But think twice before you take the
plunge.
For, a call centre executive’s job — often hailed as a moolah-raking
activity — reportedly has its murkier side.
Conversations studded with verbal abuse and profanities, being nick-named
‘Browny’ (the first of the many not-so-subtle racist remarks from foreign
callers), handling sexist comments and sexual overtures mostly from American and
British customers are some of the occupational hazards that you may have to
handle on a regular basis.
Biju B, a former employee of AOL (America Online), said attending to nasty
callers was initially a painful task with spiteful foreigners refusing to speak
to Asians even if they understood their accent perfectly.
“I wanna speak to an American and not an Indian, is often their opening line.
If they are highly frustrated, they resort to racist comments and profanity
about our nationality. This can really bog you down but we get used to it
gradually,” he said. Biju is just one of the many who feels wretched about the
entire scenario.
Mary Anne (name changed), a post graduate in English literature (24), currently
employed with a leading call centre in the billing department, said out of the
60 calls she attends in a day, nearly 6 to 8 calls come under this category.
“There are times when the caller on realising he is speaking to female
executive insists that the call be transferred to a male counterpart,” she
said.
Being hit upon by lusty foreign callers is another predicament faced by call
centre executives, especially women.
Handling abusive calls
Archana Allapandaganesh (26), Supervisor with First Indian Corporation Limited,
a subsidy of First American Corporation Limited, said she has handled all kinds
of irate and abusive calls forwarded to her by her juniors for several years.
“First we try to resolve the issue amicably. If they still insist on speaking
to a person of their own nationality, then, we try to connect the call to an
American stationed overseas,” she said.
Weekends are often the worst time for the ‘call centre clan’. Joseph K, who
has been in this profession for four years, said during weekends some members
call in a drunken state and are in no mood to listen.
To cope with the situation, the companies are now employing psychiatrists and
counsellors to help call centre executives. According to official sources at
Hewlitt Packard, a telephone number of a counsellor for the entire Asia-Pacific
region has been provided to help their call centre executives. The option of
pressing the ‘release’ button, that disconnects such calls immediately, is
also being given.
Neha Ahuja (24), an MBA graduate and the Manager of US-based Andela Auction
Management, asks her juniors to speak to the customers in a polite but firm
manner. “We repeatedly tell them that the members are highly frustrated and
are plagued by their problems.They are lashing out against the company and not
the individuals,” explained Ahuja.
Continued from Page 1
Biju B, a former employee of AOL (America Online), said attending to nasty
callers was initially a painful task with spiteful foreigners refusing to speak
to Asians even if they understood their accent perfectly.
“I wanna speak to an American and not an Indian, is often their opening line.
If they are highly frustrated, they resort to racist comments and profanity
about our nationality. This can really bog you down but we get used to it
gradually,” he said. Biju is just one of the many who feels wretched about the
entire scenario.
Mary Anne (name changed), a post graduate in English literature (24), currently
employed with a leading call centre in the billing department, said out of the
60 calls she attends in a day, nearly 6 to 8 calls come under this category.
“There are times when the caller on realising he is speaking to female
executive insists that the call be transferred to a male counterpart,” she
said.
Being hit upon by lusty foreign callers is another predicament faced by call
centre executives, especially women.
Archana Allapandaganesh (26), Supervisor with First Indian Corporation Limited,
a subsidy of First American Corporation Limited, said she has handled all kinds
of irate and abusive calls forwarded to her by her juniors for several years.
“First we try to resolve the issue amicably. If they still insist on speaking
to a person of their own nationality, then, we try to connect the call to an
American stationed overseas,” she said.
Weekends are often the worst time for the ‘call centre clan’. Joseph K, who
has been in this profession for four years, said during weekends some members
call in a drunken state and are in no mood to listen.
To cope with the situation, the companies are now employing psychiatrists and
counsellors to help call centre executives. According to official sources at
Hewlitt Packard, a telephone number of a counsellor for the entire Asia-Pacific
region has been provided to help their call centre executives.
The option of pressing the ‘release’ button, that disconnects such calls
immediately, is also being given.
Neha Ahuja (24), an MBA graduate and the Manager of US-based Andela Auction
Management, asks her juniors to speak to the customers in a polite but firm
manner. “We repeatedly tell them that the members are highly frustrated and
are plagued by their problems. They are lashing out against the company and not
the individuals,” explained Ahuja.
NEW TWIST TO BPO SCAM
New Delhi, DHNS: The BPO scandal as reported by the British tabloid The Sun,
involving Indian employee Karan Bahree, saw yet another development with the
emergence of a new character, Fayaz Rizvi, who reportedly convinced Bahree to
hand over the CD to the tabloid’s undercover reporter.
However the Gurgaon police have not received any formal request from London
police to assist them in the investigation, sources said. In his explanation
letter, Bahree – who was sacked by his employer Infinity e-search – has
reportedly said that it was Rizvi who had tutored him to make a presentation on
call centre operations in India for The Sun’s reporter.