My Xbox 360 is on the fritz and my limited research indicates that though the problem is fixable, it will cost me at least $200, plus the aggravation of shipping etc. Though annoying, this is doable. What I have problems with is the Microsoft customer service call center, apparently located somewhere in India. I have called these people before but it is such a protracted experience that in the end I had to actually hang up before my business could be concluded.
One has to run through their whole checklist of “Can you try this?” and “Did you try that?” and “Let me read everything back to you sir” and so on. Even though it is obviously a common problem inflicted on thousands of consumers, and the only information I should really need to provide is “It is busted. Yes I tried everything. You fixee now. Where do I send it, and how much?”
I have a short attention span and am long on impatience. Indian labor is obviously cheap. Couldn’t I hire an Indian to call India for me and deal with this?
Of course you could. But before I did that, I’d see if they have a chat-style tool so you can work with the call center in print rather than over the phone. I did this with HP and it was infinitely more productive than dealing with the accent barrier. The guys in India who I just lost my job to are also easier to understand in print than via phone. They all take English in India (I’m told it’s required). I had no problem at all understanding them via IM.
How do you know your new hire would speak the same language as the person on the other end of the phone? There is no Indian language, there are hundreds of languages and dialects including 23 official languages. They might start talking to each other and realize the language they have in common is English, one of the official languages.
You don’t have the “ring of death” do you?
I just recently dealt with 360 customer service. They were both very helpful and very fast. The whole process, from phone call to a refurbished 360 being in my hands, took about 2 weeks.
The OP didn’t make any mention of language barriers; it was all about how much time it took, and he was asking if the cost of hiring off-shore help desk callers was worth more than his own time calling the help desk. This is possible; the really fine point would be whether or not an on-shore solution would also be cost-effective. HR is looking into options and consulting with a 3rd-party outsourcing agency to determine the long-term effects of such a decision. You should see an update in the quarterly newsletter, along with the results of the United Way fund drive and information about the upcoming Habitats for Humanity volunteer project.
