HP loses huge support contract to IBM - India based support cited as main reason.

[astro]

Interesting…this is the first article I’ve read where the was a direct negative consequence reported as a result of companies seeking ever cheaper support outsourcing overseas. I have dealt with India based call centers and quite frankly the quality of the help and real world facility with spoken English is pretty hit and miss.

Is this the beginning of a trend back to native speaker tech support? The IBM Irish based centers I have used have been great.

HP loses huge corporate contracts after support debacle

Par tof article below

Outsourcing plans antagonise loyal Compaq customers

By Charlie Demerjian: Friday 08 August 2003, 12:40

SOURCES FORMERLY WITHIN HP have told the INQUIRER that its outsourcing plans have cost the company several loyal corporate customers with lost business running into very large figures indeed.

Information provided to the INQUIRER by several hired, fired, re-hired, extended, re-trenched, begged back and eventually fired again sources in HP Australia, claim that the firm’s plans to outsource support has cost the firm dear.

And individuals who were afraid for their jobs no longer have them, meaning that they now feel free to flesh out what’s happened in Australia.

In late spring, HP Australia decided that that could save a few Australian dollars by replacing the ex-Compaq staff there with outsourced staff based in India, as we reported here. But, our sources claim, customers started to wonder why service was getting bad.

[Brad_the_Impaler]

I wonder if IBM’s India based support will be any better.