I can't believe banks and the like still use foreign call centers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call center industry person here. First, credit unions typically don't directly issue credit cards (they just brand them), so that's outsourced based on the card company's decision, not the credit union. If you call the credit union about a banking (not card) issue, that's a lot more likely to be handled in-house.

As for why companies outsource, well it's cost of course. There are card companies that do nearly all their customer support in the US, but you'll probalby pay a premium for that benefit. The AmEx Platinum, at $895/year, uses predominantly in-house support (the exception may be routine fraud holds, in my experience). Switch to that if you like.

Regarding accents, if you're having trouble understanidng, then that call center agent will not last long anyway as their metrics on average time per call will go up due to people asking them to repeat over and over. A lot of call center operations have moved from India to other countries, in particular the Philippines, and you'll have very few accent issues there.

As for people having access to your data, at every call center I've worked in, employees can't bring in their phones into the work area, and often aren't allowed to have a pen and paper either, to prevent writing down info and taking it with them. That's why occasionally you'll see them ask the same information again on the same call - they are on a different screen/system and don't have yoru previously-provided data since they can't write it down.

Thank you for this information!!!! I wonder how much they're saving just to drive us all insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can thank minimum wage laws for that. It's much cheaper to pay someone $1/hour into answer your call from India.

Nobody in America can live on $40 a week. It's not the minimum wage laws.

[Anonymous]

I guess I am in the minority because I think it’s totally understandable that call centers are outsourced. Contact centers are frankly miserable to work in. If you cannot understand one agent then hang up and try again. Most are quite easy to understand.

Chat is better in 99% of situations and more people use it.

Most call centers will be moving to AI for the vast majority of calls

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess I am in the minority because I think it’s totally understandable that call centers are outsourced. Contact centers are frankly miserable to work in. If you cannot understand one agent then hang up and try again. Most are quite easy to understand.

Chat is better in 99% of situations and more people use it.

Most call centers will be moving to AI for the vast majority of calls

Chat is not better in 99% of situations if it is a bot. They can answer set questions and if yours is not one if them, you're out of luck. If it's really a person, they can be helpful. However, I've gotten ESL chat people too and someone who gave me the wrong answer on chat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Switch to a credit union.

I’m having this issue right now with a life insurance policy and changing the beneficiaries is now a two week ordeal instead of one email to my agent.

OP here. This WAS a credit union. Wright Patman Congressional, in fact. If you have a Visa question you get routed to a call center in India.

There should be a law against banks and financial institutions using foreign call centers

So, more regulation?

More and more companies are sending jobs overseas. This is not a new thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Switch to a credit union.

I’m having this issue right now with a life insurance policy and changing the beneficiaries is now a two week ordeal instead of one email to my agent.

OP here. This WAS a credit union. Wright Patman Congressional, in fact. If you have a Visa question you get routed to a call center in India.

There should be a law against banks and financial institutions using foreign call centers

Bit it's fine if schools are trying to teach academic skiills to classes of kids with heavy accents and limited knowledge of English who immigrate here from different countries?

Those kids aren't accessing our social security numbers, bank account numvers, date of birth, addresses, emails, phone numbers or any other identifying financial information.

So not at all the same thing. You know this and are just being silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can't they train people in the coal country and move the call centers there. It almost seems like Americans under Trump hate other poor White Americans.

Disgusting.

Who is they?

These are corporate decisions

Obviously cost cutting

And if you haven't figured this out, they pledge allegiance to no country. They are just in it for the money

Sure would be nice if an "America First" president somewhere would establish programs like training west Virginia to answer call center phones, instead of aiding corporate greed

Or our bipartisanly lazy congress and senate could actually work and create law banning overseas call centers for financial information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot understand the greed of American companies and billionaires. This is the Republican party. folks. They would rather claim to bring back coal (which they can't)...but not train these English-Speaking Americans in Appalachia to be call-center reps.

Shame on Trump and all the GOP type greedy corporate CEOs.

This is bipartisan, FYI.

It actually started happening under Clinton and Bush.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot understand the greed of American companies and billionaires. This is the Republican party. folks. They would rather claim to bring back coal (which they can't)...but not train these English-Speaking Americans in Appalachia to be call-center reps.

Shame on Trump and all the GOP type greedy corporate CEOs.

This is bipartisan, FYI.

It actually started happening under Clinton and Bush.

Not any more Project 2025 outlines what is going to happen to employee benefits in call centers and factories and corporate jobs. Fun times thanks MAGA cult

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot understand the greed of American companies and billionaires. This is the Republican party. folks. They would rather claim to bring back coal (which they can't)...but not train these English-Speaking Americans in Appalachia to be call-center reps.

Shame on Trump and all the GOP type greedy corporate CEOs.

Only a very young person who thinks the world began after they were born would think that this started under trump and republicans.

This is bipartisan and started several presidents prior to trump. It happened before obama.

But of course, you know this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot understand the greed of American companies and billionaires. This is the Republican party. folks. They would rather claim to bring back coal (which they can't)...but not train these English-Speaking Americans in Appalachia to be call-center reps.

Shame on Trump and all the GOP type greedy corporate CEOs.

This is bipartisan, FYI.

It actually started happening under Clinton and Bush.

Not any more Project 2025 outlines what is going to happen to employee benefits in call centers and factories and corporate jobs. Fun times thanks MAGA cult

This predates trump and is actually part of the reason why he was elected and then reelected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm trying to get answers about weird charges on my CC and the person on the other end of the call and the Indian accent is so thick I cannot understand a thing. It's infuriating.

He was saying "only one unmarketable tomato."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess I am in the minority because I think it’s totally understandable that call centers are outsourced. Contact centers are frankly miserable to work in. If you cannot understand one agent then hang up and try again. Most are quite easy to understand.

Chat is better in 99% of situations and more people use it.

Most call centers will be moving to AI for the vast majority of calls

Chat is not better in 99% of situations if it is a bot. They can answer set questions and if yours is not one if them, you're out of luck. If it's really a person, they can be helpful. However, I've gotten ESL chat people too and someone who gave me the wrong answer on chat.

Persons cannot be helpful. They are strictly required to follow the script.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can't they train people in the coal country and move the call centers there. It almost seems like Americans under Trump hate other poor White Americans.

Disgusting.

Who is they?

These are corporate decisions

Obviously cost cutting

And if you haven't figured this out, they pledge allegiance to no country. They are just in it for the money

Sure would be nice if an "America First" president somewhere would establish programs like training west Virginia to answer call center phones, instead of aiding corporate greed

Or our bipartisanly lazy congress and senate could actually work and create law banning overseas call centers for financial information.

You think American meth heads wont abuse your information?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm trying to get answers about weird charges on my CC and the person on the other end of the call and the Indian accent is so thick I cannot understand a thing. It's infuriating.

Ask for someone in the United States and tell them you do not give out personal information overseas anymore. Period.