[WinPartners] Fwd: Dell to Stop Using Indian Call Center for Corporate Customers

[Kerem B Limon]

Some of you may have seen this already; I'm sure some will find it 
interesting, gauging from the comments on Dell Tech Support in these 
forums, especially recently...

Kerem

http://news.google.com/news?num=30&hl=en&edition=us&q=cluster:washingtontimes%2ecom%2fupi%2dbreaking%2f20031124%2d082614%2d1447r%2ehtm 
(Google, News, likely to expire after a while)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,103955,00.html

>  Dell to Stop Using Indian Call Center for Corporate Customers
>
>Monday, November 24, 2003
>
>AUSTIN, Texas  — After an onslaught of complaints, computer maker Dell 
>Inc. (DELL) has stopped using a technical support center in India to 
>handle calls from its corporate customers.
>
>
>
>Some U.S. customers have complained that the Indian technical-support 
>representatives are difficult to communicate with because of thick accents 
>and scripted responses.
>
>Tech support for corporate customers with Optiplex (search) desktop and 
>Latitude (search) notebook computers will instead be handled from call 
>centers in Texas, Idaho and Tennessee, Dell spokesman Jon Weisblatt said 
>Monday.
>
>Calls from some home PC owners will continue to be handled by the 
>technical support center in Bangalore, India, and Weisblatt said Dell has 
>no plans to scale back the operation there.
>
>"Customers weren't satisfied with the level of support they were 
>receiving, so we're moving some calls around to make sure they don't feel 
>that way anymore," Weisblatt said. He would not discuss the nature of the 
>dissatisfaction with the call center in Bangalore.
>
>Dell is one of a number of high-tech companies that have in recent years 
>moved jobs to India and other developing nations for the cheaper labor, 
>which in Dell's case helps keep down the cost of providing round-the-clock 
>support.
>
>Corporate customers account for about 85 percent of Dell's business, with 
>only 15 percent coming from the consumer market. Worldwide, Dell employs 
>about 44,300 people. About 54 percent are abroad.
>
>Among Dell customers dissatisfied with the company's use of overseas labor 
>is Ronald Kronk, a Presbyterian minister in Rochester, Pa., who has spent 
>the last four months trying to solve a problem that resulted in his being 
>billed for two computers. The problem, he said, is that the Dell call 
>center is in India.
>
>"They're extremely polite, but I call it sponge listening — they just soak 
>it in and say, `I can understand why you're angry,' but nothing happens," 
>Kronk said.
>
>He added: "Every time I see a Dell commercial on TV, I just cringe. They 
>make it sound so easy and it's been a nightmare."
>
>In afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Dell was up 67 cents 
>at $35.19.