Impersonal Business Practices

By: Lourdes G. Mon

 

Whatever happened to speaking face-to-face, or communicating in person with businesses’ customer service instead of listening and talking to a recorded message? Nowadays, no matter what business you call, you cannot avoid recorded messages, and most annoying, is to be told that their menu has changed, so you have to listen carefully, in order not to miss the changes.

Every three months, I call my health insurance to order my over-the-counter drug store items, as a benefit of my coverage. Every time I call, I am reminded that I can order on line. My constant response is, I prefer to speak with a real person. I would get a chuckle. Now, I hear on the other end of the phone, someone that has an accent I am very familiar with. Why? Because many company representatives are outsourced in the Philippines. As published, the Philippines is now the Call Center Capital of the world. It’s the location of most call centers outsourced by companies based in the United States.

One day, my television lost its connection with Comcast, so I called the local phone number with area code 847. It’s not the tollfree number with area codes 800 or 888. I was expecting a service representative here in Skokie to take the call. The accent was undeniably Filipino. I curiously asked if she is answering my call from the Philippines. Absolutely, “Yes.” I almost flipped off my chair. Funny as it may seem, she gave me the right instructions to correct the problem on my TV.

How about health care? It probably is not too far when we don’t have to personally visit our primary physicians and other healthcare professionals in person. At the moment, we can do consultations via video. I have done it with my primary doctor and my cardiologist. It’s convenient, but, I personally want to meet with my doctors for my health care needs. Is it because the health insurance companies are controlling the practice of medicine?

It is not unconscionable to think that in the distant future, blood tests, X-rays, mammograms can be done at home. The hospital might just send you an instrument to administer yourself. Good heavens, what about surgeries? It’s not unimaginable that you have to perform your own surgery at home. The hospital will lend you all the equipment needed. For me, this is a scary thought.

Here is the kicker. I went to my ophthalmologist’s clinic last month, and in talking with the receptionist at the registration desk, she informed me that I have to see the nurse. She said that she will e-mail the nurse if she is available to see me, since I arrived early. My question was, “Is she not here in the clinic?” What do you know? She answered, “She is here in the other room.” I bursted our laughing that kind of annoyed her. In the old days, all she would have to do, is get up, tell the nurse in person.

Incidentally, one of my nieces is engaged to Deepak Nair, the Vice-President and Country Manager for Sutherland Philippines Global Services, based in the Metro Manila. He manages those in the Philippines, China and Malaysia. Sutherland is headquartered in Buffalo, New York, and is second on the top 10 call center companies in the Philippines.

The top call center outsourcings are located in the Philippines, India, the United States, Brazil, Ukraine, Argentina, Poland, and Malaysia.

Meanwhile, in the United States, according to Site Selection Groups the top 10 call center employers are: Alorica, AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Wells Fargo, Verizon, Citigroup, Conduent, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase & Company, and State Farm Insurance.

To pull everything together, get used to virtual communication for practically everything. It’s here to stay. (Photo credit: Google/Bashar Ibrahim)