Here is your headset.
Salon.com has an article detailing the experiences of a call-center tech support trainee. He details the world of outsourced tech-support and the need for speed. When customer service is seen only as an expense item, numbers rule and every attempt is made to get the caller off the line. More phone calls = higher customer service.
Read Salon.com Technology | “We don’t support that” for the entire story. You will probably need to view an inter-site commercial to read the whole story, unless you are a Premium subscriber.
When the customer is unwilling to pay a higher amount for support, this is what support degenerates into. I just had a friend the other day ask me what computer I would suggest he purchase. He wanted to go with the “stability” of a nationally recognized name and the tech support they would offer. My response was that the only thing you were paying for was the name. Tech support from major companies is now a farce.
Next time you have to call tech support for a national company, be on the watch for the punter, gifter or the shudder formatter.
Most individuals would do better to purchase a computer from your local computer store. At least you can darken their doorway when the computer spits sparks at you.
The national companies will eventually start to hear from their customers over tech support. Recall Dell on-shoring tech support for their larger customers. Small businesses and consumers are still getting support from offshore.
Or perhaps the national companies will not hear from their customers. After all, most former customers don’t call again for tech support.