Welcome to Bombay

Outsourcing tech jobs to India has been hashed, rehashed, reheated and what not until it's now a tepid left-over subject. However, I just got off the phone with an Online Music Service Who Shall Remain Nameless trying to resolve an issue.

I had a free trial to the service so I tried it out. Bought a few tunes, but overall, didn't feel it was worth the money. So, I called to cancel.

I was connected to "Laura" who was clearly sitting in an office building half a world away. English was not her first language. I'm not hear to discuss the politics of the situation. I am here to discuss the fact that if you are trying to resolve issues with customers, is it not a good idea to have them speak the same language?

Laura was a nice girl and she was a hard worker and, without a doubt, a good customer service rep. She took care of me, tried to make sure I was happy, etc. But she only had one, awkward response to what I said.

"I would be happy to give you one free month of the service, and you could cancel at any time."

"No thanks, it's not worth the money."

"Sure, sure. I am understanding. You are telling me that you do not feel the product is a value. Can you explain why."

"Well, I think given the per-track cost, it just doesn't make sense. I'd rather just buy a CD."

"Sure, sure. I am understanding. You are telling me that you would rather buy CDs. But with CDs you cannot make your own choices and you have to buy the full CD and not simple tracks."

"Or I could just use iTunes, which is cheaper."

"Sure, sure. I am understanding. You are telling me that iTunes is a better value. But you would still rather buy a CD when you can preview all of the tracks here?"

"Well, if I buy a CD I can have a physical object on my shelf."

"Sure, Sure, I am understanding. You prefer buy CDs over the purchasing of online music."

Like I said, "Laura" was very nice. But it seems to me that this exchange could have taken up much less of my day had I either been fluent in Urdu or "Laura" had been fluent in English.

Look, I'm in the business of doing things quicker, faster and better than you can do them in house, so I'm not going to complain. But this company was lucky because I was cheery and happy. Had I been irate and not in the mood to strain to understand the customer service rep, I probably would have set off some filters with my choice of words. When it comes to customer service, especially one of a technical nature, I think it is supremely important that there be no language barrier, that the reps speak clearly and fluently. Because, often, the customers can't. Someone must be able to.

Oh well. This was a pointless thing. Go back to dancing or something. I'll crank the Beatles. She's a Daytripper you know. One of the best guitar riffs of all time.