Posted by Hov at stjhts26c023.nbnet.nb.ca on August 04, 2002 at 00:09:41:
In Reply to: HP/Compaq- thousands of American jobs go poof posted by Tarrik Dane on August 04, 2002 at 00:03:52:
: I work at a tech support call center. The center consists of various "accounts" which are basically major computer manufacturers and other technical companies. When you call in for tech support, contrary to popular belief, you rarely talk to an actual employee of that company. The call center I work at is one of the largest in the nation. It's also ranked #1 in support for almost every account we hold. (HP/Compaq-Gateway-Direct TV-IBM-Best Buy- and many others) We consistently beat all other call centers(including those internally owned buy the company contracting our services.)
: The Compaq account (recently HP/Compaq) was the best example of this. Month after month consistently for years we have been between 10-15% ahead of every other call center in terms of customer satisfaction, first call fix, and cost per call(which means sending out replacement parts etc) Based on our success Compaq redesigned their entire support structure to mimic ours. Frequently sending out trainers and corporate bigwigs to study our support methods.
: Last night, my call center was informed that in 90 days, HP/Compaq would cease utilizing our support center. When prompted for a reason, HP/Compaq explained that it was in favor of cheaper support alternatives outside of the USA. (Entirely in India to be exact) In an effort to help the HP/Compaq employees at our call center (Which number above 800 in the Compaq account alone) the owner of my call center offered to lower our fee to that of the India call center. Certainly, they wouldn't turn down the call center that the redesigned their entire support structure around. Wrong. HP/Compaq informed us that they would be closing ALL of their U.S. call centers in favor of India based sites. That's thousands of American jobs gone. Within the next 90 days, HP/Compaq's entire support operation will reside in India. So, for all of you HP or Compaq owners, be prepared to be greeted with heavy accents.
: I strongly urge anyone who reads this, who may be in the market for a new PC, seriously consider shopping Dell or Gateway. You won't regret it. Please pass this on..........TD