Traditional Japanese solutions to unemployment

February 16, 2013 by 123outsource
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In America, one of the richest countries in the world — we have not figured out how to handle unemployment. I say that the government needs to hire those who are “difficult”, undependable, or hostile. There are plenty of jobs that need to be done, and with proper management, those harder cases of unemployment could be solved. I have tried to hire many people myself for various jobs, and found that the people who are out of work normally have a personality disorder which accounts for their unemployment. Others are missing a few screws, but still can perform many work functions if monitered accordingly.

The Japanese Solution
In Japan, unemployment has typically been low — perhaps around 2%. I am not sure what it has been recently — probably higher. I am not an economist and know very little about these things in any case. But, WHY has their unemployment been so low? The answer lies deep in the roots of Japanese culture. Perhaps if you understand the Samurai tradition — the answer will lie there.

I know what you are thinking, they found unemployed people and chopped them in half using a samurai sword — NO, sorry, that is not what happened, but I like the way you think!

The Culture
Japanese companies have peculiar structures and hierarchies. Loyalty is one of the customs of Japanese employment. I think that if your father went to highschool with the company owner or hiring manager, that establishes a very sacred relationship in Japanese culture. It is partly what you know, but who you know really matters a lot too. Family connections matter tremendously and they define your social class as well in many parts of Asia!

A Pun about Samurais and working your way up or down the ladder
In any case, getting hired and staying hired are two separate things. In Japan, traditionally, it was poor form to fire someone. In many cases, people were hired for life — just like samurais were samurias until death. For the sword wielding samurais, that was not a big deal, because their mistake in becoming a samurai would be short-lived in the best of scenarios. But, what about the rest of the population?

What do you do it a worker simply (no samurai pun intended) doesn’t “cut it”. A worker who wasn’t that great would simply be demoted to a lesser work status. Of course that would bring tremendous shame to the worker’s family and would be a huge humiliation. That is why Japanese are some of the hardest workers in the world — it is about honor, being honored, and status. On the other hand, it is normal in companies for workers to start in the mail room, and work their way up the ladder. In Japan this is no exception.

A trip to Japantown
I used to love Japantown in Los Angeles. It was small, clean and interesting — which is in character for a place that is Japanese. In any case, I used to notice that the same elderly gentleman was serving noodle soup for a decade straight. He never switched his job. Such loyalty. Americans change work frequently and see to have no sense of responsibility for the long term survival of their company. I hadn’t been to Japantown since 2007, and made another visit. This time the ice-cream lady must have hit 95. I asked her if she was the same person who was working there in 2007. Based on the answer I got, she still hadn’t learned English, and had no intention of learning either. But, her ice cream was award winning — so that makes it okay. Who needs English anyway, right? This is America — you have the freedom to live your entire life here without knowing a word of English!

The correlatio​n between personalit​y type and work behavior

February 13, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: Outsourcing Articles | Tagged | Leave a comment

I am by no means an expert in this subject, but I have seen many different personality types in the workplace, and seen how the quality of their work was as well. To equate a personality type with a particular type of work output is not possible — it is too complicated. But, I noticed many things with the companies I have hired for outsourcing tasks. I have notice who has what type of personality — and I’ve noticed how their work is and how their attitude towards work is.

Good personalities
I have worked with many people who have great personalities. Having a friendly disposition doesn’t guarantee anything, however, it is better than having what Americans call “an attitude”, meaning an unfavorable attitude towards people and work. Technical skills and personalities do not correspond to each other — you might have a brilliant artist who is impossible to get along with or the opposite situation. Amongst the nice personalities with whom I have had the pleasure of working — I have notice that a few were very responsive and great workers. A few others gave brilliant advice and were really in tune with more than just their little niche in the work world. I have dealt with some very well-meaning flakes, who just do half of what they are supposed to, or don’t get back to you when they are supposed to. I have seen busy types who just promise that they will help you — and then find out they are too busy and leave you hanging for more than a month. I worked with another gentleman who was nice, but reserved, and only semi-competent about his work skills. Another lady was very friendly, but helter skelter about her output without me babysitting the work. All in all, I would say that the ATTITUDE of friendly workers is much better than of anti-social or hostile workers. I will also say, that the overall OUTPUT of friendly workers is “on average” better than the unfriendly ones. However, work skills, responsiveness, responsibility and other aspects of working can not be determined by personality

Unfriendly personalities
There are all types of people who I have met who I asked myself, “How is it that this person can have a job — any job?”. When I ask this question of myself, I usually get an answer from the universe a few months or years later when that employee I am thinking about gets terminated.

Hostile types
Workers who are argumentative, rude, or hostile in any way are a huge risk. They will be the first to betray you, or let you down. They don’t care about you or your work. They are there because they have to be, or for the money. Perhaps they like the technical aspect of their job, but they certainly will not care about you. I would start shopping around if you find an unfriendly type.

Anti-social types
These are much better than the hostile types. They will do their work, but I have never had an anti-social type give my work the attention it deserves. The anti-social types I have seen so far have all exhibited the same attitude towards my work. They do the work without that much care. There are errors at all stages of the process. Additionally, I will be kept waiting, and have to ask multiple times for certain tasks to be done. Antisocial workers are far better than hostile workers in my experience. But, if you can find someone you have a positive social connection to, my experience tells me that you will get BETTER WORK from that person, as well as a more enjoyable overall experience.

The moral of this blog entry is to shop around (time consuming but worth it) and find nice, responsible people to work for you, and you will be a happier person as a result! When you find that nice person, reward them and give them a little extra to reward them for their good work from time to time, and both of you will be even happier and get even better work output!

Focusing on the goal is half of the secret to fast growth

February 12, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: Marketing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

After talking with hundreds and thousands of outsourcing companies, I have gotten a very clear impression of what the successful companies do. Successful companies have someone who is a good communicator who answers the phone — perhaps 24 hours a day. If nobody is there, there will be a professional sounding answering machine. But, to find a company with this level of professionalism in India is hard. Only about 2% of Indian companies are what we might call “professional”.

But, the irony is, that these professional sounding companies typically have 100-2000 employees and get about 80% of the market share. So, it is the old 80:20 rule — except that in this case it is the 80:2 rule. 2% of the businesses get 80% of the work, and probably 98% of the profits.

So, the question is, how can a small company with a limited budget rise to the level of a larger and more professional company?

The answer is: By constantly focusing on that goal. Most companies don’t care if they are not professional, and the result is that nobody who is any good will want to work with them. If a little company actually cared about how they interacted with prospects, first of all, they would not remain a little company for long. They would grow. But, the other thing to remember is that little companies can offer a much more personal experience.

I feel that little companies can offer better results to their clients than a large company simply by virtue of the fact that you can get to know the boss, and that the boss will have more involvement in your various projects. The only thing the little company needs to do is to care, and to try their best.

Do you care?
I do!

Outsourcing to a Call Center in India: Benefits and Caveats

February 11, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: Call Center | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“So my message is simple. It is time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I will sign them right away.” Barack Obama, January, 2012

Will Barack Obama be re-elected, and will he actually do something to make outsourcing less feasible for U.S. businesses? Will he tax outsourcing in some way? Will he give tax breaks to companies that hire U.S. workers to do jobs that we are currently outsourcing, and would this make outsourcing to a call center in India, for example, less attractive? In such a future, what would be the best way for a business to save money? Predictably, President Obama himself is reported to save money in his campaigns by outsourcing to foreign call centers, and many companies–even the traditionally “American” General Electric–send jobs abroad. Wind farms and get more than 50% of their materials and products from overseas manufacturers, and many industries outsource portions of their needs or daily work. Obama has said again and again that he wants to create “jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced,” but are there such jobs, and is outsourcing detrimental to the U.S. economy–or to our sense of satisfaction with customer service and our material lives? Does outsourcing to India create unhappy consumers? Or is outsourcing here to stay?

According to a 2010 survey of consumers, the Contact Center Satisfaction Index, many unhappy consumers felt that when their customer service calls were outsourced to countries where the callers cannot manage well in English, the issues were not resolved or they had to speak with multiple representatives because the call center representatives are not as knowledgeable or well-trained as call center workers in the U.S. That perception is slowly changing, and in 2012, it seems outsourcing is here to stay. In fact, in July, the Senate killed an anti-outsourcing bill which would have given companies a 20% tax credit for moving work back to the U.S. rather than extending tax credits for moving work out of the U.S.

After the U.S., India is the country with the largest English-speaking population in the world. The average call center worker in India is also better educated than the U.S. call-center worker who gets $8 an hour and works from home. Since 2010, for example, there are more than 60,000 workers in the U.S. doing calling from home, but the cost of hiring U.S. firms that take customer service calls from home is still not comparable to outsourcing to a call center in Bangalore, for instance, where workers are generally young and well-educated. The average call center worker in Bangalore can live on about $300 a month, so the amount you will pay a call center in Bangalore is still less than hiring workers in the U.S.: wages in India are 80% lower than for their U.S. counterparts. Furthermore, workers at the best call centers in India undergo extensive training to become part of a call center staff. For weeks, they attend trainings, learn how to speak using a neutral accent, and learn how to engage a person on the phone; then, they continue their training after being hired. Call centers we spoke with in Bangalore, for instance, are also training managers better, and looking at retention of successful employees.

The benefits of outsourcing to a reputable call center in Bangalore, for instance, are legendary: reports from companies like Chase about how they saved 50% by outsourcing to India put the stamp of approval on the practice of outsourcing to a call center. Also, in 2012, telecommunications costs and equipment make it cost-effective for a call center in India to handle a volume of calls for less. India is expected to earn almost $20 billion in call center business in 2012, and call centers in Bangalore may reap up to one third of that amount. Call centers in Bangalore are training their callers to answer the phone in a professional manner, and to understand and use American idioms and accents, which creates outsourcing success. “Not only will you save money,” says one CEO, “but you have the opportunity to get to know how another culture works. And it is far better than you may think.”

Some fear that if Obama changes the tax structure, the pros and cons may become more even. Outsourcing success may look different: instead of outsourcing to a call center in Bangalore, XYZ Company in Los Angeles may choose to outsource to U.S.companies that hire at-home workers. There was no noise in Congress this past month, however, about anything remotely to do with outsourcing, and tax cuts will be dealt with in November. But considering the fact that the U.S. Postal Service is losing $25 million a day, for example, there are other issues the U.S. has to deal with and other sources of unhappy consumers. The record shows that outsourcing to India is much more of a help to the economy than a hindrance. Call centers with the highest number of workers who are proficient in English get and retain more business from overseas, and according to one Yahoo survey, 80% of businesses say that outsourcing to a call center is a benefit. “Of course,” says one CEO,” you have to create a good working relationship with a call center, and that starts with the very first phone call.”

The most important factor in outsourcing success is the relationship you establish with the call center in India. One quarter of all outsourcing relationships fail in the first two years, according to Dun and Bradstreet. The key to any outsourcing success or any successful contract with another business is the relationship itself. Strike up a conversation with the call center management on the phone, and be sure there is clear communication. Read our Sept 29 blog. If you can develop and nurture a heart-to-heart and head-to-head communication with a call center in India, it makes sense to give them some work. After all, it is a call center! So call them, try to have a conversation, and see what develops.

The secret to success is to hire more employees!

February 10, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: Marketing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Every time we call companies, the manager is always busy. Companies take too long to get back to people, and too long to get things done. Companies don’t want to hire someone new because it is too labor intensive to interview people and train new people. Companies lose so many new clients because they are not fast enough on the draw getting back to people, and too slow to do good work.

Basically, the bottom line is that companies are too short-staffed to have the resources to hire new people. That is an oxymoron and makes no sense.

My enterprise suffered from the same fate that these other companies I am describing in my first paragraph suffer from. My enterprise is tiny, with only three people, plus outsourced social media staff and outsourced programming staff. We have so many different things to do, and it is hard to train people to do those new things. But, I finally started a new person with some phone tasks. She offered a lot of coaching to new clients on how they could do their marketing better. The effect was that our sales grew by 60% overnight. Karmically, the sales growth could have been because of my increased help to my clients. It is hard to say. But, if you have more people doing actions at your company, then there is more room for profits.

If you have slightly more labor than you need, then you will be covered when someone is sick. You will be covered when someone is on a vacation. When Diwalli or Christmas comes around, you might be able to have more employees who will stick around. You will not have a problem being behind on work. You can call people back really fast, or answer their call to begin with instead of having them leave a message.

Spiritually, you create a vacuum when you have available labor. You attract more work. There is so much work out there that if you do a good job attracting it through good marketing and spiritual means (the spiritual vacuum theory), that you can become very wealthy! All you need to do is hire more people — train them very thoroughly, and keep an eye on them to make sure they are doing a good job.

The effect of the British on India

February 2, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: India | Tagged , | Leave a comment

This could become a long and scholarly work, but I am not well read in history from any region of the world, and I only know fragments of the truth. Basically, for hundreds of years, the British went around the world, dividing and conquering, and forcing the English language and legal system on various local populations who I’ll assume started out being less than willing to accept colonization.

In any case, it seems that in India, chaos is the norm. There either are no rules, or no enforcement of rules. It is common to find nobody in charge. There is no security unless you are in an airport in which the security has become what I humorously term as “Nazi times 3”. It is common to have five levels of security in airports in India now. To go to the bathroom, you pass by two checkpoints, and then another one on the way to the urinal, and then three more while going back to your waiting room for the flight. There are gangsters everywhere who control pockets of the country, corrupt politicians, police who are not always as effective or honest as you might like, and pollution that is out of control to the point where you literally can not breath in certain parts of India.

Railways
However, the British build railways that connected India from end to end. Before the British, there was no effective way to travel. I suppose you could hop on a horse and go to a neighboring state. And spiritual men made pilgrimages to various holy sites on foot. But, can you imagine how long and dangerous this pedantic type of transportation was? You could walk half a year on foot, or take an overnight train ride — which do you prefer?

Language
Additionally, there was no common language in India before the British. There were only 22 main langauges that differered from state to state. The North Indians speak Indo-European languages which are similar enough to each other that they can probably understand each other well. I have heard that Marathi and Hindi are very very close. After colonization, the educated classes and those who worked with the colonizers were forced to learn English. English, is not only the language of the colonizer, but is currently the most widely spread WORLD LANGUAGE — and this enables India to have a huge edge on outsourcing. People in most other parts of Asia have huge struggle with English, but in India, there are millions who speak it well.

Order
As I stated above, most of India is very unruly to a greater or lesser extent. However, many have noticed, that those areas that PREVIOUSLY were British Strongholds (like Mumbai) have a much greater sense of order. People in Mumbai actually drive in lanes, and the police keep the rick shaw drivers under strict discipline with the threat of a beating with a stick. There are rules and order in places that the British left their mark. The WILD EAST in India is another story. Local mafias terrorize the civilians, and there is no financial security. The gangs can take your property away from you if they like – and they often do. The only justice in these wild places are vigilante justice.

Justice
I remember watching TV at the airport in Bangalore watching someone in Bihar being publicly beaten, and then tied to the back of a moped and dragged around town. The police just sat and watched. The lynching victem had robbed a lady of her jewels and the police did nothing. So, the neighbors took action, and the police just sat and watched a young gentleman get beaten — perhaps to death. Most people prefer living in a place with law and order. This is why, when I visiti India, I prefer being in places that used to be under a stronger British influence — it is safer.

Attracting clientele via 123outsource.net – the 1st step

January 26, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

There are lots of businesses in the U.S. and elsewhere that would like to outsource to India or the Philippines and hire your company. But first, they want to be able to talk with you. Whether you seek work in data entry or accounting outsourcing, run a call center in India, or do web design, getting work with a U.S. company all begins with how you answer the phone. Business people need to feel you are professional and can communicate well in English on the phone–well enough so that they feel confident giving you their business records and other data. Since we would like to help your company, let’s talk about how to make a good impression.

People calling your company from the U.S. will be disappointed if you just answer “Hello” and do not mention a business name. For example, of the many professional accounting outsourcing companies listed on 123outsource that we called recently, only about 3% answered with a business name or had any kind of phone answering system or protocol. Yes: we do call your company to see how you handle yourself on the phone. U.S. businesses that might outsource to India expect a bright, pleasant, professional man’s or woman’s voice on the phone at the outset, ensuring them that this could be the start of a friendly and stress-free business relationship. They are also expecting someone to answer the phone using a company name. If we have to repeat your business name several times before you acknowledge the name and say, “Yes, this is XYZ Company,” it does not create a good first impression. It sounds funny, but in some cases, the person we talked to on the phone did not seem to know that the number was listed as a business; it’s as if they had forgotten who they were! Even if you are doing accounting outsourcing and you have the very best accountants, you need to be able to speak to us. How you answer the phone is important.

U.S. clients want to hire confident professionals, whether this means a call center in India or another group of workers. When a business plans to outsource to India, the managers are very interested in the quality of your work, what software you use, how long you have been in business, and any stories about the first project you took on and how your company has continued to improve. If your expertise is data entry, accounting outsourcing, or managing a successful call center in India, being able to tell us a bit about your company and your attitude toward your work–being able to talk on the phone and tell a brief story about your company–will show that you are personable and that you are able to engage in a long-term business relationship.

We at 123outsource.net have traveled and lived in other countries, and we understand that life is different in India or the Philippines. In many ways it is more relaxed, and that is a benefit to those of us who want to outsource to India, or hire a call center in India or a company to do data entry. We know and appreciate your culture and your views about life and work, and we would like to be able to have a brief conversation with you about your company and your experience so that we may recommend you to companies seeking to hire you.

How you answer the phone will distinguish you from other companies that are just starting out. There is a lot of work in the U.S. for companies who do data entry, have a call center in India, or do accounting outsourcing in India, but U.S. business owners who speak English would like to be able to have a 3-minute conversation with someone who speaks English and is confident, enthusiastic, and articulate about your company’s work. We would like to encourage U.S. businesses to outsource to India, but we need to be sure you have the skills companies need. People in the U.S. want to have a conversation with you. They will not make a decision to hire you simply on the basis of your website.

Email and Skype are very helpful, but businesses are interested in how you answer the phone and how you sound on the phone. If you understand us and can talk with us for a few minutes about your background and specific accomplishments, and can tell us something inspiring or educational, we will have a better idea of who you are and how you relate to people. If a U.S. business can have a brief intelligent conversation with you, that company will feel good about moving to the next step in any business relationship.

Here are a few questions for you. We would love to hear from you (really!) :

1) Can you commit to answering the phone with your business name?
2) Please provide us with business hours: when can people call your company and have a live person answer the phone in a professional manner?
3) Is there someone at your company who speaks English and is able to have a conversation about your company’s achievements? Who?
4) Is there an interesting story about how your company was started, or about the owner’s background? Let us know and we can call you. (:

Tweets:
(1) Your personal knowledge about your company will always trump info you posted on your website!
(2) People will not hire you purely on how good your website is. Learn to orally introduce your company.
(3) Is there an interesting story about how your company was started, or about the owner’s background? Let us know and we can call you.

You might also like:

Understanding crowdsourcing segments
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/08/07/understanding-crowdsourcing-segments-for-twitter/

How to attract more software business
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2010/12/10/how-to-attract-more-software-business/

Marketing your outsourcing company
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2010/11/24/marketing-your-outsourcing-company/

Your phone system’s music really matters

January 23, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: Outsourcing Articles | Tagged , | Leave a comment

When we call from America to India and hear the music that so many phone systems use when you are on hold, it is very strange for us. The music sounds very childish. There is the theme to the lone ranger played by a computer generated tone. There are other nursery rhyme type songs that are typically played as well. To Amerians, this seems like music that is appropriate for three year olds, not adults.

So, the question is, what type of music should you have on your phone system?

Step one, is to have an automated phone system.
That way when someone calls, they will be greated by a very professional sounding message that states your company name, and what extension to dial to get an operator, sales manager, service, etc.

Step two is to select some good “on hold” music.
Should you choose a popular Hindi film song from the 1950’s that is on a muffled recording? I suggest not, unless your clients are all senior citizens in the 65+ year old range.

Should you choose some international sounding music? Maybe some American Jazz, some Tango, or Mambo? Maybe some Frank Sinatra or Julio Iglesius. Maybe a popular Rock and Roll song from the 1980’s could work. If you want to sound a little more sophisticated, perhaps some Bach harpsichord music or an orchesteral suite.

The type of music you choose should match your clientele.
If you have cool clients who like to hang out at coffee houses, then maybe Jazz or Brazilian music might be popular with them. If you have highly educated clients, then European Classical music might work. If you have spiritually minded clients, then perhaps a good raga with sitar and tablas might be a crowd pleaser. Are your customers young hipsters from Bangalore who hang out on Church street downtown? In that case a good Rock and Roll song would be my recommendation.

What if you have a mixed audience?
Outsourcing companies in India might have a few domestic clients, a few Germans, Americans, British, and Australian clients. It is hard to know what type of music to pick with so many different groups to please. Half the battle is pleasing them, and the other half is IMPRESSING them. Appealing to the musical tastes of three year olds will not impress anyone. For a mixed and educated audience, I feel that cool jazz is relaxing and pleasant as well as sophisticated.

Coffee houses study the music they play
Companies like Starbucks don’t just play any old music they feel like. They have done extensive market research to see what their clients respond better to. They even came up with their own CD of music. I don’t know what the resulst of their market research are, but I know what they play. Keep in mind that Starbucks caters to an international crowd and succeeds in pleasing almost everyone. Their music has some classic old American songs from the 40’s and 50’s that might have been popular in movies. They mix that in with some cool jazz tunes, and some Brazilian selections too. Brazilian music is very popular since it is catchy, yet relaxing and cool as well. To keep your clients wanting to hang around on your phone line — keep the music cool — not childish.

Common mistakes Indians make
Indians tend to be very uptight a lot of the time. To attract American clients you need to be more laid back about communication and LESS laid back about getting things done on time — the opposite of what Indians are typically doing now. If you pick music that appeals to Americans and other people from Anglo cultures, the music should be pleasant and laid back too. Be careful of picking uptight music. You might live to regret it.

India – a culture of begging

January 16, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: India | Leave a comment

Every time I visit India, I am constantly reminded that I am in a culture of beggers.

It is not only the beggers who beg, it is so many people.

While walking down the road, I am always confronted with able bodied beggers. Some are stationary and have an established post. There is a father / son team on one road, and a mother / daughter team on another road. These people are pests. They even dare to touch me with their dirty fingers if I ignore them. Perhaps these people are mentally crippled, but they are physically capable and CHOOSE not to give to society. They are takers — not givers. People who get ahead give first and then take. This is wisdom from my guru, and from Kabbalah as well; call it spiritual law if you will. The part that bothers me most is that people give so freely to these freeloaders, and also that these freeloaders train their able-bodied CHILDREN to be beggers as well. Such a waste of human potential.

So, son, what do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to be a better just like you! I want to be the best begger in all of Maharashtria, and to be known to all!

The thing we have to remember is that India is a country where people blindly do all types of self-sabotage. If you see one guy selling hats in the hills, there will be three others who like his idea and pop up beside him selling the exact same hats. Their market share just became diminished by 75% from this competition — an example of blindly copying others. There is a street near the wine growing region of Karnataka near Nandi Hills where you can see twelve people spaced out on that road selling exactly the same species of grapes. None of these people has enough money to rent a place to live — I think they live on the street. If a persons father sells corn by the side of the street, their son will take the same profession in many cases, just because of the copy-cat mentality which exists.

Guilt relief therapy
What I don’t like is that people support these beggers by giving to them very freely and thoughtlessly. I believe that people in India feel relieved when they give to a begger. All of their guilt is disolved because they helped another continue a life of uselessness and laziness — taking not giving, etc. Many beggers use their earnings to buy alcohol and drugs which doesn’t help. In India, it is common for beggers who are indentured to the local mafia to have their limbs cut off so they can make more money begging. If you give to an able bodied begger you are FUNDING unnecessary amputation — please understand this. I give directly to a homeless shelter and do not give to our local drunkard beggers directly since I know the money will go to Johnny Walker. Indians need to understand that if these beggers were told to be productive several times a day, many of them would be. By giving to these beggers, you are encouraging more to enter the profession.

My other experiences with regular folks
When I went to a small church museum, I was given a one minute tour, and then the security guard started begging me for a tip. Police sort of beg for bribes in a sense. Politicians get bribes too. Many people in India think that working for a living should yield pennies, and that the big money should come from unearned bribes. It is unfortunately part of the national culture. I once gave a programmer a generous tip, and he was disappointed because he wanted an obsenely large tip like the last American gave him. Their salaries are typically pennies, but when they get tips or bribes, people are expecting millions. There is no sense of scope or proportion here.

The blog
I am noticing the same type of problem with Indian companies. There is a consciousness of taking without giving. We need stories for our blog. But, companies are only interested in begging for jobs. No company seems interested in giving us any information we can share with others about their experience. What these companies need to understand is that customers are gained when you are sharing and useful to others and NOT when you only say, “give me give me give me”. Every day I get about ten misspelled emails from various companies telling us that they are ready for “the” assignment. There is no assignment — and I don’t know you. Rather than begging — it is helpful to get to know who the job providers are and try to impress them and get to know them before you start asking for something.

Phone etiquette for outsourcing companies

January 13, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: Outsourcing Articles | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It was a long night, and my assistant and I called 55 outsourcing companies on our directory by hand. To our dismay, only one company out of 55 answered their phone professionally.

What does it mean to answer your phone professionally?
You need to announce who you are at a minimum, and also state your company name. Otherwise people will doubt you as a professional, and also not know if they dialed the correct number. Answering the phone professionally means that ALL of the people at your company need to be trained on how to answer the phone. If someone dials your cell number after hours, you never know who that is. It is safer to answer that professionally as well.

Why bother answering professionally?
If you are an outsourcing company in India or the Philippines, you are up against an enemy called “Doubt”. Americans, Australians, British, and other westerns are suspicious about giving work to companies overseas. The first question is — will they cheat me? The next question is — will they be reliable in their work? My personal experience is that outsourcing companies are more likely to give you trouble than an American company, however, American companies give a lot of trouble, and charge five times as much — which in most cases they are not worth! Putting experience aside, to eliminate all of the various types of DOUBT, you need to make a good impression.

How do outsourcing companies typically answer their phone?
Most companies we call answer with a dull “Hullo”. They sound like very low energy, low brainpower people to me. We have to ask one, twice, or thrice what company we called. Many of them act perplexed when we want to know what company they are with. If you are in a foreign country, do you want to hire a company who doesn’t know what their name is? How will they handle complicated outsourcing tasks if they don’t even know their own name?

Answering machines and phone systems?
Ideally you need a phone system that announces your company name, and perhaps has a menu with departments to select. If the person you want to reach is not there, there should be a personalized message box that clearly announces the person’s name who you are leaving a message for. Typically, when we make calls, we get standardized messages such as, “The person you called is not available, please call back later”. That is very unprofessional, and no foreigner will want to hire you with this type of non-answering machine.

Cell Phones?
Cell phones are a good back up number in case you are out of the office. But, your main number needs to be a reliable land line. In India it takes time and money to get a land line, and that proves how professional you are if you use one.

Changing numbers and web addresses is bad.
Most companies in India are constantly changing their mobile numbers and web addresses. They even change their companyname repeatedly. Companies gain trust based on LONGEVITY. So, if you change your company name every two years, you will come across as being a fly-by-night, and nobody overseas will trust you. We want to hire stable and reliable companies. Mobile phones in India are based on SIM cards which can be lost or rendered disfunctional. Therefor, your main number should be a landline which will not be disconnected.

Call me back on Skype?
If someone is calling about business, and you tell them you don’t want to talk, or you ask them to call you back on Skype so you can save a few rupees, you might miss out on a million dollar deal. Why should a big company who wants to use you have to call you again? If it were me — I would call again — but, not YOU — I would call ANOTHER company and deal with them. My effort for making the extra call will get more return calling someone else.

Tweets:
(1) If we know more about your company than the person who answers your phone: it’s time to learn phone etiquette.
(2) When you pick up the phone, are you so out of it that you sound like you are in your own time zone? #outsourcing #ust+24
(3) Unless your company name is “Hello”, don’t answer the phone with a dull “Hello”.
(4) Most overseas phone lines are so muddy, your chance for attracting prospects is over by the 3rd “What?”
(5) There is something to be said for continuity & changing your # every six months isn’t one of them!

(6) Professional US companies keep the same phone # for decades. How long have you had your #?
(7) Change is good, but not if it means changing your number every 6 months.
(8) How will former clients find you if you change your # every six months? Think about it!

You might also like:

Are you tired of outsourcing to India?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/03/05/are-you-tired-of-outsourcing-to-india/

Are your callers annoying?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2012/05/14/are-your-callers-annoying/

I’m busy — please send me an email = a lost contract worth US$10,000 per month?

January 10, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: Outsourcing Articles, Popular on Twitter | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

My assistant and I have been calling companies in India recently. We find that less than 10% of the companies on our directory had satisfactory communication skills. People were not answering the phone in a professional way. There was just a dull, “Hullo” at host of the companies we called. It is our practice to put the companies with better communication skills towards the top of the list.

But, what about the people who DID answer their phone, and even might have been professional the way they answered? Many people were too busy to talk to us. We understand that you might be busy, and might have 20 things going on simultaneously. We are busy too. However, if you do what Americans call “Blowing people off” (making some excuse not to talk to someone, show up someplace, or do something), you might lose critical clients.

Your success as a business depends on CATCHING new clients. New clients don’t grow on trees. They call when they feel like calling, and if you don’t have someone who can not only answer the phone, but also speak intelligently for a few minutes; you will lose business. What if were were offering a one million dollar contract to an Indian BPO company, and the 1st ten companies either didn’t answer their phone or told us to “send us an email, we are too busy to talk to you”. Do you think that I would send them an email? Or, do you think that I would move on to the next company down the line who would actually engage us in a conversation?

I have learned that people who can interact nicely with people are much more likely to catch new clients — especially if their firm has the technical skills to handle the job. If you tell someone to sent you and email — you are telling them that you don’t value their business.

On the other hand, if you have an existing client who is bothering you about a small thing, then you can ask them to send an email. Or, if your company’s reputation is so amazing that people would rather wait for you than go to a comparable firm that answers their phone — then, you are in business. But, for calls from strangers (cold calls), you can not afford to be too busy to talk to them. Hire someone good to answer your phone! Preferably one that speaks good English, and Hindi, and perhaps a few other languages on the side.

Offshoring & Outsourcin​g — which country is right for your company to offshore to?

January 7, 2013 by 123outsource
Categories: Outsourcing Articles | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The world of outsourcing is baffling. So many of these companies out there are unprofessional and fly-by-nights. If you look at outsourcing directories, many host companies with disconnected phone numbers, or companies whose websites are long gone. It is a scary world, and is like a jungle. So, how do you play the game? First, find stable companies that have longevity and you will be safer. Get to know the company bosses who you will be dealing with as well. Visit these companies in person if the work you are giving them matters a lot. But, what country should you target?

India – My personal experience has been with India.
I live in Los Angeles where we have boatloads of people from all over Asia and Latin America. I am familiar with all of their cultures since I’m amongst them on a daily basis. But, I have not sampled life in their countries except for Taiwan which does more electronics and manufacturing and doesn’t engage much in the type of outsourcing tasks that we promote on 123outsource.net. India has more companies doing the type of outsourcing tasks that we promote than any other country, and they seek work more agressively than other countries as well.

Honestly, India is a very sloppy country where there is a hair raising incompetent way of doing everything. There are no doors on the inner city trains, so people can fall out and die (and they frequently do). Instead of picking a number at a hospital, you sit in a row of 50 chairs and play leap frog everytime the person in the front of the line is picked. All 49 of the remaning people move over one seat. At the airport, they always inspect my passport and then lose it under a bunch of papers — or drop it on the floor and then can’t find it (as a matter of practice). I always get diarrhea, food poisening or dyssentary almost every trip to India — otherwise I start asking why I didn’t experience any gastro-intestinal disorders. It is common for the sidewalk repair people to just abandon a large pile of dirt or bricks for months at a time on the sidewalk. The only traffic rule that exists outside of Mumbai is that you bribe the cop if pulled over. No other rules apply — not even driving on the left which is merely a recommendation and not a hard fast rule (or so it seems). 70% of rick shaw drivers either try to cheat me or proudly announce that their meter is broken.

If you hire companies in India, you will be dealing with people who grew up in this mess that I began to describe. PROCEED WITH CAUTION. I’m not saying don’t offshore to India. The cost benefit is definately there, but you will be putting up with a lot more nonsense than in most other places. More than 90% of companies in India do not even announce their company name when answering the phone — how unprofessional. Workers in India usually have some technical skills (varying degrees of competency), but lack people skills. The owners have good people skills, but those are not the people who will be doing the actual work.

Philippines
The Filipinos are catching up in the technical outsourcing professions. There are more programming and internet marketing companies in the Philippines than before. They are known for call centers and they just overtook India as being #1 in the call center industry a year or two ago. Medical transcriptions are another profession that is popular in the Philippines. Filipinos have very good people skills, and there are many who have excellent English skills. For jobs that require communication, you could start your search here.

South Africa
There are many types of outsourcing companies in South Africa. We have found many web design companies, and companies that do a lot of translations, editing and writing. There are many high end people who will do very professional work for you for a great price in South Africa.

Kenya
There are some call centers sprouting up in Kenya. These are popular with British clients since the Kenyans speak British sounding English. You will find a large work force with great people skills in Kenya.

Costa Rica
Known for its cultural affinity with the west, many companies find it easier to do business with call centers and web design companies in Costa Rica. They are swimming distance (well, not quite) from Florida, and on a similar time zone as the Eastern United States. Once again, just like the Philippines, Costa Ricans have comparatively good communication skills and there are many with supurb artistic abilities too.

Argentina
This is a country that we found to not be very businesslike. However, the artistic skills seem to be the best in the world, and at bargain basement prices. Web design or any other type of design should be done in Argentina — at least they should be the 1st on your list.

Vietnam
I am about to try out a company who has one leg in the United States and another in Vietnam. I have no experience or knowledge about outsourcing to Vietnam. There are many programmers there, but English skills are somewhat limited based on what I have heard and experienced with Vietnamese living in California. I do not know how their technical skills typically compare to those at smaller companies in India. Is Vietnam a hidden outsourcing gem that few ever think about? We shall soon find out!