Protectionism for call centers

[manifold]

Good idea or unnecessary infringement on the free market?


Senator wants disclosure on outsourced calls - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Reuters) – In a bid to reduce outsourcing of U.S. jobs, a Democratic senator said on Sunday he will push legislation to make companies inform customers when their calls were being transferred outside the United States and charge companies for those transferred calls.

"This bill will not only serve to maintain call center jobs currently in the United States, but also provide a reason for companies that have already outsourced jobs to bring them back," Senator Charles Schumer said in statement.

Customers calling 800 numbers are often transferred overseas, and in such cases the bill would mandate that callers be told where their calls were rerouted.

Companies would also be required to certify to the Federal Trade Commission annually that they were complying with the requirement, and face penalties if they did not certify.

Schumer's bill would also impose a $0.25 excise tax on any customer service call placed inside the United States which is transferred to an agent in a foreign location. The fee would be assessed on the company that transferred the call.

 

[Care4all]

Sunshine is ALWAYS GOOD.

Disclosure of where the call centers are does not infringe on the free market...it is simply disclosure of the truth.

As a customer, we have the right to know who we are talking to and what country they are in....especially for our own security in discussing financial matters with them.

some will trust them, some customers will not feel comfortable.

 

[Care4all]

as far as the charges, that's a bit much

 

[Sheldon]

That link didn't work for me. Here's one from the AP.

The Associated Press: Schumer wants to slow exodus of US call centers

The fee would be 25 cents for calls transferred to foreign countries. There would be no fee for a domestic call center. Companies would have to report quarterly their total customer service calls received and the number relayed overseas.

Some extra info.

The most popular countries for outsourcing of U.S. call centers are India, Indonesia, Ireland, Canada, the Philippines, and South Africa, most with an ample supply of English-speaking, low-wage workers. American companies use them to cut costs.

From 2001 to 2003, the United States lost 250,000 call center jobs to India and the Philippines, according to Technology Marketing Corp., a Norwalk, Conn.-based company specializing in call centers and telemarketing.

However, a 2007 Cornell study found that most call centers serving U.S. customers were operated in the United States. The report, with 40 researchers from 20 countries, examined center management and employment practices in Asia, Africa, South America, North America and Europe, covering almost 2,500 centers in 17 countries.

The study found most centers, except India, served domestic markets. Two-thirds were in-house for companies serving their own customers and had lower turnover rates than subcontractors. Also, turnover, ranging from 25 to 50 percent annually depending on the sector, steeply reduced productivity.

I've never been a big fan of the FTC anyways.

 

[xsited1]

Good idea or unnecessary infringement on the free market?

...

Unnecessary infringement on the free market. Here's the real reason for it:

Schumer's bill would also impose a $0.25 excise tax on any customer service call placed inside the United States which is transferred to an agent in a foreign location.

They need to increase tax revenues to pay for more big government entitlement programs.

 

[industry7]

I don't agree with the tax, but I think it's fair to know when you're being transferred out of the country.

 

[SpidermanTuba]

Good idea or unnecessary infringement on the free market?


Senator wants disclosure on outsourced calls - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Reuters) – In a bid to reduce outsourcing of U.S. jobs, a Democratic senator said on Sunday he will push legislation to make companies inform customers when their calls were being transferred outside the United States and charge companies for those transferred calls.

"This bill will not only serve to maintain call center jobs currently in the United States, but also provide a reason for companies that have already outsourced jobs to bring them back," Senator Charles Schumer said in statement.

Customers calling 800 numbers are often transferred overseas, and in such cases the bill would mandate that callers be told where their calls were rerouted.

Companies would also be required to certify to the Federal Trade Commission annually that they were complying with the requirement, and face penalties if they did not certify.

Schumer's bill would also impose a $0.25 excise tax on any customer service call placed inside the United States which is transferred to an agent in a foreign location. The fee would be assessed on the company that transferred the call.

Awesome idea.

 

[SpidermanTuba]

Unnecessary infringement on the free market. Here's the real reason for it:

That's a matter of opinion. Myself and everyone else who wants more jobs in the U.S. disagree with you.

 

[xotoxi]

I like to know if my customer service call is being transferred out of the country to help me decide if I will continue to use that companies service.

I prefer to have my calls transferred to other countries because I am afraid that the phones in the United States might be manned by illegal immigrants.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

This is just going to increase costs for businesses.

 

[Ravi]

I dunno. I think Care is right...it is hard to trust anyone with your financial information, but a little easier to trust someone in the same country.

I normally ask the person what country they are in.

 

[SpidermanTuba]

This is just going to increase costs for businesses.

And bring jobs to the U.S. - but hey, that's not what's really important.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

This is just going to increase costs for businesses.

And bring jobs to the U.S. - but hey, that's not what's really important.

Yes, increasing costs for businesses always bring jobs to the U.S. Oh wait, no, it does just the opposite.

 

[Ravi]

This is just going to increase costs for businesses.

And bring jobs to the U.S. - but hey, that's not what's really important.

Yes, increasing costs for businesses always bring jobs to the U.S. Oh wait, no, it does just the opposite.

Why do you support corporate welfare?

 

[SpidermanTuba]

This is just going to increase costs for businesses.

And bring jobs to the U.S. - but hey, that's not what's really important.

Yes, increasing costs for businesses always bring jobs to the U.S. Oh wait, no, it does just the opposite.

I don't really understand how increasing the cost of having call centers out of the nation is going to result in more call centers being out of the nation, maybe you can explain that one to me.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

And bring jobs to the U.S. - but hey, that's not what's really important.

Yes, increasing costs for businesses always bring jobs to the U.S. Oh wait, no, it does just the opposite.

Why do you support corporate welfare?

Not imposing undue burdens on businesses is not supporting corporate welfare.

 

[Ravi]

And bring jobs to the U.S. - but hey, that's not what's really important.

Yes, increasing costs for businesses always bring jobs to the U.S. Oh wait, no, it does just the opposite.

I don't really understand how increasing the cost of having call centers out of the nation is going to result in more call centers being out of the nation, maybe you can explain that one to me.

One of my brothers used to work for a huge credit company. They spent a few years building call centers in the US and then they decided to outsource to India. I would say at least 10,000 Americans lost their jobs.

And the buildings are still vacant in the US.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

And bring jobs to the U.S. - but hey, that's not what's really important.

Yes, increasing costs for businesses always bring jobs to the U.S. Oh wait, no, it does just the opposite.

I don't really understand how increasing the cost of having call centers out of the nation is going to result in more call centers being out of the nation, maybe you can explain that one to me.

Maybe those businesses will decide to move their entire operation out of the country rather than move the call centers into the country or pay the tax.

 

[Ravi]

Yes, increasing costs for businesses always bring jobs to the U.S. Oh wait, no, it does just the opposite.

Why do you support corporate welfare?

Not imposing undue burdens on businesses is not supporting corporate welfare.

They get tax breaks for outsourcing. How is that an undue burden?

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Why do you support corporate welfare?

Not imposing undue burdens on businesses is not supporting corporate welfare.

They get tax breaks for outsourcing. How is that an undue burden?

The undue burden is taxing them.