Leader: Crossed lines on call centre debate

The general level of call centre care in the UK has been poor since long before the spectre of offshoring came along and yet now in some quarters a criticism of UK call centres is seen as a call for more jobs to be 'shipped off to India'.

Does this mean there are people who want to patriotically sit being kept on hold - or receive patriotically poor levels of service? Good luck with that, but many of us just want our call answered and our query handled in the most timely and efficient manner possible. And if that can happen without anybody losing their job then that is a massive bonus.

But let's not assume the two issues are inextricably linked. Admittedly it didn't help that silicon.com whipped up a storm of controversy last week with an article about the widespread failings of UK call centres. It didn't help also that we spoke to two companies offering an Indian alternative to UK call centres.

Those stories certainly got people talking - which is no bad thing.

Many of the complaints we received were reasonable. Of course not all call centre staff are transient or lacking in motivation. We feel those who aren't are potentially in the minority, but we know there are excellent staff out there. Not all call centres are plagued by high churn rates and not all companies fail to train their staff properly or provide them with adequate resources and support - but those are all issues which need to be addressed and hiding from them, or denying that is the case, is not the best way to go about protecting anybody's job.

We can't just tolerate poor service from anybody simply because it's considered the 'patriotic' thing to do.

And on that note there are other issues which appear to be forgotten. One company currently being attacked for 'taking our jobs' by irate Britons is HSBC. But has anybody levelling such an accusation stopped to think what the H and the S actually stand for?

Of course it is similarly naïve to assume that businesses are moving their call centre operations simply because the service they have been offering in the UK has been poor. There are some fairly compelling cost issues which they will be more than aware of - and capable British operations are simply being undercut on price.

Enough UK firms have grown suitably concerned about the consumer backlash against offshoring that plans to move overseas have been dropped like a bad smell. Others have pledged never to offshore - which should ensure the bloodshed is far less sensational than some would have us believe.

But the bottom line must be service. If an Indian call centre doesn't provide a good enough service then it shouldn't be used - and that has happened. But if a UK call centre fails then it too should be ditched.

It's as simple as that. Companies must look at the reasons why they are failing their customers rather than hiding any failings behind emotive issues that will do nothing but damage them further in the long run.