A few bad apples spoil the bunch

I had an irritating incident with one of our own call centers who started giving call to my cell phone some 2 months ago. The telemarketing offer was for Indian channel subscription which I had refused bluntly, in the first call I got as it required 12 month contract and a down payment. I clearly told I won’t be here for long so it’s not possible for me. It was not the usual blunt “no, I don’t want to hear anything more” which you get used to because of many stupid things being sold by telemarketing. I was sort of looking for getting a subscription and so at least I listened, asked a few questions and had to say a no. Also since this was from a renowned US channel provider I was not too worried either. Now if the call center person senses the slightest inclination, you’re bombarded with all the marketing tricks in his/her sleeve. So I got another call next week and then the week after with the things getting more irritating with talks like “Arre apni wife ki hi sochiye woh to bore ho jaati hongi”, I said I don’t have a wife, “Accha aapki girlfriend ke liye hi le lijiye”. I was ready to stretch my hand and take scale blows for not having girlfriend than listening to this crap. And these quoted sentences were exactly like that and in Hindi. I could guess the lady there was Indian from the accent and she finally broke it anyhow. Finally after few calls she said “I shall confirm with my manager” and came back that I could have it my way.Now the story went worse from there when I saw that my account was deducted for an amount no where in the calculation told to me. In fact it was 10 times the monthly payment. I called up angrily and amidst lots of sorry, apologies, “I actually did not know that there was such a clause”, “Aapko ye paise 6^th month ke end pe mil jayenge” and what not, what I finally could get is that “We are outsourced to get customers but we cannot handle
customer complaints and you’ve to call up the channel provider directly”. This call center was given a target to sell hook or by crook. My experience with the direct call center of the channel was pretty smooth. They confirmed that there was no way someone could waive off the contract and hence the amount was deducted and they said if you’re not ok we would refund you the money and apologized for whatever happened. I was so mad that I left a complaint too and
they apologetically accepted that it was a third party seller.

This incident made me think of what kind of image we are developing where India’s
one of the largest market lies. A call center executive, who doesn’t even know the facts of the thing they are selling, is sure harm to their company more than the harm done to the customer. If it was in US the company CEO would be seeing shutdown in the few years of its inception. Anger directed at call centers which are mismanaged is already raging and these kinds of incidents leave people even more skeptical if their call is being handled by India.
Look at this article which lists down what kinds of frauds have tarnished the image of the Indian BPO. I think the problem lies with the new small players taking the plunge lured by the pie they could cut out of this boom. These don't even have proper means to hire good talent and that is if at all any sane head thinks of applying there. Employee retention is becoming a problem for the biggest back office players and so these small companies must be grappling with shorter training times and then losing those trained to these biggies. All this must be ending up in a fresher out of a college in Delhi time passing in a nukkad ka call centre for 2 months to make quick bucks to spend it all in Ruby Tuesday when he shifts to the big brother.

Now all this can be a one off incident and does not invite any analysis and Who knows the second call I made would have been from a very well accent trained Indian who handled my call well. Well that's what I am saying, a few small companies might spoil the whole impression. I think there is a need for consolidation in this sector to the extent that a few big companies handle it in a much better way. Maturing at this youth/middle age might go a long way in keeping the growth this sector is witnessing.

The customary car photo

One thing everyone from India will have on his/her orkut profile is the famous car photographs. Rented cars, bought cars or any damn car. Whatever it might be but its a similar feeling (if not the same) that you used to get when you bought your first car in India. Such an occasion would happen in a middle class Indian family when the kids are almost out of the college or the daughter is married or time when the money does not have any specific aim. Here in US you get well earlier than you would have thought. Mostly because the first time you come to US where you have to have a car (Except for a few cities that I have not seen). When god gave legs to the rest of the world, he gave cars to the US citizens. I could have posted the links to a few samples but due to sheer volume and anonymity, I'd leave it at that.
Well since I am talking of cars, another thing that annoys me is that here bike is a far better difficult to obtain and ride as compared to car. Some times I even feel like asking my bike from India and ride it to office. One: It is very time effective as you can sneak in between lanes. Two: Its stylish, perhaps like what the car is in India. Three: I guess my unicorn would be far more fuel efficient than any of the bikes these people run here. Well the only question left is how would it do at 120 kmph everyday.

Most guilty period

The most guilty period of the week is Sunday evening. You get up from sleeping 3 hours in the afternoon and then count what all you had planned for the weekend and what all you've ended up doing. Its a gone chance, the next hectic week is staring at you. What all you'd have to do extra to cover up for things that related to office, what all things on personal front shall have to wait one more weekend. Then you get up, wash your face and call a friend who'd be doing the same thing. Things do improve a bit after that, collective guilt is consoling.

One thing I have a good feeling about during this weekend is watching Omkara. Its a movie worth watching. People who would be able to relate to western UP (I belong to East UP but have done college in West) will enjoy the language more. I haven't read Othello, but to those who are going to see the movie, let me warn you its a tragic story, someone told me the most tragic play of Shakespeare.

After watching the songs I've become like one of the truck drivers of UP who listen to songs like 'beedi jalaile' and 'Namak isk ka'. These songs are good.

Identity crisis

Well I don't know whether I've been made out of a all so common Indian mould or that I change shapes to look similar to people. Nothing that I've been able to give scientific explanation to (Engineers are supposed to give scientific explanation only)

The recurrence of it makes me laugh and pained at time (you'll come to know later when) but its consoling to know that I am not the only party to be faced with this situation. There are always two party involved in the confusion right.

Also it does not start from the near past, this is since the days of my childhood. My younger bro who's just about 2 years younger to me started looking very similar to me by the time I was 10 and since then hardly things changed. We used to wear the same set of clothes (tons of savings for parents). Built, face cut, voice is distinctly different for me but must be same for others as its not one who got confused. One of the incident was when I went to my brother's parent teacher meetings with mom and met his English teacher. Here is how it went:

Mom: What's the report on Manaswi, does he study, does he (all mom concerns)
Teacher (Staring with 'bastard I kill you' looks towards me): When do you study English.
And I was : Abe!! I study English, don't study English or study Hebrew, who are you to ask me. I am not at my school and you have no damn right to ask this question. Obviously this was in my brain only and somehow me and my English teachers (English language too) don't go very well. Having been through it many times I said perhaps you're getting confused with my brother, me and mom both got the sentiment she was conveying.

One time a friend of mine who I met in one of the crowded coachings I used to go turned up at my home when I was not there. He met my brother and without introduction started over on pehchaana!!! And I can imagine how fun it would have been. He said yaar coaching main mile the, arre Gaurav!!!!!! and still he would have been turned down. Finally my bro had to suggest if he was looking for me :).

There are numerous such incidents, surprisingly I haven't found any twins nor any similar looking people for me to be confused thus. Ok now the next mishtake used to happen with Anshul and me. Anshul and I joined Jaipuria in 1993. Don't know how we looked similar (Main kahan itna smart aur woh kahan :)) but still people used to get confused. Once I had asked an English teacher for my workbook she had lost and so she said she'd give me a new one. So I was waiting for her to give it and had asked me to remind it. One fine day when I reminded her she turned back and said. Now you want a workbook? I don't have anymore. It was kind of rude, and remember me and English teachers never went well and so I did not bother to argue. Cursed these English blabbering teachers who never keep their word and left it. One fine day Anshul tells me about a workbook that was gifted to him by that teacher. Then it clicked, that she gave it to him thinking it was me. I know Anshul should not have taken it but he could not help resisting free stuff :).

At college things went worse, rather tragic. I gave an exam and was coming out of the examination hall. One of the last person to leave and when I was at the door almost a girl shouted "Apurva" and I stopped, looked back at the girl. Incidentally the girl was looking in slightly different angle and rushing that way(For a second I thought dhirri hai). What turned out as she shouted again that she was going for Anshul and shouting my name. Well even though angered by the wrong usage, I did not intervene in the private time of the two people to clarify who was who, guess Anshul would have done that. The scores were leveled recently when, the thing that prompts me to write this post, a girl wrote on my scrap book asking how are you "Anshul"? Interestingly you have photos there, loads of profile crap and still people can get confused. Using Aps instead of Apurva should not confuse I felt.

I just hope that these lessons are made very clear to my future wife if any. I guess keeping a password between us should not hurt.