"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

soleachip SG

Discovered an increasing number of telephone operators/customer care officers with odd english accents.

I recall such experiences mostly with Starhub and at times, Hewlett Packard and Apple.

(HP is not so bad, their service officers volunteer a name, contact number and reference number, ensure a follow up call within three days to find out whether the problem resurfaced).

It's pretty frustrating trying to understand what they're trying to explain on the phone.

To top it off, most of these customer care officers don't seem equipped with decent knowledge to answer simple phone queries. Is it the language barrier at work?

The conversation gets 'put on hold' for more than 5 minutes, with no sound on the other end of the line so I wind up calling again only to be given the same clueless operator.

When quizzed why it took so long, answer was he/she was seeking consultation with managers. And so the vicious chicken and duck talk repeats. After more than 20 minutes, nothing gets solved so I hang up and schedule a trip down the service center on a weekend.

It's both amusing and annoying when the final "Is there anything else I can do for you?" query comes and I utter "Nope."

Miss those days when there were well informed and eloquent customer care/technical officers (usually locals) with good service standards especially Starhub, whose level of service has definitely dropped significantly over the past year.

Anyone else with similar experience?

Y_Shun SG

Outsourced to other companies....?

I heard SingNet's broadband was outscoured to a company in MY.

soleachip SG

Outsourced to other companies....?

I heard SingNet's broadband was outscoured to a company in MY.

Outsourced?

twists SG

The conversation gets 'put on hold' for more than 5 minutes, with no sound on the other end of the line so I wind up calling again only to be given the same clueless operator.

at least i hear the on hold music.. sometimes if heng is from radio if not is repeat after min and min one..

xavier1979 SG

There should be a service standard as to how fast you can get through to a human operator once the call is connected.

hao_hao SG

i agree with TS tat starhub's customer svc standards have dropped.... they r not as courteous n well informed as before ...n their response isnt prompt also ..

i remember there was once something was wrong with my cable tv set n i called them up to ask wats wrong .. they say they will send technicians within 1 day .. but after the next day .... still no 1 came .... du lan i drove all the way down to the customer svc ctr at plaza sing ...... den reached home .. the set still is faulty set ......

my dad was so du lan .. he called 1633 .. kan the person ..n finally they send some one down in 1 hr ...

i used to thinnk starhub customer svc was the best .. but after this incident .. i wont say its the best anymore

Nata|ie SG

Most of the call centres are being outsourced overseas as it is cheaper to operate there then Sg.

soleachip SG

In terms of technical support, it's still not that bad. Had no major problems so far.

But in terms of assistance rendered by service officers on the phone, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to clarify even general enquiries say subscription, information on reward points etc.

Not serious enough for me to lodge complain with the management, at the same time, these petty inconveniences really grate on my nerves. Really pek cek.

MooKu SG

I brought my dog to Mount Pleasant Animal Hospital some time ago, for an ultrasound scan.

While the scanning was being done, the radiologist explained what was being shown on the screen, but I think she was Filipino or something, I couldn't quite catch what she was trying say in that strong accented English, so I had to keep asking her to repeat herself. In the end, I just gave up and thought I'd leave the explaining up to the vet.

a lot of Mt Pleasant staff i've seen are Filipino (or some other nationality)

soleachip SG

Most of the call centres are being outsourced overseas as it is cheaper to operate there then Sg.

Wow... I had no idea... how is that even possible if they are not based locally?

If they are actually based overseas, it gets harder for them to keep up with regular updates, training and skills required by the local (singaporean) market Starhub has been tapping on.

Come to think of it you could be right though I've always thought it only makes sense for certain companies dealing with specific technologies to outsource their call centers. I remember being re directed to an ang moh (i think american) fellow while making queries on Apple care.

Apart from that I was under the impression these foreign operators are based in Singapore, just employed under cheaper salary packages compared to locals, therefore the difference in service standards.

soleachip SG

I couldn't quite catch what she was trying say in that strong accented English, so I had to keep asking her to repeat herself. In the end, I just gave up and thought I'd leave the explaining up to the vet.

Yep, exactly my gripe.