Customer support call centers used to be a thorny
problem for most companies. They were expensive, and only a handful of
Americans from the midwest had the knack for it. Then someone had an
epiphany: provide high quality, low cost support by employing
well-educated Indian professionals, already fluent in English, and
skilled in responding politely to almost any form of grievous personal
insult.
The unfortunate side effect of this change is that an entire nation now sees the United States as a giant strip mall infested with perpetually pissed off whiners who exist only to complain
about the trivial.
"Based on my experience, they seem
to be an unusually stupid people," said Amrit Desai, eight year veteran of
the customer service front lines. "I used to admire the U.S., but that
has changed. Now whenever I am searching for a metaphor to express my
displeasure at a bad smell, or when someone is acting especially
childish, I invariably make a comparison to an irate city dweller who
can't turn on their espresso maker, or to some pampered suburbanite with
a lost credit card."
"Callers seem to think I am the
embodiment of the company they are calling in all its imperfection.
However, I am just an employee of said company. Most of my friends would
understand such a distinction and behave accordingly."
"You
know, when I travel or interact with others, I consider myself an
ambassador from my country to the world. It seems this concept is not
known to all Americans."
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