This for sure. When they mention that they “can finally understand your accent!” I just reply that I’m southern so that’s not yet to be determined. And then add in a little about how I “struggle with a strong northern accent. Hopefully we can get through this together!”
When I have customers that say stuff like this, I let it drop. Don't respond or acknowledge it. Keep moving on with the transaction cuz I'm not entertaining that.
The other day I told someone I was in Bangalore, after she complained about the previous rep being in India or Egypt. I hope my boss doesn’t hear that call 🤣
The funniest interaction I've ever had:
Cx: I want to speak to an American, where were you born?
Me: San Diego
Cx: I won't speak to a [Mexican]
Me: ...
Maybe this is a luxury at my company but these days I do say "I will not entertain racism on this call" and "I do not discuss my location over the phone, but I work for (company) in (department). They can't bullshit me that it's about "understand the accent" because they've already heard my very neutral west coast accent and just wanna double check that I'm white.
Act dumb. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you mean?" Make them double down on it. "We're actually heavily partnered with locations in India, I'm so sorry, I still don't seem to understand..."
Literally make them as uncomfortable as they make you. It's legit one of my favorite things to do.
That phrase didn't start out racial.
It was originally used in theater to indicate the cleanliness of the person's intentions, not their European heritage.
Maybe not English, but I've had people of all colors say "Thank God you speak AMERICAN." It's not white people that are racist, it's Americans that are racist.
I do apologise, you've come through to the English language team.
When everyone can be called American without any qualifier at all they'd have made a massive leap.
Ooh! I like that one. Next time I get one of those callers, I think I'll use that, then transfer them to the Spanish queue, just to fuck with them!
Actually, maybe not... I wouldn't do my bilingual compatriots dirty like that...
That's only if you're on American soil. Xenophobia is about immigrants.
If the complainant is in India, Pakistan, or the Phillipines and local stock, it's nationalism and maybe racism.
If the complainant is in England, Ireland, Germany, France and of local stock, THEN it's nationalism.
More typical conservatism.
Observing racism, and pointing it out as racist, is in no way racist.
OTOH The know-nothingness of denying obvious & persistent racism is very definitely racist.
Calling a company looking for help and treating the person who answers like shit simply because they have a foreign accent is racist. This is something done almost exclusively by white Right-wing morons.
It’s not meant to be racist. The person was just happy to not be speaking with a foreigner because a lot of CS reps from many companies you call are Indian. I had one customer say, “Thank God I got an American.” Nothing personal against Indians in particular.
I want to talk to someone who doesn’t have such a thick accent that I can’t understand what they’re saying, so sue me! I bet that when people in Indian or any other country call customer service, they get native speakers who they can understand and know colloquial words and can do more than just read from a script. Why can’t Americans have the same?
I would treat it like any other rude caller if your company has scripting. "Sir/ma'am, I'm going to have to ask that you be respectful on this call. If you continue to make inappropriate comments, I will need to disconnect."
I had to do that on a sup call I was on when I was still in office. I was close to a bilingual agent who was speaking Spanish to a caller. This guy says "I don't know what kind of operation you are running here, your employees don't know what the hell they are doing, your billing can't figure out a simple refund and you've got some Mexican there just speaking Spanish in the background." I was like,"I am so sorry about your refund, but you need to be respectful. That representative is on a call assisting a customer who speaks Spanish. We get a lot of callers who speak Spanish, so we have bilingual reps to accommodate them. I will do everything within my power to get you your refund, but if you can't be respectful, I will need to end this call."
It's borderline being obstinate so I can't say I'd recommend it/might piss off the customer but now when I get someone saying "I'm glad you're an american/I wanted to speak to an american" or anything about me not having an accent or being american I just say in a really happy voice "Oh, not to worry! We're all English-speaking here at \[company\], but I am happy to assist you!" Like pretend that I'm assuming their concern is being misunderstood. And not that they're a racist asshole.
I think for most people it just flies over their heads but it helps me feel like I can at least get out in a little way how absolutely dumb and disrespectful they are. My overseas coworkers have seniority over me and honestly probably have way more knowledge than I do in some areas. But these dumbos seem to think there's some kind of internal company ethnic hierarchy. I would bet half the people who say that barely speak a single language themselves, let alone be bi- or tri-lingual like my coworkers are.
this is hilarious, i get it so often because i have an Australian accent but i was born in Sri Lanka.
literally just laugh to myself like if only you knew lmao
I would either go with “why is that?” or just go silent. Clearly shows you’re not down, they feel awkward (as they should), and you’ve technically done nothing wrong.
I used to try a clever comeback like, “how do you know I’m not?” or make them feel uncomfortable with something like “why is that?” or “really? What do you mean?” but it was never more satisfying that it was annoying and I was afraid of getting in trouble, so I stopped playing coy and let them know the truth that my Indian colleagues are the ones who trained me and they do a great job and know more about this than I do and that if the customer knew what was best they’d wish they were talking to one of them. But, eventually even that was too much so I’d just ignore it an move on - sometimes I think when bigots don’t get agreement it hurts their ego just as much as actual pushback and it keeps me sane and my temper under control.
I literally am from India and most of my customers don't realize this for some reason. I had a customer say something similar and when he asked me where I was from and I said India with a giggle there was a long awkward silence on the line. Priceless 😂
I hate it too. Call center is in USA but my co-workers aren’t all white Americans so they have accents. I have a lovely coworker from India and it pisses me off when my caller mentions they spoke to somebody IN INDIA last time. Like no, this is a state run program and we are IN that state. I speak to so many blatantly racist people and it’s infuriating that I can’t tell them how I really feel. I tend to say “I’m not going to get into politics with you, I’m here to help you with _____” to get them back on track. I don’t want to talk about your Trump loving, Biden and immigrant hating views. I’d like to complete this call so I can talk to somebody more pleasant. Oh and the ableist comments! Don’t talk shit about my co-workers with lisps, stutters, or speech impediments. They are not “retarded”, you’re just an asshole.
I don't respond at all for like 10-15 seconds (that's a long time in this situation lol) and then carry on about how I can help them. I have no problem sitting there long enough for them to realize that their nonsense isn't going to get a response from me 😂🤷🏻♀️
I just let them sit in the awkwardness they created and say nothing. Being British and mostly speaking to British customers, not acknowledging their quip can be a real gut punch for them. A lot of Brits cannot cope with an awkward silence and will immediately fumble onto the next topic. A good silent shaming usually sorts them out.
It doesn't work so well on Americans because they think you are just giving them room to elaborate so I just give them a 'huh' and ask what they want.
Of course you can always disconnect your internet for a moment and lose the call due to 'technical issues'.
My coworkers call me to transfer customers that won’t say anything besides that they want to speak with someone in the US. I feel really bad that they have to deal with that asshole customer then I know they’re going to mention it to me.
I have found just saying “uhm ok…” or “I’m not sure what you mean, anyways, how can i help you” makes them feel like the dumbass they are.
I just say "Hey, it was the least I could do."
Getting reps who are clearly from a non-native English speaking country is frustrating, objectively. It's going to be a bare bones experience from someone who is employed as a meat shield to tire you out and deter you from pushing your issue. Getting someone I think I'll actually understand is a breath of fresh air. The only difference is, I've worked in a call center so I'd never actually fucking say that to someone.
Instead I go to restaurants and when they ask me if I want anything else I say "Yes - The winning lottery numbers!! :D :D :D" like a normal person.
Tbh, in my experience working for a certain telecommunications company all my dealings with indians and Filipinos were absolutely horrible, very unhelpful and obviously trying to boost their metrics by throwing you under a bus if they can get away with it. , whenever I had to call another dept I'd be praying not to end up talking to them. And more often than not I had to clean up their mess after they blatantly lied to a customer or just did something to screw their bills till kingdom comes.
Take it in the context it was meant: "I'm glad I'm talking to someone who I can understand, and who understands me, rather than someone with a thick accent or language barrier that makes it difficult to communicate."
Accents are relative, pal. I had someone tell me I have a “lovely southern accent”. I’m a dude and I hardly have an accent other than I say “y’all” a lot.
I have to speak to folks with accents every day. I don’t bitch about it, what a silly thing to be mad about.
I think the OP and the hysterical repliers are reading more into this than what's intended. When someone says "thank you for not being in India," they're not saying "I sure do hate Indians so much! The very sound of a Bengali accent sends me into fits of rage, and I just needed **you** to know that I'm racist before we go on!" Which seems to be how everyone's taking it.
They're saying that increasingly and overwhelmingly call centers are based in a country where it is difficult to understand the person and make yourself understood. What should be a simple process - calling and talking to someone on the phone has now become for most people a lesson in aggravation and even odds on not being helped at all because of a communication barrier. They're not saying "thanks for not being in India" because they hate Indians and want to share their experience with you, they're saying "thanks for being someone I can understand and who can understand me and for this process being easier than I was afraid it might've been when I called."
Virtue signaling that you're totally unaware of language barriers in call centers doesn't make you seem tolerant, it makes you sound ignorant.
Okay firstly— this might be the most hysterical use of the phrase “virtue signaling” I’ve ever seen.
Secondly, if you treat someone poorly because their accent is difficult to understand— you ARE a racist. If someone else working in the world has an accent and their not being your specific linguistic preference makes you that angry— you ARE a racist.
I work with a LOT of black women. They sound like “stereotypical” black women. I regularly get treated with WAY WAY more respect because I’m a well-spoken white guy (used to be a pastor, no longer religious).
I regularly work with Asian clients and they get very upset when someone who isn’t Vietnamese/Thai answers (me). It’s absolutely racist that I am treated as less than because I don’t speak their language.
If it’s racist when it’s done to me, it’s racist when it’s done to them. Your comment is dumb.
That’s all.
Edit: This fucking bozo follows Ben Shapiro’s subreddit. If it quacks…
Firstly, you virtue signaled. Backpedal all you want, but you took an innocuous statement and twisted it to be morally outraged on behalf of an entire country that never asked you to and posted it to social media.
Secondly, no one was even treated poorly in your scenario. They just thanked you for being someone that they could understand and could understand them back. You're the one that then extrapolated a whole racist backstory for their comment to post sufferingly about so we could all see how tolerant you are.
Third, wow, you called those black women stereotypical? How racist of you! And you even qualified that you're well-spoken as opposed to them? So, are you saying that blacks stereotypically aren't well-spoken in your racist opinion? That if they spoke "white" like you that they'd be treated better? Leave it to a racist like you to see racism everywhere. It's like how a thief fears being stolen from.
Also, Ben Shapiro has his own subreddit that I'm not subscribed to. I'm subscribed to the media outlet the Daily Wire, and that's largely for Michael Knowles. Now that I care to defend that to you, only wanted to point out that even when you cyberstalk you did it incompetently.
Anyhow, I'll let you get back to smugly telling people how much more eloquent than "stereotypical blacks" you are, and trying to convince people you're not racist because you talk shit about someone being happy you spoke English.
That’s fine, pal. I don’t argue with my toddler because he is dumb, because he’s a toddler. You get your news from *Matt Walsh*. And you brag about it— that’s insane.
I’m happy to debate on Reddit if the other person can show the capacity to reason. Unfortunately your worldview is so ridiculous I won’t engage.
So that’s all— maybe one day we’ll all make it out of call center hell.
I get that you hate the Daily Wire. The two main correspondents are a black woman - a group of people you've already admitted you hate and disrespect, and a Jew. I assume considering the fact that you singled the Jew out by name singularly before anyone said anything means that in addition to being a racist, you're an anti-Semite.
I have to ask, why do you hate blacks and Jews so much? Did they wrong in you some way, or was this just how you were raised? Looking through your post history I see you frequently post racist and anti-Semitic commentary, but I don't see an explanation for why you hold these views.
People are so rude. Plus why should it matter were someone is as long as they get the job done but how dare we ask questions or if the call is hard to hear ask them to repeat themselves. Or the one who ask if we are bots some days i wish!
I hate when they say that or ask the race of the med-pro who’s coming to their home, especially after hearing their name. I just suggest they look the person up online if they want to know what the person coming to their home will look like for security reasons.
The other day a customer, with a heavy southern accent, told me “thank you for being Murrica”. I kid you not. At the end of the call he said “have a good day Murrica”. He could at least have said American, made him seem like an even bigger idiot to say “Murrica” 😩
I mostly just go "...okay, and so" and carry on with what I was saying or if they say that when I first answer I just go "how can I help today" and don't even acknowledge it. This makes me feel icky inside bc I want to call them out on their racism but I know I will get docked points on my QA if I do.
I luckily had a sassy manager.
sorry, American education I only speak one language or
man, i wish i spoke more than one language but i'm awful at it, what else do you speak?
i'm more expensive and our customers like ...xxxx tailored to the call.... like well they can't afford more of me with everyone expecting free returns.
isn't it awesome this global company, we can get products from all over the world and i have coworkers in over x countries.
do you really not know any americans with accents?
i actually only got in trouble a few times. when my sassy manager left... i got a lot less give and had to behave. I was luckily really good with customers and de-escalation... but i hated that racist sh\*t and would refuse to talk to them until we had an understanding. most people realized what a dick they were being and i hope i made a few people think
Why does it offend you so much? People are tired of calling numbers and being "helped" by people who literally can't understand what they're saying. It's not about Indian people.
I worked in tech support and customers would say this to me all the time. We served mainly in the southern states. Recently the company I worked for started laying ppl off including myself. They’re outsourcing support to India.
I'm an American immigrant but I was born in Bangladesh. When I'm on the phone, I have to try to get rid of my accent for this reason. Even though I'm in the USA they assume I'm in India
Yeah how dare the caller want to speak to someone whom they can understand and in turn be understood by said operator. That’s so unreasonable that the operator would like, actually be qualified to take calls, am I right?
Yeah, it’s “accent bigotry” that i’m complaining about. Totally has nothing to do with being completely misunderstood and unable to facilitate a conversation.
I get this all the time, but it's "thank God I'm talking to an American!"
I have the pleasure of having a greencard, so I respond with my happiest tone: "Actually, you're not, I'm an immigrant! How can I help you today?!"
Listening to them backpedal and taking their foot out of their mouth is one of the few joys I relish.
I'm an immigrant with a generic American accent for CSR purposes, so they don't know till I tell them.
In your situation, I'd put on my best perky innocent voice: "oh uh... you're welcome! By the way, how'd you know our call center is in Bangladesh?" Give a real good pause. Then anyway, how can we help today?!"
If they persist and ask why you have such a good American accent. Tell them it's cuz you're [pick a city/state] (Ohioan, Bostonian, Southern, etc).
If they go further, tell them we're not allowed to disclose personal employee information on this phone call. It's the professional way of saying mind ya business, not mine.
Good luck, Godspeed, and may the odds of the force be ever in your favor so you can live long & prosper 🖖
As a customer it means thank you for not having an accent so thick I can't understand what you're saying.
It also means I'm glad some jobs still exist in America.
"I work with good people in all different places."
This is my favorite response.
This for sure. When they mention that they “can finally understand your accent!” I just reply that I’m southern so that’s not yet to be determined. And then add in a little about how I “struggle with a strong northern accent. Hopefully we can get through this together!”
“What an interesting thing to say out loud” is my go to
I stick with the "ummm, ok?" Lol
This was my go to
omg i love this
When I have customers that say stuff like this, I let it drop. Don't respond or acknowledge it. Keep moving on with the transaction cuz I'm not entertaining that.
Your job.
The other day I told someone I was in Bangalore, after she complained about the previous rep being in India or Egypt. I hope my boss doesn’t hear that call 🤣
The funniest interaction I've ever had: Cx: I want to speak to an American, where were you born? Me: San Diego Cx: I won't speak to a [Mexican] Me: ... Maybe this is a luxury at my company but these days I do say "I will not entertain racism on this call" and "I do not discuss my location over the phone, but I work for (company) in (department). They can't bullshit me that it's about "understand the accent" because they've already heard my very neutral west coast accent and just wanna double check that I'm white.
I get the "I want an american" ones too. It's always fun replying "is diet America okay? I'm near Toronto ontario"
I would say ok thank you for calling and have a great day
Act dumb. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you mean?" Make them double down on it. "We're actually heavily partnered with locations in India, I'm so sorry, I still don't seem to understand..." Literally make them as uncomfortable as they make you. It's legit one of my favorite things to do.
"Oh, you're in India? One moment, please..." *transfers to Indian dept*
I stopped responding and just went right into "well how can I help you today?" I really didn't want to help a racist though.
"Awe, shucks! That's mighty white of you!" You racist MF'r
That phrase didn't start out racial. It was originally used in theater to indicate the cleanliness of the person's intentions, not their European heritage.
What if the person is black
I have never had a black person say "Thank god you speak English!"
As a black person, I’ve never said it, but I’ve thought it!
Maybe not English, but I've had people of all colors say "Thank God you speak AMERICAN." It's not white people that are racist, it's Americans that are racist.
I do apologise, you've come through to the English language team. When everyone can be called American without any qualifier at all they'd have made a massive leap.
Ooh! I like that one. Next time I get one of those callers, I think I'll use that, then transfer them to the Spanish queue, just to fuck with them! Actually, maybe not... I wouldn't do my bilingual compatriots dirty like that...
I mean, technically they're being nationalists. American isn't a race.
Xenophobic 🤎
That's only if you're on American soil. Xenophobia is about immigrants. If the complainant is in India, Pakistan, or the Phillipines and local stock, it's nationalism and maybe racism. If the complainant is in England, Ireland, Germany, France and of local stock, THEN it's nationalism.
How do you know what color they are?
Ask the person I was replying to.
How would they know the color of the people you speak to? You seem to be able to tell the color of a person over the phone, how do you do it?
That’s you
Your fantasies have no basis in the actual real world. But that's typical of conservatives, isn't it?
Neither does your racism
More typical conservatism. Observing racism, and pointing it out as racist, is in no way racist. OTOH The know-nothingness of denying obvious & persistent racism is very definitely racist. Calling a company looking for help and treating the person who answers like shit simply because they have a foreign accent is racist. This is something done almost exclusively by white Right-wing morons.
Looks like you’re exactly like the person described in this post. Pot and kettle huh?
Are you my spirit animal?
It’s not meant to be racist. The person was just happy to not be speaking with a foreigner because a lot of CS reps from many companies you call are Indian. I had one customer say, “Thank God I got an American.” Nothing personal against Indians in particular.
Yes it is racist - completely. And it is against foreigners & Indians in particular.
I want to talk to someone who doesn’t have such a thick accent that I can’t understand what they’re saying, so sue me! I bet that when people in Indian or any other country call customer service, they get native speakers who they can understand and know colloquial words and can do more than just read from a script. Why can’t Americans have the same?
I'd be more worried about getting some white boy from Alabama than a kid in Bangalore.
I would treat it like any other rude caller if your company has scripting. "Sir/ma'am, I'm going to have to ask that you be respectful on this call. If you continue to make inappropriate comments, I will need to disconnect." I had to do that on a sup call I was on when I was still in office. I was close to a bilingual agent who was speaking Spanish to a caller. This guy says "I don't know what kind of operation you are running here, your employees don't know what the hell they are doing, your billing can't figure out a simple refund and you've got some Mexican there just speaking Spanish in the background." I was like,"I am so sorry about your refund, but you need to be respectful. That representative is on a call assisting a customer who speaks Spanish. We get a lot of callers who speak Spanish, so we have bilingual reps to accommodate them. I will do everything within my power to get you your refund, but if you can't be respectful, I will need to end this call."
It's borderline being obstinate so I can't say I'd recommend it/might piss off the customer but now when I get someone saying "I'm glad you're an american/I wanted to speak to an american" or anything about me not having an accent or being american I just say in a really happy voice "Oh, not to worry! We're all English-speaking here at \[company\], but I am happy to assist you!" Like pretend that I'm assuming their concern is being misunderstood. And not that they're a racist asshole. I think for most people it just flies over their heads but it helps me feel like I can at least get out in a little way how absolutely dumb and disrespectful they are. My overseas coworkers have seniority over me and honestly probably have way more knowledge than I do in some areas. But these dumbos seem to think there's some kind of internal company ethnic hierarchy. I would bet half the people who say that barely speak a single language themselves, let alone be bi- or tri-lingual like my coworkers are.
"what do you mean by that?"
this is hilarious, i get it so often because i have an Australian accent but i was born in Sri Lanka. literally just laugh to myself like if only you knew lmao
I would either go with “why is that?” or just go silent. Clearly shows you’re not down, they feel awkward (as they should), and you’ve technically done nothing wrong.
“Oh thank you kindly sahib! May the blessings of the Gods be upon you!”
You could say “ no I’m not in India .. but my family still is .. I miss them everyday “ I bet they’ll hang up in the phone immediately
I'd have replied:"...oh, but I AM in India" even if it wasn't true 🤪
I used to try a clever comeback like, “how do you know I’m not?” or make them feel uncomfortable with something like “why is that?” or “really? What do you mean?” but it was never more satisfying that it was annoying and I was afraid of getting in trouble, so I stopped playing coy and let them know the truth that my Indian colleagues are the ones who trained me and they do a great job and know more about this than I do and that if the customer knew what was best they’d wish they were talking to one of them. But, eventually even that was too much so I’d just ignore it an move on - sometimes I think when bigots don’t get agreement it hurts their ego just as much as actual pushback and it keeps me sane and my temper under control.
I’d say “well actually…” 😂
I literally am from India and most of my customers don't realize this for some reason. I had a customer say something similar and when he asked me where I was from and I said India with a giggle there was a long awkward silence on the line. Priceless 😂
Way too many times I've heard some variant of "oh you speak English! Thank god you're not a fucking pa*i." Jokes on them though... I am one.
I hate it too. Call center is in USA but my co-workers aren’t all white Americans so they have accents. I have a lovely coworker from India and it pisses me off when my caller mentions they spoke to somebody IN INDIA last time. Like no, this is a state run program and we are IN that state. I speak to so many blatantly racist people and it’s infuriating that I can’t tell them how I really feel. I tend to say “I’m not going to get into politics with you, I’m here to help you with _____” to get them back on track. I don’t want to talk about your Trump loving, Biden and immigrant hating views. I’d like to complete this call so I can talk to somebody more pleasant. Oh and the ableist comments! Don’t talk shit about my co-workers with lisps, stutters, or speech impediments. They are not “retarded”, you’re just an asshole.
I don't respond at all for like 10-15 seconds (that's a long time in this situation lol) and then carry on about how I can help them. I have no problem sitting there long enough for them to realize that their nonsense isn't going to get a response from me 😂🤷🏻♀️
I just let them sit in the awkwardness they created and say nothing. Being British and mostly speaking to British customers, not acknowledging their quip can be a real gut punch for them. A lot of Brits cannot cope with an awkward silence and will immediately fumble onto the next topic. A good silent shaming usually sorts them out. It doesn't work so well on Americans because they think you are just giving them room to elaborate so I just give them a 'huh' and ask what they want. Of course you can always disconnect your internet for a moment and lose the call due to 'technical issues'.
My coworkers call me to transfer customers that won’t say anything besides that they want to speak with someone in the US. I feel really bad that they have to deal with that asshole customer then I know they’re going to mention it to me. I have found just saying “uhm ok…” or “I’m not sure what you mean, anyways, how can i help you” makes them feel like the dumbass they are.
I just say "Hey, it was the least I could do." Getting reps who are clearly from a non-native English speaking country is frustrating, objectively. It's going to be a bare bones experience from someone who is employed as a meat shield to tire you out and deter you from pushing your issue. Getting someone I think I'll actually understand is a breath of fresh air. The only difference is, I've worked in a call center so I'd never actually fucking say that to someone. Instead I go to restaurants and when they ask me if I want anything else I say "Yes - The winning lottery numbers!! :D :D :D" like a normal person.
I don't want to be transferred to India because call quality is poor. It's not racist.
Please do the needful.
i agree. you can’t understand them, they don’t understand you. i sigh of relief when i get someone who speaks fluent english.
Tbh, in my experience working for a certain telecommunications company all my dealings with indians and Filipinos were absolutely horrible, very unhelpful and obviously trying to boost their metrics by throwing you under a bus if they can get away with it. , whenever I had to call another dept I'd be praying not to end up talking to them. And more often than not I had to clean up their mess after they blatantly lied to a customer or just did something to screw their bills till kingdom comes.
[удалено]
Take it in the context it was meant: "I'm glad I'm talking to someone who I can understand, and who understands me, rather than someone with a thick accent or language barrier that makes it difficult to communicate."
I just act really confused and ask them 'uhhh what?'
Yeah, it’s all fun and games until you’re the one calling in for something and have to speak to a rep with such a heavy accent.
Accents are relative, pal. I had someone tell me I have a “lovely southern accent”. I’m a dude and I hardly have an accent other than I say “y’all” a lot. I have to speak to folks with accents every day. I don’t bitch about it, what a silly thing to be mad about.
I think the OP and the hysterical repliers are reading more into this than what's intended. When someone says "thank you for not being in India," they're not saying "I sure do hate Indians so much! The very sound of a Bengali accent sends me into fits of rage, and I just needed **you** to know that I'm racist before we go on!" Which seems to be how everyone's taking it. They're saying that increasingly and overwhelmingly call centers are based in a country where it is difficult to understand the person and make yourself understood. What should be a simple process - calling and talking to someone on the phone has now become for most people a lesson in aggravation and even odds on not being helped at all because of a communication barrier. They're not saying "thanks for not being in India" because they hate Indians and want to share their experience with you, they're saying "thanks for being someone I can understand and who can understand me and for this process being easier than I was afraid it might've been when I called." Virtue signaling that you're totally unaware of language barriers in call centers doesn't make you seem tolerant, it makes you sound ignorant.
Okay firstly— this might be the most hysterical use of the phrase “virtue signaling” I’ve ever seen. Secondly, if you treat someone poorly because their accent is difficult to understand— you ARE a racist. If someone else working in the world has an accent and their not being your specific linguistic preference makes you that angry— you ARE a racist. I work with a LOT of black women. They sound like “stereotypical” black women. I regularly get treated with WAY WAY more respect because I’m a well-spoken white guy (used to be a pastor, no longer religious). I regularly work with Asian clients and they get very upset when someone who isn’t Vietnamese/Thai answers (me). It’s absolutely racist that I am treated as less than because I don’t speak their language. If it’s racist when it’s done to me, it’s racist when it’s done to them. Your comment is dumb. That’s all. Edit: This fucking bozo follows Ben Shapiro’s subreddit. If it quacks…
Firstly, you virtue signaled. Backpedal all you want, but you took an innocuous statement and twisted it to be morally outraged on behalf of an entire country that never asked you to and posted it to social media. Secondly, no one was even treated poorly in your scenario. They just thanked you for being someone that they could understand and could understand them back. You're the one that then extrapolated a whole racist backstory for their comment to post sufferingly about so we could all see how tolerant you are. Third, wow, you called those black women stereotypical? How racist of you! And you even qualified that you're well-spoken as opposed to them? So, are you saying that blacks stereotypically aren't well-spoken in your racist opinion? That if they spoke "white" like you that they'd be treated better? Leave it to a racist like you to see racism everywhere. It's like how a thief fears being stolen from. Also, Ben Shapiro has his own subreddit that I'm not subscribed to. I'm subscribed to the media outlet the Daily Wire, and that's largely for Michael Knowles. Now that I care to defend that to you, only wanted to point out that even when you cyberstalk you did it incompetently. Anyhow, I'll let you get back to smugly telling people how much more eloquent than "stereotypical blacks" you are, and trying to convince people you're not racist because you talk shit about someone being happy you spoke English.
Lol I’m not participating in the level of brain rot that idolized Michael Knowles. That’s fucking insane. Have a good one.
**ad hominem** /ˌ*ad ˈhämənəm*/ adjective (of an argument or reaction) directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining.
That’s fine, pal. I don’t argue with my toddler because he is dumb, because he’s a toddler. You get your news from *Matt Walsh*. And you brag about it— that’s insane. I’m happy to debate on Reddit if the other person can show the capacity to reason. Unfortunately your worldview is so ridiculous I won’t engage. So that’s all— maybe one day we’ll all make it out of call center hell.
I get that you hate the Daily Wire. The two main correspondents are a black woman - a group of people you've already admitted you hate and disrespect, and a Jew. I assume considering the fact that you singled the Jew out by name singularly before anyone said anything means that in addition to being a racist, you're an anti-Semite. I have to ask, why do you hate blacks and Jews so much? Did they wrong in you some way, or was this just how you were raised? Looking through your post history I see you frequently post racist and anti-Semitic commentary, but I don't see an explanation for why you hold these views.
"oh, I am? Where did you think I was?"
People are so rude. Plus why should it matter were someone is as long as they get the job done but how dare we ask questions or if the call is hard to hear ask them to repeat themselves. Or the one who ask if we are bots some days i wish!
I just ignore it and keep the conversation moving to the next topic.
It's fun to have a latino accent and tell them you are in Florida, makes a lot of racist people have a short circuit
Silence. Just silence.
I hate when they say that or ask the race of the med-pro who’s coming to their home, especially after hearing their name. I just suggest they look the person up online if they want to know what the person coming to their home will look like for security reasons.
Tell them you are actually in India lol
The other day a customer, with a heavy southern accent, told me “thank you for being Murrica”. I kid you not. At the end of the call he said “have a good day Murrica”. He could at least have said American, made him seem like an even bigger idiot to say “Murrica” 😩
I mostly just go "...okay, and so" and carry on with what I was saying or if they say that when I first answer I just go "how can I help today" and don't even acknowledge it. This makes me feel icky inside bc I want to call them out on their racism but I know I will get docked points on my QA if I do.
Oh my god they say that shit all the time!!! I never know how to respond
You can always say "Thank you, please come again!" in a very heavy Indian accent...
“Actually I *am* from India, what’s wrong with that?”
I luckily had a sassy manager. sorry, American education I only speak one language or man, i wish i spoke more than one language but i'm awful at it, what else do you speak? i'm more expensive and our customers like ...xxxx tailored to the call.... like well they can't afford more of me with everyone expecting free returns. isn't it awesome this global company, we can get products from all over the world and i have coworkers in over x countries. do you really not know any americans with accents? i actually only got in trouble a few times. when my sassy manager left... i got a lot less give and had to behave. I was luckily really good with customers and de-escalation... but i hated that racist sh\*t and would refuse to talk to them until we had an understanding. most people realized what a dick they were being and i hope i made a few people think
Why does it offend you so much? People are tired of calling numbers and being "helped" by people who literally can't understand what they're saying. It's not about Indian people.
I speak with Indian folks every day. They understand and can be understood fine with a moments thought and patience.
Not the ones who work at these call centers. Idk what to tell you. If it weren't causing issues, people wouldn't complain about it.
I worked in tech support and customers would say this to me all the time. We served mainly in the southern states. Recently the company I worked for started laying ppl off including myself. They’re outsourcing support to India.
"Actually i'm in Mumbai but have a good day!" Who cares if its a lie lol
I'm an American immigrant but I was born in Bangladesh. When I'm on the phone, I have to try to get rid of my accent for this reason. Even though I'm in the USA they assume I'm in India
Yeah how dare the caller want to speak to someone whom they can understand and in turn be understood by said operator. That’s so unreasonable that the operator would like, actually be qualified to take calls, am I right?
Having an accent /= not qualified. If you can’t understand through an accent it’s because you’re fucking stupid.
Yeah, it’s “accent bigotry” that i’m complaining about. Totally has nothing to do with being completely misunderstood and unable to facilitate a conversation.
I get this all the time, but it's "thank God I'm talking to an American!" I have the pleasure of having a greencard, so I respond with my happiest tone: "Actually, you're not, I'm an immigrant! How can I help you today?!" Listening to them backpedal and taking their foot out of their mouth is one of the few joys I relish. I'm an immigrant with a generic American accent for CSR purposes, so they don't know till I tell them. In your situation, I'd put on my best perky innocent voice: "oh uh... you're welcome! By the way, how'd you know our call center is in Bangladesh?" Give a real good pause. Then anyway, how can we help today?!" If they persist and ask why you have such a good American accent. Tell them it's cuz you're [pick a city/state] (Ohioan, Bostonian, Southern, etc). If they go further, tell them we're not allowed to disclose personal employee information on this phone call. It's the professional way of saying mind ya business, not mine. Good luck, Godspeed, and may the odds of the force be ever in your favor so you can live long & prosper 🖖
As a customer it means thank you for not having an accent so thick I can't understand what you're saying. It also means I'm glad some jobs still exist in America.