Indian Tech Support, Part II

BOY, DID I GET A LOT OF MAIL on last week's "Indian Tech Support" editorial, which reported on American technology companies outsourcing tech support to India. The Mike's List readership is clearly divided over the benefits of "globalized" tech support. 

A smattering of Indian readers sent somewhat defensive letters to me, one even sending a long list of Indian achievements going back several millennia. Other Indians sent friendly and erudite commentaries on globalization, economic issues and intercultural relations, which I enjoyed reading. I got just one hate mail from India. Not bad. 

It turns out that many American readers really like and even prefer Indian tech support. Here's what just two out of the many in this group had to say: 

I bought a new router and was having problems getting it connected. I was up wayyyyy too early one morning working on the problem when I decided to call the vendor's 24-hour help line. I figured that, at 4:30am, I'd be waking up a sleepy American technodweeb. Imagine my surprise when a chirpy chap with a Anglo-Indian accent said "hello." He solved my problem in about 20 minutes. I got a good product at an inexpensive price and still got free tech support. Welcome to the global economy.
Louis

I have had some experiences with Indian tech support where I was completely confounded by the person's heavy accent. I have to say, however, that these folks are the friendliest, most knowledgeable, and most unbelievably patient group of tech support staff that I've ever dealt with. I really think that most Indians have a different philosophy about helping others, and not just when it comes to tech support. I think that all of those high-paid snotty "American" tech support folks could learn a few things from their Indian counterparts.
Mike

Some American readers don't like the Indian tech support experience, mainly because of the challenge posed by regional accents on both sides of the line:  

I called for tech help with my Compaq Presario using an 800 number. I struggled for several minutes trying to understand the person on the other end. I finally asked where he was located. He said he was in India. The man finally asked if I would like to speak to someone in the United States, then transferred my call to a tech person in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Wilbur

I only remember one time when I was aware that the person I was speaking to at tech support was Indian. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand him and he couldn't understand me. We were both speaking English, but it might as well have been Hungarian. We simply were not able to communicate. Nothing was accomplished through that call. Frankly, I don't care where my tech support comes from, but I do care that the tech is able to understand what I'm saying and visa versa. 
Russell 

Others lament or question the loss of American jobs: 

I worked for a GE IT contractor, and I called people in Bangalore all the time. I had fun talking to them: They couldn't pronounce my name and I couldn't pronounce theirs. Then GE moved the contract over to India, and I lost my job. I think the people in India are very nice, but I sure do miss my job! 
Deveney

The State of Missouri has started using an Indian call center for people needing help with welfare! Now this is paid for with tax money to help people who can't find work. Why aren't they using Americans?
Marlin

I also received interesting tidbits like these: 

I'm from Hyderabad, India. Many congrats on this great list.....one that I generally save for the last reading. List49 with the "Indian Tech Support" was what prompted me into writing to you. It was well appreciated. And let me tell you that most of the guys working there are pretty happy with their salary and work environment. Even if it means sleeping in the daytime and working throughout the night to sync with U.S. time.
Gautam 

I work for an Indian religious organization in the United States, so I'm a little more tuned to Indian expressions than most Americans. When I wrote for tech support to Dell, the answer was: "Your happiness and esteem is my highest goal" -- a very Indian expression. Since he didn't answer my tech question, I wrote back that his happiness was also my highest concern, but that he didn't answer my question. His reply? "Re-format the hard drive." 
Bob 

And, finally, I learned in various reply e-mails that the same phenomenon is happening world-wide, but with different players. It turns out that for computer and phone tech support, the Spanish are outsourcing to Morocco, the English are outsourcing to Northern Ireland (talk about language barriers!), and -- brace yourself, people -- the New Zealanders are outsourcing to the United States!

Welcome to the global economy indeed!

Give Windows Users the Finger

The Dirty Fingerprints Windows screen saver puts dirty fingerprints all over your screen. What's vaguely interesting is that the fingerprints are placed there by an unseen mob of strangers -- anyone who visits participating web sites. By clicking on their own screens, random people are actually placing a dirty fingerprint on the monitors of all the people currently running the Dirty Fingerprints screen saver. 

Strangest Online Game Platform Ever

A bored web designer has created games using JavaScript that take place entirely within the form buttons on a web page. The page is called the Game Button Arcade. 

Unanticipated Convergence

Nokia has built a digital camera into a cell phone headset. The Nokia Camera Headset HS-1C snaps open to expose the lens. When you take pictures, they pop up on the phone's display. You can send the pictures as multimedia messages (MMS) with text, image or audio. Compatible phones include Nokia models 7210, 6610, 5100, 6100 and 6800. The camera is powered by the phone battery through the headset. You can buy it in December. 

Mike's List Brought to You By...

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Unfortunate Product Design

AudioBooksForFree.Com, a UK-based online MP3 audio book publisher, offers the AK-MP3 Jukebox, a $300, 20-gigabyte MP3 player built into a Kalashnikov automatic rifle ammunition magazine. You can carry it in the included camouflage ammo pack, or, if you happen to have a Kalashnikov, snap it into the rifle. Don't bother trying to take this player as carry-on next time you fly...

Follow-Up

In early June of 2001 I told you about a mobile computer called Pogo, which I said was based on "wishful thinking." The details on the device -- 8.5-ounces, GSM & GPRS support, HTML functionality, etc. -- seemed farfetched and unlikely a year and a half ago. Well, much to my surprise, they developed the product and you can now actually buy it. 

Proof You Can Buy Anything on the Web

Why wait in those annoying airport lines when you can open your browser and buy a Russian Mach 2 Jet Fighter!

If you're going to convert your old record collection to MP3s on CD-ROM, make sure you buy these blank CD-R disks that look like old records!

Buy your own Periodic Table of Elements. No, not the table, I'm talking about the elements themselves! The Element Collection is a boxed set containing real samples of all 92 naturally occurring elements. 

I'll bet you didn't know that the web's commercial bounty included thong underwear with 404 "Forbidden" error messages printed on them!

Mike's List on the Radio

 Normally, Craig Crossman's Computer America features Mike Elgan every Thursday night. But this week, I'll be on TONIGHT!! The show runs from 8pm to 9pm SVT (Silicon Valley Time). Listen to Computer America on your local Business TalkRadio station or over the Internet every weeknight. Don't miss Computer America!

Gotta-Get-It Gadgets

NEC-Mitsubishi announced this week the new LCD3000, a whopping 30-inch LCD display! The monitor features a native resolution of 1,280x768 and a contrast ratio of 350:1. The display has a viewing angle of about 170 degrees horizontally and vertically and weighs some 35 pounds. It will be available this year for about $4,200. 

Wacky Web Sites

If you like scanned images of Japanese people -- and, really, who doesn't? -- then you'll love Azero Tokyo Game Show 2002. Attendees at a Japanese convention were invited to climb onto a giant, high-resolution flatbed scanner for posterity. This web site is the result. 

 At last! Now you can paint-by-numbers in your web browser!

Send a note using nothing but your bloody stump of a finger via the Bloody Fingermail web site.

OddMusic.com features some of the craziest musical instruments ever. Make sure you check out the gallery!

Twisted Games

Dinky Bomb

Wedu Toboggan Jump

Mouse

Final Drive

The Ultimate Stick Man Fighting Game Experience

Last Week's Mystery Pic

No, it's not the "Balloon Cam," the new "Space Shuttle Cam," or even the "Moon Cam taking a picture of Seahaven in The Truman Show," as suggested by some readers. In fact, it's the coolest application of digital photography ever. It's called Kite Aerial Photography. Scott Haefner built a camera attachment with a remote-controlled shutter, which hangs from a special kite. The picture in last week's Mystery Pic was taken in Santa Cruz, California, just 30 miles South of the Mike's List Silicon Valley Headquarters. Check out Scott's image gallery, which features beautiful pictures taken mainly in breathtaking Northern California locations. If you like Scott's pictures, make sure you use his "Comment on this image" feature to tell him so. Only two readers got this very difficult Mystery Pic. High-flying congratulations to Tino Sheridan of Macon, Georgia, USA, for being first with the right answer! 

Mystery Pic o' the Week

What is it? Send YOUR guess to [email protected] (be sure to say where you live). If you're first with the right answer, I'll print your name in the next issue of Mike's List!