In an article in today’s Los Angeles Times, a new consumer protection law seeks for call center companies to reveal if they are on shore or off-shore operations – i.e. ‘outsourced’ customer care facilities. On the surface it seems targeted at many American consumers preferences  to work with fellow Americans in getting their customer care or service issues settled. It’s a legal issue not a racial or ethnic one for the most part, as well as language concern. Liabilities, for example, to issues dealt with overseas often are not covered by US laws, hence if service promises made from an overseas center are not met then US consumers do not get full protection under current existing laws in several state and federal statues on fair business practice and ethical rules.

[] … The bill would require anyone answering or initiating a call at a center used by a U.S. business to disclose location. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), requires that the disclosure come at the beginning of the call. It also applies to centers in the U.S. …[] LA TImes

It is also highly charged and a political issue that with over 860,000 Americans out of work this year in many cases a lot of those jobs were in the customer care arena.

Hence, political leaders like Cong. Altmire, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, and a number of others in total 25 co-sponsors including two from Southern California — Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) and Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista), reports the Times. “If you call an American-based business, you have the right to know if the call is going overseas… The person at the call center would, he said, have to start out by saying something like My name is so-and-so, and I’m in India.”

Many of the authors are from districts which were once  “top call and customer care center locations” in the US.

This is going local with an issue that will impact the call center industry here in the Philippines and elsewhere. The Democrats backed up by unions and local business groups trying to preserve their existence with local call and customer care services, both workers and providers, who are losing out to lower costs and often better service provided by customer care facilities overseas.

Often better educated and from cultures more inclined to be service oriented most consumers never even notice if the care is given from US shores or elsewhere. In reality, many of the companies that are off-shored are often owned by US companies who have relocated or themselves off-shore to be able to meet market price conditions.

What is often hypocritical is while those political figures often bash ‘outsourcing’, they themselves use offshore call centers for things like fund raising and contact center work handled here in the Philippines.

Ironic in a way – while Democrats and and, yes, jumping on the bandwagon some Republicans, bash the outsource industry, they use the services here almost daily.

I think it’s time to do a real in-depth story on that.

Expect more of the same – about this topic as election day gets closer…

Popularity: 3% [?]