h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Major corporations, including PepsiCo and some U.S. auto makers, have begun to set up call centres in developing countries. With the advent of high-speed digital communications, it is possible to set up a call centre in India to handle customer calls via a toll-free phone number from the States and (presumably) Europe. This practice has been a boon to the Indian economy, creating a second tier industry which is more accessible than the booming Indian high-tech industry. It is also a money-saving practice for the corporations, as well-educated Indians can be employed for less than the U.S. minimum-wage, unlike many American and European call centres which are often unionized.

However, callers to these centres may never realize that they're speaking with an operator on another continent. The call centre operators are extensively trained in English, even to the point of mimicking a specific regional accent, and a "history" or background is created for them in order to convince a caller that they're speaking to someone locally.

I don't know how this will affect customer service. Will it improve because call centre operators will be better educated or trained? Or will it allow companies to further ignore their consumers? Time will tell. In the meantime, don't always assume the person on the other end of the line is even in your hemisphere!