Service Design, Call Centers, Cultural Differences, and an impossible idea

wow that’s a lot. Warning: this might actually be a rant…

“Three vintage olden days telephone hanging on the wall for public use.” by Pavan Trikutam on Unsplash

I had a really good customer service experience with Apple earlier today while in Manila. What happened is that my mom lost an important file on her Notes, and when I checked her iCloud I could not recover it. She was so sure she didn’t delete it and even if she did, that it should still be recoverable because used this file less than 30 days ago.

Eventually I didn’t know how to help her, so I figured to go to Apple Support online. Being in Manila, they don’t have an Apple store they have these places called Power Mac Center and I just assumed their customer service is nothing like the genius bar.

Apple Support was amazing. They called on time and was super patient, and recovered the lost file. I asked them how this problem occurred and they weren’t sure how, but said that sometimes when there’s limited connectivity, some files doesn’t show on your device but is still in their system.

Holly and Alan the reps that helped me were British, based on their accent. It was such a breath of fresh air to be talking to a fellow Westerner on the other line. And it made me think about the reasons why I don’t like the BPO companies based here in the Philippines.

Difference in Culture Makes a Lot of Difference in Customer Service

My mom would’ve been more stressed if her phone was lost, instead of her file — this was a file with sensitive data about her mind you. I’m the complete opposite. My physical phone is replaceable but my files are not.

I think the main difference stems from what she and I value. Her phone is more expensive than mine, and she doesn’t use her phone for work. Her inability to use her phone for banking and business stems from the fact that apps based in the Philippines just plain and simple suck. They are barely usable. Don’t even get me started about the infrastructure of internet and wireless phone connection here, that also deems apps even more unusable.

Now imagine, if a customer service representative based outside the US coming from a totally different culture from me was helping me recover that file. Would they bend their back over just to recover it? Maybe so ,but they won’t understand why. In fact, I know how Americans and Westerners can come off so superficial in the eyes of people living in developing countries.

I had this experience when my hosting service was hacked, I had to recover files and then they had an issue with something mysteriously changing my DNS. I’m still rebuilding the 9 domains/websites that were affected. There were no apologies or offers to make up for their failed security system, or no information on how I can add another layer of security. I even came out of all my conversations with them not wanting to ask for even more help, because I was so insecure at how I might come off as this needy customer who lost something intangible, when their needs are of tangible things.

I think being helped by someone that culturally understands the value of those intangible things Americans call about — websites, files, cable internet — makes a lot of difference, instead of being helped by someone who views those things as luxury.

But it employs a lot of people…

Last month the Philippines’ Labor Department was under scrutiny because they said that a family of 5 could survive with a budget of 10,000PHP per month (~$200). Netizens could not believe how out of touch the government is, and started posting what they would have to do in order to live within that budget. A week or so later, they made a new statement saying that a family of 5 could live comfortably with a monthly budget of 40,000PHP ($800) ish.

The minimum wage in the Philippines is roughly 10,000PHP/month. BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) workers/ call centers, earn way more than the minimum wage. It could be as low as 16,000PHP to 25,000PHP for mid-management or college graduates. Maybe it could be even higher.

But it really isn’t enough, not to live comfortably and not to help provide for a family. The quality of life that you can afford for that salary in Metro Manila, is unimaginable to someone privileged like me that grew up in Seattle. I wouldn’t even pay for an apartment in Makati, because it’s more expensive than my apartment in Seattle and it would have a floor area that is half the size of my Seattle apartment.

Can you even wrap your head around that? One of the most expensive cities in the US, is cheaper than the financial districts of Manila. The top workers of the biggest companies in Seattle — Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing would earn in a day, sometimes in an hour, what the workers of one of the biggest industries in Manila — BPO industry — in the financial district would earn in a month.

So yes, these call centers create jobs. But not while also creating the following:

1. robotic customer service — there are flowcharts on how to respond to customer calls instead of actually being human and listening to the problem and addressing it with a human touch.
2. complicit citizens to unfair labor practices — well where else would people work if BPO offers higher salary than other industries?
3. brain drain — the impossible choice Filipinos have when it comes to making money, means leaving the country for greener pasture is always the better choice. If you’re smart and has potential here, you’ll most likely move internationally and work there.
4. other countries’ problems became more important — the Philippines is the land of call centers, responding to 24 hours customer service to international clients within minutes. Try calling a local provider’s customer service, and you’d end up spending half of your day on hold, and would still need to go to their office the next day to be in line for another half of the day, with a 50/50 chance of your problem being fixed.

I could write more about each of the above list, and maybe even make the list longer. I probably will eventually.

I know that a big part of this problem is the Filipino government. We must put citizens first, and give them livable wage. And by livable I mean, have a good quality life, not livable in a well-they-can-afford-to-breathe-and-live-off-ramen-everyday-kinda-way.

The thing is beggars can’t be choosers. For all the social justice and the all human are equal fight all over the western world, you seem to be ok with the valuation of some labor to be way lower than what you would pay for it, had it been coming from citizens of your home.

So here’s my impossible ask to the world — Maybe it’s time to consider a global minimum wage initiative? I’m not sure how that would even begin, but I find it hypocritical to fight for human rights, but only for humans living in your own country. So maybe we should think globally and we can start with employment.

PS: anyone with thoughts about out how a global minimum wage can work or fail, its effects good and bad please comment. I wanna explore this idea.