I had a business catchup lunch yesterday with some friends that I met during the heady internet boom days. It was interesting in just hearing others views of their experience - a fly on the wall view, through anothers eyes.
The upshot is that we all thought it was a great time and really enjoyed the journey. Two of the four of us now run software companies - so we can't have been that effected from the experience.
Discussion started over lunch about brands, consumer empathy and developed into an interesting class on corporate efficiency and the drive for reduced costs v's consumer empathy with Brands. It all boils down to the consumer expereince, the case study we all referred to was the outsourcing of call centres to India and the damaging effect on the brand and the consumer ecpereince. Having been on the recieving end of an indian call centre experience I can comfortably say it was crap as a consumer experience but I'm not sure that I blamed the brand - I saw it for what it was - an attempt at lowering costs and winning in business. I didn't blame the brand - or the business - or the man on the phone - he was doing his job too.
I don't believe in outsourcing call centres but then I haven't seen the bottom line figures. The issue is that of shareholder value, more profits at the threat to the consumer expereince - who wins - always the shareholder, it's only when the expereince effects the shareholder that the return of call centres back home will be in droves.
Posted by Tracey Shirtcliff at September 9, 2004 09:34 AM