ENOUGH about Phillippines callers/centers!! Here's why!

Okay,

So for some reason in 15 minutes we just got 3 posts about appointment setters/cold callers etc.

And of course you had everyone saying oh yeah you can get cheap ones on odesk or this place or that place. Then there's the Phillippines call center owner who is talking about his thing which by the way is FINE. I don't care if your talking about your business but I will sure as hell tell everyone why not to use it.

I'm ending the discussion about filipino callers right now.

There are 3 main reasons why filipino callers (however nice they are which they are very friendly) will never compete with the quality and productivity of an american prospecting professional.

1. They always have some accent. Now this isn't an accent like "oh he's from texas" or "this guys from nyc" this is an accent like "this person is from somewhere else in the world" They may speak perfect english but there will always be some accent.

Now with american accents like southern and yankee etc people notice it and are over it in a second. With foreign accents people think about it. They pick up on the accent and in their mind that is what they are thinking instead of what the caller is saying.

2. They do not use proper verbal grammar. When they speak, although very fluently their grammar at times is what we would say "uneducated". Now I know I'm going to get someone pick my grammar apart haha but whatever.

3. They cannot think nearly as fast as an american. So if you ask a question too quickly, they will not be able to think in english fast enough to come up with an intelligent and successful rebuttal. It takes them a little longer and then they stumble to find the words to use.

I've spoken to a lot of filipino callers. Previously I thought it might good to offer an offshore solution for a lower price so I would offer both American callers or filipino callers if that's what budget required.

I decided against that. The reason being they typically take 5-6 hours to get an appointment that an american gets in 2-3 hours. And yes I've hired a few to test this. Same results even with ones that I swore were from America mainly because of the quick thinking capability.

Point of the story? Why hire a filipino for 5-7 dollars per hour to take 6 hours to get an appointment, when you could hire an american for 12-16 to get an appointment in half the time. You still spend the same amount of money and get the same amount of productivity for that money.

Likewise why hire a filipino call center for $10-15 per hour when you could hire an american call center for 20-30. Same amount of money spent for the same number of appointments.

Except with the american center you get to save your brand reputation from a potential damage by a foreign speaking rep.