www.naveedmahbub.com – Indian has computer problems. Calls tech support. Interactive voice recognition system can’t understand his accent and transfers call to rep in India, who turns out to be his long lost cousin!!
Duration : 0:2:15
Transcript as shown in video, in part, is:
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Customer Service (dont Want to Say Further, Fear of Termination) in Burnaby, BC (Canada): (Current Employee)
Start listening or the ship is going to sink, even though it’s already taking on water
Pros
1. It’s the fellow coworkers
2. RRSP matched by eBay, up to 4%
3. Stock purchase plan
4. Monthly (from metrics) and quaterly (changing to bi-yearly, based on company goals) bonuses
Cons
1. Upper management doesn’t listen to any advice
2. Upper management makes stupid changes without thoroughly thinking it though
3. Work environment is too metric based. Case in point, there is a program that tells you when you need to take your lunch or break and if you don’t do it at the time specified, you are deducted points. 2 min or 5 min over, it doesn’t matter
4. Work life balance, if you do good, you get a good shift. Don’t meet metrics once before shift bid is up, don’t expect to get a good shift. Someone I know that use to work there got moved to late afternoon start from early mornings. Even though he said it conflicted with school, they still wouldn’t budge.
5. Sick days, we don’t get sick days. Sick one day, you get an occurrance. Get 5 – 7 occurrances and you can be terminated.
6. Can’t take time off on the same day you request even though you have the banked hours.
7. Bugs. What can I say. There are bugs that have been open or known for a year and nothing is done.
8. Paypal and eBay customer service communication is the pits. Paypal issues get sent to eBay and vice versa on a daily basis with the offending rep saying “it’s not a paypal issue” even though you are signed into paypal.com
9. Outsourced work. Sure, some company’s outsource. When eBay started outsourcing, they said no jobs would be lost due to it. Well, jobs have been lost.
10. Outsourced workers (India and Phillipines) have a decent understanding of eBay issues. However, support for them has been removed last month. They now rely on this thing called “knowledge base”. Good luck with that and helping a customer out with an unique issue. It’s not always cookies and cache…
11. Closure or outsource of several key departments. Image services, account closures, Account security, Internal helpline support, etc just to name a few have been closed down or outsourced. With the closure of a department, you rarely have a chance to say where you want to go in the company. They just stick it to you and if you don’t like it, they don’t care if you leave. (ie: helpline going from a specialist position you had to apply for and being moved to a topbuyer entry position that ebay hired off the street)
12. The lying. Ask upper management something and even though they know the answer, it’s either beat around the bush until you give up or they are not heard from again.
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Read what other ebay employees are saying about their CEO, Donahoe, at the referenced link below:
http://tiny.cc/hGTdz
Cheers!
Duration : 0:8:2
http://www.calnettech.com/landing2.php Find information technology outsourcing with Los Angeles California based company CalNetTech.com. CalNetTech information technology outsourcing. 866.999.2638
Duration : 0:1:57
Visit http://www.live2sellgroup.com for more information.
Corporate video from the Live2Sell Group of Companies – an American & European owned and operated Total Business Outsourcing company based in Cebu City, Philippines.
Member of BPAP (Business Processing Association of Philippines), the ATA (American Teleservices Association), IAOP (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals) and a Microsoft Windows Certified Business Partner!
Offering Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services such as Virtual Assistants, Web PA’s, Outbound Telemarketing (B2B and B2C Appointment Setting, Lead Generation, Market Research, Database Cleansing, etc) and Inbound Call Center Solutions (Customer Service, Technical Support, 800 Number Handling, Order Taking / Upselling, etc).
Copyright © Live2Sell Group 2009. All rights reserved.
Duration : 0:8:17
This tutorial applies primarily to “Newbie” resellers using
the cPanel hosting platform.
How to Set Up Your Backend
What is a backend?
I’m sure many business people and “scholars” have much better
definitions of this than me, but I like to think of it as the
guts of the business that make things run behind the scenes.
When I think of a backend as it pertains to web hosting, I
consider the following elements:
-Billing system
-Order processing
-Support system
-Accounting and recordkeeping
Billing system
As you contemplate your billing system, the first piece of
information you should look at is what types of payments are you
going to accept. Hopefully, you’ve already outlined this in your
business plan. Will you take Paypal, or will you accept credit
cards through your own merchant account, or will you accept
checks and money orders by mail? Accepting payments by mail
significantly complicates your business, so I would suggest not
accepting payments by mail, or if you do—only accept annual term
payments.
The easiest payment system to implement, and my recommendation,
is to use a third-party payment processor such as Paypal or
2Checkout. These third-party payment processors allow you to
accept credit cards, debit cards, and e-checks securely through
their web-based system. They also allow you to create
automatically recurring billing, which is the most powerful
billing tool that all resellers should implement. Rather than
having to bill your customers each term (month, quarter, etc),
the third party payment processor will automatically bill your
customer on their due date, based on the terms of the
subscription that you created. In other words, if you create a
$10/month subscription, it will automatically charge your
customer $10 on the day they sign up, and then it will charge
them $10 on the same day of each subsequent month. This is a
huge timesaver, by automating the billing process you can
eliminate the need to bill your customers at all.
If you do wish to send your customers a formal bill, or if you
aren’t using automatically recurring payments, there are several
software programs that can help automate the process for you.
The ones specifically designed for web hosting that I would
recommend are WHMautopilot, Lpanel, and Modernbill. There dozens
of other billing programs available, but I recommend those ones
because they also have auto-setup scripts and various
client-management features built in to them, which we will
discuss next.
Order processing
This part of your backend can basically be broken down into two
options: manual processing, or automated processing. Manual
processing is pretty much self-explanatory. Your customer places
an order and pays using one of your available payment methods.
When you receive the order and payment, you go into your Web
Host Manager (WHM) and set up the client’s account, and then
send them a welcome email with the pertinent information. Using
this method there are a few different ways you can set up your
order form to collect the information you need. The most
important piece of information you need is the domain name. If
you use only Paypal as a payment processor, Paypal has a form
tool which will allow you to collect up to two form fields along
with each order.
For example, you could set up your form so that the customer
types in their domain name and username along with their order.
When you receive the order confirmation from Paypal, this
information will be included. Another method is to simply use a
form mail script. This is easily implanted using a two-part
order form. In the first part, they type in their applicable
information and click “submit”, thus emailing you the form. When
they click submit, they are then redirected by the form mail
script to your payment page. The third method is to use a
shopping cart application which integrates the collection of
data and payment processing. The advantage of manual order
processing is it can help reduce the possibility of fraud and
abuse because each order is screened by you as you process it.
Automated order processing saves a lot of time for the
reseller, and also creates a smooth ordering process for the
customer. Automation is a huge key to building a successful
online business, and this is one form of automation that I would
highly recommend. An automated order processing program collects
the pertinent data from your customer, directs them through
their online payment, and then interacts with your web server to
set up the account and then sends out a welcome email to your
customer.
The programs I would recommend are WHMautopilot, Lpanel, and
Modernbill. I am certain there are several other equally viable
software programs available as well. The risk of automated order
processing is the potential for fraud, and abusers such as
spammers signing undetected. However, I would say the benefits
of automated order processing typically outweigh the risks. If a
customer on the other side of the world orders at 3:00AM, they
don’t have to wait for you to wake up and check your email. Your
program will go to work for you and set up the account. On top
of performing all of these tasks, it also creates a nice
customer database which can be used for billing and a number of
client administration tasks such as suspending accounts,
performing server checks, etc. Just make sure you manually
review each order after it has been set up. This will help catch
fraudulent customers before they have a chance to run their
malicious activities (like spamming) on your server.
Support system
Your solution for a support system depends largely on your own
aptitude and preference. If you are familiar with the web
hosting platform (such as cPanel) and with basic server
administration tasks, you may wish to support your customers
yourself. This is especially true while your business is in the
startup phase with only a few customers, or if you intend to
keep your customer base small. If you choose not to be your own
support tech, there are a few alternatives. The obvious one is
you could hire a support tech to work for you. While this is
often the most ideal situation, most startups can not afford to
hire an additional person initially.
A more affordable solution may be to outsource your technical
support to a company who specializes in providing support for
web hosting companies. Many outsourcing companies are located in
technologically advanced areas in low-cost countries such as
India. Outsourcing to an overseas company can be a very
cost-efficient solution, but can also result in additional
problems and challenges so you want to make sure you adequately
research your solution before making any commitments.
Outsourcing companies typically offer one or more pricing
solutions including per-ticket, per-customer, per-server, flat
fee per month, or per representative hired.
There are also other creative support solutions available. One
solution I’ve seen work with success is creating a community
forum where customers can help each other, guided by more
experienced moderators and administrators. A host can offer free
hosting to moderators in exchange for their help in running the
forum. Other forms of bartering have been done successfully as
well. For example you could provide free hosting in exchange for
5 hours a month of answering trouble tickets in your helpdesk.
As for the support options themselves, again hopefully you’ve
outlined this in your business plan. Are
you offering email only, or a helpdesk, live chat, or telephone?
Email and telephone are self-explanatory; if you’re even
considering starting your own business I’m sure you know to use
email and the telephone. Live chat is a nice option if you
decide to use it, however you need to be diligent in being
available or it could be counteractive. Have you ever seen a
site that offers live chat, but the operator is never available
during business hours? I think it shows a lack of
professionalism, and I rarely buy from such companies. On the
other hand, if you run it properly it can be a valuable tool
that helps you get customers problems resolved in one chat
session rather than a back-and-forth email or support ticket
conversation. To run live chat you could simply post your IM
screen name (handle) for one of the popular IM platforms such as
AIM, MSN, or Yahoo. The other method would be to use a web-based
chat client from a free download, or on a subscription basis
from a chat provider.
Regardless of whether you offer any other methods of support,
the one method I will strongly suggest is an online helpdesk
where customers can submit trouble tickets. There are several
free helpdesks available, as well as more powerful applications
available for purchase. The helpdesks I would recommend are
Kayako or Perldesk, both available on a monthly or yearly
subscription. Some client management programs such as Lpanel
also have a functional helpdesk integrated into them. It is best
to choose a helpdesk that supports email piping. In other words,
you can send an email to support@yourcompany.com and it
automatically opens a helpdesk ticket. Then when you answer the
ticket, it also sends an email reply to the client, who can then
reply from within their helpdesk account or by replying to the
email.
Accounting and recordkeeping
This side of the business can easily be overlooked by
enthusiastic startups, and is often the less-favorable task for
creative entrepreneurs. However, a solid accounting and
recordkeeping system is essential to the long-term survival of
your business. If you use an automated system such as
WHMautopilot, Lpanel, or Modernbill, it will automatically keep
track of much of your financial information which is a useful
tool and database.
However; regardless of whether you use one of those programs, I
would suggest keeping an offline record of your customers and
financials. This could be done through an accounting application
like Quicken, or with a customized database in Access, or using
a simple spreadsheet (which is my preferred method) in a program
like Excel. I personally prefer Excel for its simplicity. Your
records should include the following information at a minimum:
-Customer name
-Domain name
-Billing Due date
-Subscription ID number
-Price
-Size of plan
-Email address
In addition to your customer information, it is good to keep
track of your overall finances using at a minimum a general
ledger and P&L (profit and loss) statement. These documents are
much simpler than you may think; in fact if you know how to
balance your checkbook you’re almost there. Your general ledger
is basically a list of all the expenses and revenues for the
month. Again this can be a simple Excel spreadsheet.
Your expenses would include any expense related to the business
such as your reseller account, advertising costs, support costs,
Paypal or merchant fees, etc.
Your revenues are the money that you receive from your hosting
clients.
You can then add up your expenses and revenues for the month,
and if your revenues exceed your expenses, you made a profit! A
P&L statement simply summarizes the information from your
general ledger in a format used by most businesses to gain a
good overview of a company’s financials in one page. I’m not
going to give you an Accounting 101 class here in this e-course
because you can easily find a lot of information about P&L’s and
accounting on the web.
If you’ve done your accounting each month, your taxes should be
a breeze, especially if you remain a sole proprietor with no
employees. All you need to do is take the information from your
year-end P&L statement and fill out a schedule C (profit or loss
from a business). NOTE: This is NOT official tax advice. I am
not an accountant, and you should consult your tax adviser
before filing your tax return.
Regarding business status, the simplest type of business with
the least amount of paperwork is a sole proprietorship. Another
way to simplify your business and paperwork is to avoid having
any employees. You can avoid hiring employees by only using help
on a contractual basis (in other words they are a contractor vs.
an employee). There are several restrictions in this regard (you
can’t set a contractor’s hours, etc.), so it would be best to do
some serious research and/or consult an attorney before making
any contractual or employment arrangements.
Eric Holmlund
http://www.articlesbase.com/web-hosting-articles/how-to-set-up-the-backend-of-your-web-hosting-business-2856.html
Offshore development includes software, web design, website, application testing and more. Outsourcing software development is the driving economic force of many emerging countries. India and China are well recognized as the industry leaders for outsourcing software development. Despite their huge market share in offshore development, Vietnam is quickly emerging as a software outsourcing destination. It is gaining recognition as a low cost quality software maker in Asia. CIO magazine suggests that outsourcing to Vietnam is about 90% cheaper than developing software in the United States of America. Compared to India, developing software in Vietnam costs between one third and one seventh times cheaper. These are very convincing figures for companies to start venturing their offshore development to Vietnam.
Research Vietnam is an outsourcing intermediary claiming that outsourcing software development costs 50% less than the rivals from India. On top of it, Anderson Vietnam estimates that outsourcing per person in Vietnam is only $20,000 per person compared to $40,000 per person in India. These figures are convincing enough to place Vietnam as the top future contender for offshore development projects. As Indian companies enter the maturing cycle, the cost differential between India and Vietnam will increase even further. The outsourcing costs in India are most likely to increase in the coming years. Outsourcing to Vietnam makes a lot of sense for companies looking to make the most cost effective development. Vietnam ranks 20th among the top nations recognized as an excellent outsourcing destinations.
Vietnam has a population of over 90 million people and over 60% of the population is under 30 years of age. The young generation of skilled workers is highly motivated and technologically advanced. This dynamic generation provides a great pool of skilled workers required to meet the growing demand of offshore development. Each year more than 25,000 technical engineers graduate from the universities. Young Vietnamese with better education have already overcome the English language barrier that was believed as a weakness earlier. These are few of the reasons that make Vietnamese one of the best communities that’s globally competitive and technically advanced.
With a robust economy, that has an unbelievable growth rate; Vietnam is considered to be a dynamic nation with great outsourcing potential. With a stable and secure government, it is now considered as a legitimate nation under one roof. In an international survey taken in 2002, Vietnam was the safest country to travel in Asia. Government of Vietnam is promoting its economy for more foreign investment. It offers great incentives in the IT industry in order to capitalize on globalization.
Companies have started to capitalize this great opportunity of outsourcing to Vietnam with low cost and exceptional quality. Vietnam is on its way to write a new chapter in the history of outsourcing software development. The world will be watching this new revolution in offshore development happening in Vietnam. As an emerging software outsourcing destination, Vietnam will be a perfect fit for companies looking for a technological advance without having to spend a lot of money.
Nhung Nguyen
http://www.articlesbase.com/software-articles/vietnam-the-emerging-software-outsourcing-destination-96065.html
In the present scenario of business world, outsourcing is a boon for everyone. Outsourcing is all about giving some part of your business work or the entire services to the other companies. It is the most beneficial service provided by several companies. Outsourcing is one process that will enable you to shed off your workload on another company. Back office outsourcing has become a common practice among various businessmen.
Now days, hectic paper work is driving people crazy. Everyone is running away from wasting their entire time in the paper work. It is always better to outsource this work, in order to save their time. Apart from this, back office outsourcing also involves the outsourcing of accounting works, pay roll services, data entry and a variety of other things. Basically, outsourcing is done to save time and money. It is because the cost per employee for a particular task will be much higher than the amount paid to outsourcing companies.
The back office work has always been hectic for some people. It is because of this reason that they are not able to concentrate on the other important field of their business. This can prove to be problematic for them. Their business can run into loss, if they are jumbled-up in the complexities of back office work. Back office outsourcing has proved to be magical for the productivity of your business. Moreover, savings has always been important for any businessman. It is this driving force that has popularized the outsourcing business.
Back office outsourcing has proved to be beneficial for all types of business organizations, be it a small business venture or a big one. The outsourcing firms have a variety of software that enables them to complete the work in much less time than the in-house staff may take. The back office outsourcing firms work hard to achieve your targets and are determined to deliver their work on time. They offer efficient services, so that their clients are not tempted to transfer their work to other companies. These firms also provide appropriate security means to safeguard your data.
As a part of back office outsourcing, some of the companies may outsource insurance and financial services. These services involve making calls, advertising the schemes and many more. There are various companies that provide efficient handling of these services, so that you can pay attention to other areas of your business to gain profits. Back office work is the backbone of every business and proper maintenance of every aspect is necessary. So, it is better to outsource the back office operations for ensuring higher quality of work efficiency.
Back Office Outsourcing is the best option available in the market to relieve you from the tiresome paper work. Because of a variety of advantages, this form of handling official work has a wide acclaim. It helps you to earn huge profits, by concentrating on the productivity division of your business. If you are not able to handle the back office work, back office outsourcing is there to save you from stress.
Michelle Barkley
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/back-office-outsourcing-can-uplift-your-business-57488.html
Here’s my background: I have an Associate’s degree from like a crappy community college and I didn’t even graduate high school, I have a good old GED. However, I have been working for an IT firm that does outsourcing work for other companies for the past 2 years. I have done 1 and a half years of application testing, 6 months on a non technical help desk, and just recently got placed on a Production Support team where I will be for at least a year, but I plan to stay there as long as possible. I don’t want to go back to school and get a proper degree because quite frankly I don’t have the drive to do so, especially since I already have a job in the field. Does it really matter? Is anyone going to turn me down due to my lack of education even though I am already working in the industry and have been for the past 2 years?
Jeff H – Yeah I’m fine with being a grunt. I come from a poor family so I already out earn my parents. I’m just trying to make an honest living, not trying to be rich or anything.
Bill Gates does not have a degree
i know what it means, but i want a short straight answer as to what it is, any help?
"Outsourcing takes place when an organization transfers the ownership of a business process to a supplier. "
There are many good reasons to consider outsourcing. The reasons below are only a partial list of the overall potential benefits.
Cheaper labor
Cut Operating costs
Lower training costs
Access to better technology
Cons could be -
Security issues – It is more important than ever to protect customer information. Every company must deal with this issue. It is more challenging, however, to secure data when that data is in someone else’s hands.
It is important to outsource to providers who have proven track record of excellent quality of service. Since organizations are outsourcing some of their primary activities, it is important that the chosen provider is reliable, suitable and responsive enough to meet all organizational demands.
For more understanding – http://www.gtssminds.com/
Recently, I have started an IT consultancy with 10 Indian Professionals. An Indian Outsourcing company http://www.virtualemployee.com/ has assured me for the best services. I’m still in trial period of the first month, the interesting part is cost which is very low. Please share your experience with me if you ever had Outsourced your office work or projects.
well the only benefit with the working venture with indian outsourcing is that you get quality work in a much lesser price.. other than this you get the task done with a rapid pace..
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