The Code tells how business is done

A man I know in the aircraft industry tells this story about calling tech support.

He quickly detects that his tech support person is Asian, and in Asia, with the unlikely name of Tony. My friend has read Thomas Friedman's book, The World Is Flat, and so he understands instantly that "Tony" has been given this American name to make his callers feel more comfortable than they would with, for example, "Nyun."

So my friend playfully says, "Hey Tony, what's your last name?"

"Just a minute. I put you on hold."

When Tony comes back on the line, he says, "They haven't given me one yet."

You don't have to be a geek to have had problems with tech support that's been outsourced to Asia. Sometimes the problem is that the actual connection's not great, and that makes it hard to hear. Sometimes the problem is that your tech support person doesn't speak English well enough to deal with your idiomatic phrases.

"Well, that thingy that slides in, in the front, is sticking out, you know?"

Sometimes the problem is that you can't understand "Tony's" English.

Anymore, in our office, we're hugely relieved when we recognize that the voice on the other end is American. No matter how thick the Southern accent or how twangy the Texas drawl, the sound is lovely.

The mistake that companies large and small are now making in outsourcing goes far beyond the issue of a foreign accent we struggle to comprehend. Consider this experience. A company we've been doing business with for several years has outsourced its tech and billing support to (I know because I asked) Malaysia. I'll call this company "Formerly" (formerly 100 percent USA).

We purchased services (for a client) based on technical specs listed on Formerly's Web site. However, as we implemented, we discovered that key service elements were no longer offered. This fact surprised even our American sales contact, who agreed that this meant that Formerly's Web site was wrong. He was apologetic but powerless to get us a refund. Billing had been outsourced to Malaysia.

My calls to Malaysia went badly. The manager did not understand my simple points. We are longtime customers of Formerly. We paid for services based on information (still) on Formerly's Web site. Without these services, the package is useless. We want a refund.

Voice messages left for an American sales manager went unanswered. Finally, a Malaysian supervisor called back. The facts meant nothing. There was no comprehension. No apology. Just, "No refund."

In trying to have a discussion with her, which included phrases such as "truth in advertising," I brought up an idea I decided to try. After hanging up, I used Google and learned that - surprise! - Formerly still belonged to the Better Business Bureau in a major U.S. city. At that city's Better Business Bureau Web site, I quickly completed a complaint form. A few weeks later, I got a call from a Formerly vice president. An American. He was genuinely embarrassed and apologetic. We received a 100 percent refund that same day.

I'm not recommending you call the Better Business Bureau if outsourced tech support fails you. My point is about culture. Business code and culture. Business, and businesses, succeed based on a code, a culture. For example, we value long-term, ongoing customers. We provide the services we promise because we're honest and because angry customers share with others and may call the Better Business Bureau or even (re: truth in advertising) the attorney general.

Sure, too many American business people screw customers over, know it and don't care. The problem with my Malaysian supervisor, though, was that she clearly did not know the code. Phrases like, "longtime customer" and "Better Business Bureau" meant nothing. She wasn't scripted to know our culture any more than Tony was scripted to have a last name. And even on a support call, that's the most important script there is to know.

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