U.S. News
FCC Moves to Change Where Americans Get Customer Service
Clear Facts
- The Federal Communications Commission voted to launch a proceeding aimed at bringing call center jobs back to the United States.
- New proposals would require call center representatives to be proficient in American Standard English to improve customer service quality.
- The agency is exploring financial deterrents to stop illegal robocalls that originate from foreign destinations.
The FCC announced on Thursday that it is moving toward onshoring call center operations and implementing language proficiency standards for workers. This initiative seeks to incentivize companies to return jobs to U.S. soil and eliminate the barriers consumers face with foreign-based support.
U.S. consumers frequently report high levels of frustration when dealing with overseas facilities. These foreign centers often present communication challenges that prevent citizens from obtaining satisfactory resolutions to their technical or billing issues.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr stated that foreign operations have historically led to confusing service and security risks for American consumers.
“Too often, foreign call centers have meant confusing service, delayed support, and even security risks.”
“In many cases, scammers get trained at legitimate call centers and either access your data illegally or take their training to a foreign robocall operation.”
“American consumers deserve call centers that speak proficient English, provide clear answers, and are based here at home—not halfway around the world.”
The agency also plans to address the influx of fraudulent calls from abroad through the targeted use of bonds or fees.
Estimates suggest the United States could lose 150,000 call center positions by 2033 if current offshoring trends continue without intervention.
“At the end of the day, American callers should expect and deserve to reach American call centers.”
Currently, nearly 70 percent of American companies outsource at least one department to offshore locations. Bipartisan efforts in Congress have also surfaced recently to discourage businesses from shipping these essential domestic jobs overseas.
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