I don't know if I posted this here, but my sister works for Verizon and they have an internal policy that stipulates 20% of all work must be outsourced to India.
From an immediate cost perspective, it seems like a good idea. The problem, as everyone knows, is on the backend. Product isn't as good, buggy, and by the time you get from point A to point B you have usually spent more overall than if the work were kept at home.
Unfortunately, accounting isn't straightforward to fully determine the backend costliness, or resides in other departments, etc. Typical bad management. When I was at GE in the mid 90's they had a similar situation they were testing. They quickly ended it.
I've got nothing against India (actually, I love India and am dying to visit), its people, or the work they do. In fact, all things considered they are damn hard workers and do it for a helluva lot less than most US residents. It's more an issue of distance and miscommunication, things that are less problematic when you keep things close to home. I think companies are hoping these problems iron themselves out over time. |
