California Outsources Tourism Hot Line - Kansas City Call Center Answers Toll-Free Number

[Kadie]

California Outsources Tourism Hot Line
Kansas City Call Center Answers Toll-Free Number

POSTED: 5:13 pm PST November 17, 2009
UPDATED: 6:46 pm PST November 17, 2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. --
Call the California Travel and Tourism Commission's toll-free number and you won't reach operators anywhere near the Golden State: Those jobs are outsourced to another city in a state 2,500 miles away.

USA 800 runs the call center out of a building in Kansas City, Mo. The center also ships out California visitor guides.

"We go through an extensive bidding process. And having the call center in the Midwest is just part of the bidding process. They're centrally located, saves the company a lot on shipping," commission spokeswoman Susan Wilcox said.

"It's kind of bizarre. I mean, how would they know about California if they're in Missouri?" Sacramento resident Taheerah Mujahid said.

This year alone, the Missouri call center is being paid about $150,000 to field calls about California's tourism. All of the money comes from fees assessed to the tourism industry across the state.

"The governor's always trying to invite people to California. Maybe he ought to have those businesses stay here too," Sacramento resident Mark Sazaki said.

more...
http://www.kcra.com/money/21645930/detail.html

[tazkcmo]

1. Thanks California!

At least Americans still have those jobs. And to Taheerah Mujahid, we know about California because we can read and learn.

[TheDebbieDee]

2. Well, at least they outsourced the work to other Americans......

[Nikki Stone1]

3. The PIRATIZATION of state functions continues....

Everyone should watch carefully...it's coming to your state eventually.

[marybourg]

4. Yes. Telephone operators used to be local also. There's a

town near me in AZ called "Surprise". I called Information to ask for a number there. The operator (who was in N. Dakota)asked "what town?" I said "Surprise". She hung up on me saying "I don't have time for games!"

[Ikonoklast]

6. Good thing you don't have friends in

Intercourse, PA.

She would have called the cops on you.




Let alone Blue Ball.

[XemaSab]

5. Perfect

x(

[aquart]

7. Do they even have the grace to be embarrassed?

[Brickbat]

8. In 1990, I worked at a call center that, among other things, handled requests for tourist

information on places in Florida. I was in Omaha.

[sakabatou]

9. ::facebludgeon::