Companies may outsource work. However, they may not outsource their responsibility, even when they outsource to service providers that compete on price, move operations to countries where labor is cheaper, and increasingly use AI.

 

That is what Elly Heemskerk, board member at trade union FNV, and Roderik Mol, board member at trade union CNV, say today in their opinion piece in From Volkskrant.

Customer service determines what an organization truly means to people. Yet, the work of customer service representatives is increasingly treated as a cost center that must be organized as cheaply as possible, say both executives.

The reason for their article is the elimination of 150 jobs by facilities contact center Transcom, that moves customer contact activities to low-wage countries and closes the branch in Groningen.

FNV and CNV are appealing to major outsourcers such as NS, KPN, bol, banks, insurers, and other large organizations. Companies rightly invest in good employment conditions for their own employees, while employees who represent the same brand every day often enjoy far less protection, according to the unions. The discussion regarding customer contact is therefore not just about costs, technology, or international competition. It is about good entrepreneurship and responsibility for the people who represent a brand every day.

(Volkskrant)

The RDW customer contact tender requires a great deal of flexibility and offers few certainties.

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