Indian call-centre workers demand money

“There's a traditional perception that debt collectors are tough, that they rough people up,” Manu Sharma, a smart Indian executive, said from his sleek office in Delhi's outskirts. “That's not how we work”.

Welcome to the touchy-feely world of outsourced debt collection, an industry in the throes of rapid expansion as India's call centres - famous for flogging computers, life insurance and mobile phones - now look to cash in on the global credit crunch.

Forget the old image of the debt collector as a menacing ogre out for his pound of flesh. Mr Sharma, who heads a 200-strong team that makes thousands of call to American homes every evening, is one of a new breed who are chasing - ever so sensitively - the growing horde of hard-up Westerners.

“Of course it gets emotional,” Mr Sharma says. “Over the years we've learnt that it's all about sharing life-changing experiences.” Western debt agencies have been drawn to young Indians for their mild manners, innate courtesy and deference - characteristics that have a disarming effect on even the angriest debtor, industry insiders say.

“Anybody calling up to chase a six-year-old bill is going to have a difficult conversation,” said Brandon Black, the chief executive of Encore Capital Group, an company based in San Diego that employs hundreds of Indian collectors and plans to increase staff by 50 per cent this year.

“But Indians don't engage in confrontation. They are very polite, very respectful, they don't raise their voice. This works.”

British banks such as HSBC, the country's largest, already use Indian call centres to remind credit card holders when they miss a payment. This could be just the beginning: Britain's growing band of debtors are likely to receive more long-distance calls as the levels of bad loans soar. Mark Hughes, of the investment bank Sun Trust Robinson Humphrey, said: “People dislike rude collectors and I don't think Indians fall into that category. Outsourcing to India will increase.”

With that charm comes a greater level of sophistication as the collectors devise ploys to make money on bad debts. Each morning Mr Sharma leads his team through a pep talk. Recent topics have included the likely impact on business of a recent hurricane in the US and a tax rebate scheme that put billions of dollars in the pockets of 130 million American families (potentially very good, if handled correctly).

New recruits are taught the basics in bite-sized pieces. “Establish rapport; create a solution; close the deal,” runs Mr Sharma's mantra. There are times that the workers, who make about £10 a day, can find the conversations a little surreal, says Mr Black. “We have workers calling up after sums that amount to several years' pay. It's hard for them to comprehend asking for $10,000.”

I feel your pain . . .

— The first rule for Indian debt collection workers is “establish identity, build rapport and express empathy”

— Suggested lines: “This isn’t just about getting the money back it’s about understanding your situation” or “I can’t imagine what you’re felling . . . but I do have experience of helping people in your situation”

— Create solutions while appealing to emotions. “Did you find a new job yet?” . . . “How much could you afford to pay back?” . . . “This isn’t about getting your debt back on track; it’s about getting your life back on track”

— Seal the deal — apply moral principles if appropriate. “This is the right thing to do” . . . “Can I give you an address to send a cheque” or “Can I take the details of a credit card with a spare limit on it?”

Permits threaten wedding industry

The state of Hawaii is drawing the line on commercial beach weddings, which will require a permit fee of 10 cents per square foot.

The law has been on the books since 2002, but the state Department of Land and Natural Resources says it will now enforce it come Aug. 1.

"It's an existing system that's been in place, and we're asking you to comply with it," DLNR land division administrator Morris Atta told industry members at a state-sponsored Oahu meeting earlier this month. "We're also seeking your input on how we can improve it."

Wedding business owners, meanwhile, are worried that the state won't process their permits in time, saying that even one week is too slow for brides who need to know immediately whether a date is available.

Small wedding business owners, meanwhile, say they will be impacted by additional permit fees the most.

The timing couldn't have been worse for the wedding industry, which brings a significant percentage of visitors to the state, and is already taking a hit from a flailing economy.

Wedding business owners also want the state to clarify exactly where state jurisdiction of beaches begins and ends.

My Administration ’ll Be All-Inclusive - Akiotu

Gbenga Adefaye, Editor, Vanguard Newspapers and Tony Akiotu, Executive Director, DAAR Communications, who has served as the deputy president, Nigeria Guild of Editors, for two terms, both aspiring for the presidency of the Guild, in these seperate interviews with Sulaimon Olanrewaju, share their plans on how to improve the profile of the body and the fortune of its members if they win the election slated for July 28. Excerpts:

Why do you intend to become the president of Nigeria Guild of Editors?
I see it as a call to service. Having served the guild creditably and efficiently as Deputy President for two terms and having also served as chairman of the organizing committee of All Nigerian Editors Conference for four consecutive years, the entire editors as at the last conference held in Bauchi in December 2007, pleaded with me to continue the good work I had done in the two capacities that I had served by mounting the saddle as the president of the NGE.

If you emerge as the president what do you plan to accomplish?
My plans are legendary. The plans are going to be driven by the tag I have given to my campaign, which is ‘Change 08’. Change is going to come in various ways. It is going to come by way of reforms; it is going to come by way of transformation of the Guild. The Guild has been in existence for over 40 years. There are quite a number of things that we have done and there are many things that we can still do. I have outlined some of the things we can do in my manifesto and have dedicated myself and my executive to executing these plans. One of them is the issue of mobilization. At the moment, we have a little over 200 people as members of the Guild. But having toured all the six geo-political zones in the country, I am convinced that there is no reason why the guild should not have a membership strength that is close to at least 500. The enthusiasm, the willingness to belong has never been lacking. What has been lacking is the administrative savvy and the political will to bring all these people under one umbrella.

During my tour, myself and my campaign team, we discovered that though the Guild is almost as old as Nigeria, very little information and awareness exist about it. I have always said to people that as an umbrella body that houses editors of television, radio, newspapers, wire services and online services, we need to work harder to get all of them belong. I am happy that I have succeeded in creating this awareness during my campaign tours. This awareness has led to scores of people wanting to belong. I am glad that the executive set a deadline of July 7 for all those who intend to belong to the Guild to complete all the formalities. I think this is a sign of good things to come in the guild. Now, having created that awareness and the much desired mobilization, I think there will be a need for us to determine who are those that should be regarded as members of the Guild and what should be their benefits. In the light of this, my executive and I will take a look at the constitution. We have a constitution that I think is overdue for review to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the NGE.

The document we have today, which is just a 5 page thing, is insufficient to meet the needs of a body like the Guild which has been in existence for over 43 years. Two attempts have been made to review the constitution. We had a committee that was led by the publisher of Media Review, Mr. Lanre Idowu, and another one by former Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello. My executive will take a look at these documents and see how we can harmonise them and get something that will be more acceptable to the Guild. Having gone through this process, we will then begin to implement the laudable programmes that we have for the Guild. One of them is the need for us to have a befitting national secretariat. I am really embarrassed, having put over three decades into this profession and having served over 15 years as a gate keeper in both radio and television, that we don’t have a place to behold, a place that I can invite my friends in other professions to come and say, “Come and join me in a workshop or conference or a social gathering.”

So, we have taken a look at having a secretariat that will serve as a resource centre in Abuja. Also of top concern to me is the matter of capacity building. Nigerian editors can be better exposed to training locally and internationally. We will partner with a number of non-governmental organizations and the civil society to organize workshops that will equip us with modern trend in our business. Internationally, there are organizations like the World Editors’ Forum, African Editors’ Forum and West African Editors’ Forum. These are bodies that have existed for years. The World Editors’ Forum has existed for 20 years; it was not until Cape Town last year that Nigerian editors started to avail themselves of opportunities to belong to these bodies. These are bodies that offer innumerable opportunities to our members by way of training, exposure and networking. But we do not belong to them. And because we do not belong to them, we have not been able to benefit from some of the far- reaching benefits that people get by belonging to these bodies. Also, on top of my priority will be the need for the Guild not to be aloof in matters of national issues and politics.

Under my watch, I will make the Guild more relevant in not only articulating positions on issues that affect the welfare of the practitioners but also to be a prominent voice in issues or matters that affect the Nigerian state. We will set agenda on national issues. We will also work with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to implement these, especially for young editors and journalists. Ethics has been an issue that has actually bothered me as a person. In over 30 years that I have been in active journalism, I have really been worried that politicians often try to hold the press liable for their failings. And they do this because they have an alibi.

There are some people, who by their training and calling are not journalists but have strayed into the profession. We have had problems with people like this because it is very easy for you, when you have had problems in other professions, to say because you have acquired communication skills, and able to write, to say you are a journalist. But people like that have given us a bad name. We are going to define not only who deserves to be called an editor but also who deserves to be a journalist. We will make sure that this process of accreditation becomes a continuous thing. People should carry the identity card of NUJ and the Guild.

But the issue of ethics which I consider as the heart of our profession, which keeps our practice going will be the very cardinal point of my executive. We are going to institute an award for ethical practice, and we are looking at constituting a panel to determine, over a period of time, organizations that have observed the ethic and ethos of our profession and our practice. At the yearly awards that we will have for past presidents and veterans and fellows of the Guild, the organizations will be honoured. We will do this to stimulate interest and to engender an atmosphere of healthy rivalry among editors as gatekeepers. We shall also institute an annual award for students and scholars of mass communication and journalism in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. These awards are to challenge the students.

Planning Ahead: Looking after Loved Ones should the Worst Happen

It’s probably fair to say that nobody really knows what tomorrow may bring, and many people probably prefer not to think too much about the future, choosing to live as much for today as possible.

Whilst this attitude may be commendable in many respects, it could be argued that to live purely for today is essentially throwing caution to the wind, as any number of life’s little mishaps could come along and change everything.

Indeed, whilst nobody actually likes to consider worst-case-scenarios, it is always best to have plans in place should the unthinkable happen. And this is perhaps most important in a family situation where a spouse and children are relying on one person’s income.

Moreover, many people will go to extraordinary lengths to take care of their loved ones, often working long hours to ensure the best for them. And this is precisely why life insurance is a number one priority for those who have a family to take care of, as it will help immeasurably should the absolute worst-case scenario happen.
There are, of course, different types of life insurance policies, to suit individual requirements. In the broadest possible terms, life insurance can be split into two different kinds. ‘Term life insurance’ plans pay a lump sum if someone dies within a specified period of time, and these are designed more for the main breadwinner in a family, to ensure minimum hardship for those who rely on a regular income. Options can be added to such policies for an additional fee, such as critical illness cover should the policyholder suffer from a serious ailment that renders them unable to work.

Then there is what’s known as ‘permanent life insurance’ which is designed to last an entire lifetime and assures a cash payout at the end of the policy. The nature of such policies is that they obviously must always pay out, therefore the premiums are always much higher than a term life insurance policy, so it’s certainly worth thinking about what will provide the best cover given the individual circumstances.

And as with anything in life, it’s always worth shopping around to find the best life insurance deal before committing to anything. Of course, even if a life insurance policy has been in place for a number of years, at the very least it is still worth shopping around to compare life insurance policies to see how much could be saved, as many companies have reduced their premiums in recent years, due in part to advances in medicine and longer life expectancies.

Families will find it hard enough to cope with the grief of losing a parent or spouse, without the burden of a financial crisis thrown in as well. Life insurance offers that little extra peace of mind, and should the worst happen, the family will get through it with minimal disruption to the other aspects of their lives.

Daniel Collins writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.

Sparring over healthcare

Given that pictures are so important for TV it is perhaps funny that I sometimes form such strong mental images of the people I am going to interview. On my way to Ghent, to film ahead of today's European Commission proposals on healthcare, I imagined the Italian gentleman I was going to meet ahead of his hip operation. In my mind's eye he was a rather wizened, bent chap in his 80s, wearing a dark green checked suit and for some reason an alpine hat.

Paolo Bolaffio turned out to be rather different - a muscled, vigorous man in his 50s in shorts and a sports vest, who tells me he is an international sportsman, a three-time world karate champion, who it turns out has established his own school of the martial arts. But he's done his hips in, and an earlier operation hasn't helped.

So he's come to a clinic along Ghent's leafy millionaire's row to be put right. Now, in Italy, and I presume in most EU countries, you can get hip operations as part of the national health service or its insurance-based equivalent. Ever since 1998 the European Court of Justice has been making rulings, on the grounds of free movement, that patients have the right to get their money back for healthcare received abroad within the EU that they could, in theory, have got at home.

But Paolo tells me the Italian government couldn't tell him if he would get at least some of his money back. "I just went there and asked and they said they would have to think about it. They're still thinking. They say they have the summer time, vacations, and lots of things to do. That's the problem." And they didn't want him to have the op before they had made their decision.

"They said: 'You can't have the operation until we give you permission. If you do it first we don't feel like giving you the money'. So I told them the doctor said I needed it urgently. But they said: 'We don't care. You can only go once you have the permission, because of bureaucracy, and we'll tell you in August or September'." So he probably won't get any money, but he will have the operation.

It's exactly to make the rules clearer after all the court cases that the European Commission has been working on new laws. In fact they have been working on them for five years now. Their plans were meant to be unveiled just before Christmas, when I wrote a couple of articles about the ideas. But the directive was pulled at the last minute, apparently because of objections by the left and some nation states.

We will know the exact details later today, but it will still say that member states have to reimburse the cost of any healthcare that would be provided in their own country, but in the case of hospital care they can insist that the patient gets approval from the relevant authority if "member states can provide evidence that the outflow of patients resulting from the implementation of this directive has such an impact that it serious undermines the planning and rationalisation carried out in the hospital sector".

Whatever this means I am sure many governments will try to prove that their planning would be seriously undermined, so they keep control of the situation.
A lobby group for patients' consumer choice, Health Consumer Powerhouse, very much welcomes the plans. But one of its directors, Kajsa Wilhelmsson, says they have been watered down. For instance, a reference to getting your money back in three weeks has totally disappeared.