Capital One Sets an Example for Other Credit Card Companies

Capital One Headquarters

The rather nondescript building pictured at top houses the headquarters of Capital One in McLean, Virginia.  Why should Ham on Wry care about that?  The answer lies in its quiet effort to consolidate all customer service positions by bringing them back to the United States.  Ham on Wry has not been able to corroborate the extent to which Capital One has succeeded in that endeavor, but has talked to a number of employees to confirm that it's happening.  While varying accounts of the timeline have been given, it seems the initiative has begun.

Ham on Wry has presented several posts that deal with the economy and efforts to create jobs, including those about Willliston, ND, an oil boom town and Fairbreault, MN, where a woolen mill has reopened.  Posts have also discussed the idea of taxing outsourced jobs the same as exported products.  Even if it takes over a year to accomplish the return of Capital One's credit card customer service, it will provide jobs that currently don't exist.  The effort could also encourage other credit card companies to do the same.  In fact, it could spill over into other corporations that outsource customer service to "save money."  Ham on Wry questions how much money is actually saved by doing so.  Customer dissatisfaction costs money and time. From discussions I've had with colleagues and friends, general agreement about the frustration caused by lost connections, repeating information, and problems in resolving issues illustrates a high level of dissatisfaction in the process.  Some have closed accounts after negative outcomes.

Ham on Wry assures readers that the author is neither a protectionist nor an isolationist, as yesterday's post also declares.  The author considers herself a pragmatist and, therefore, offers the following suggestion.  Call all credit card companies with whom you do business and request that they re-establish all of their customer service centers in this country.  We have seen banks rescind their monthly debit card fees because of consumer actions.  Demanding that customer service jobs go to Americans would impact not just the consumer, but it would also provide jobs to those qualified for the positions.

One final note worth mentioning: while conducting research on this topic, a Capital One representative recently told me that the company no longer cares about how much time reps spend with customers because its primary emphasis lies with customer relationships.  What a concept!  If one company can see the light and return to an effective means of dealing with customer issues, so can others.  Spread the word!