DEVELOPMENT
REPORT - Telemarketing
By Jill Moss
This is Robert Cohen with the Special English Development
Report.
People who sell goods and services over the
telephone are called telemarketers. India, the Philippines, China and
South Africa are among countries where telemarketing is a growing industry.
Others, such as Mauritius（毛里求斯）, want
to enter the business.
This should not be difficult for countries with
the technology and interest. Many international companies have started
to move their call center jobs to nations where the wages are lower.
People may have no idea if a call center worker is on the other side
of the world.
Most call centers are used not only for telemarketing.
Workers also help customers. They collect information for companies.
And they handle claims and record keeping. In fact, India's call center
industry has been described as "the back office of the world."
About seventy companies there do telemarketing for American businesses.
Some experts estimate that more than 250,000
telemarketing jobs have already moved out of the United States. These
and other jobs in the services industry are expected to continue to
leave the country.
The Forrester Research group expects more than
three-million jobs in the services industry to move within the next
fifteen years. It says they will go to countries like India, Russia,
China and the Philippines. As a result, the company says, the United
States will lose more than 130,000,000,000 dollars in wages.
This amount could increase depending on how
a legal battle over a national "do not call" list is settled.
More than fifty-million Americans have signed on to a new government
list to prevent phone calls from telemarketers. These calls often interfere
with family time or dinner. President Bush supports the do-not-call
list, which took effect this month. Telemarketers could face large fines
for violations, though some kinds of calls are still permitted.
The industry says the list violates the right
to free speech. In addition, lawmakers who represent areas with call
centers worry about the loss of jobs. The fear is that more American
call centers will close or move overseas if the list is enforced.
Last week, an appeals court ruled that the government
may continue to enforce the do-not-call list for now at least. A final
ruling could come from the United States Supreme Court.
This VOA Special English Development Report
was written by Jill Moss. I'm Robert Cohen
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