Does Apple outsource its customer support ?

[rmoliv]

I was wondering about this.
Every time I call Apple Support they call me back from Cork, Ireland, we speak in my native language (which isn't English) and I can tell their accent is native as well.
But are they really there (in Ireland), or are they somewhere else (maybe at home or at an office in their own country) working for an outsourcing company who's got Apple as client?
This has always gotten me curious.

 

[TiggrToo]

I was wondering about this.
Every time I call Apple Support they call me back from Cork, Ireland, we speak in my native language (which isn't English) and I can tell their accent is native as well.
But are they really there (in Ireland), or are they somewhere else (maybe at home or at an office in their own country) working for a outsourcing company who's got Apple as client?
This has always gotten me curious.

Apple have had facilities in Cork for eons. In addition Apple is legally based there as well.

In addition I’m pretty sure that’s where their European call centre may be (you didn’t state where you’re from).

 

[Expos of 1969]

Apple have had facilities in Cork for eons. In addition Apple is legally based there as well.

In addition I’m pretty sure that’s where their European call centre may be (you didn’t state where you’re from).

Likely to get their sweetheart Irish tax deal they had to commit to creating x number of jobs in the country. Of course they probably imported people from various countries so they were not actually employing x number of Irish people but Ireland does benefit from the taxes paid by the Apple workers.

 

[0128672]

I was wondering about this.
Every time I call Apple Support they call me back from Cork, Ireland, we speak in my native language (which isn't English) and I can tell their accent is native as well.
But are they really there (in Ireland), or are they somewhere else (maybe at home or at an office in their own country) working for an outsourcing company who's got Apple as client?
This has always gotten me curious.

In addition to on-site support teams, Apple also has a global at-home advisor support workforce to provide support in multiple languages.

Careers at Apple: Join us. Be you.

Learn why this is where individual imaginations gather together.

www.apple.com

 

[rmoliv]

@TiggrToo Yes, I'm from Europe, and I'm aware of Apple's facilities in Cork. Probably they hire people abroad as @Northern Man said. I hardly believe that an English-speaking Irish person would speak my language at a native level (accent-wise).

 

[rmoliv]

In addition to on-site support teams, Apple also has a global at-home advisor support workforce.

Careers at Apple: Join us. Be you.

Learn why this is where individual imaginations gather together.

www.apple.com

Yes, I'm aware of that. Are they directly hired by Apple or third-parties?

 

[7thson]

I believe they are employing people at home for phone support. If a call needs to be escalated they will transfer you to a more knowledgeable advisor. It’s not a great experience tbh imho because all the initial support is doing is basically searching Apples support database for queries. Its not unusual for me to feel like I am more knowledgeable than the support, but I usually get my problem/question resolved, albeit with time.
I can’t recall talking to anyone outside of the U.S., where I live, in a very long time. I think Apple routes your call to the best option based on your location, preferred language and/or phone number.

 

[0128672]

Yes, I'm aware of that. Are their directly hired by Apple or third-parties?

Both Apple direct hires and through staffing agencies.

 

[TiggrToo]

@TiggrToo Yes, I'm from Europe, and I'm aware of Apple's facilities in Cork. Probably they hire people abroad as @Northern Man said. I hardly believe that an English-speaking Irish person would speak my language at a native level (accent-wise).

You’d be surprised. We hire Latino‘s just to man our Latin America customers and we’re based in Ohio.

 

[0128672]

To give you a specific example, here's an example of a retail support specialist job description based in Cork for someone who speaks English and German, Italian or Spanish:

Retail Online Senior Customer Service Specialist (German, Spanish or Italian) - Jobs at Apple (IE)

Apply for a Retail Online Senior Customer Service Specialist (German, Spanish or Italian) job at Apple. Read about the role and find out if it’s right for you.

jobs.apple.com

Here's one in Cork for someone who speaks Swedish:

Customer Relations Advisor- Swedish - Jobs at Apple (IE)

Apply for a Customer Relations Advisor- Swedish job at Apple. Read about the role and find out if it’s right for you.

jobs.apple.com

You can even filter the job listings for a specific language if you want to explore it further.

 

[Expos of 1969]

To give you a specific example, here's an example of a retail support specialist job description based in Cork for someone who speaks English and German, Italian or Spanish:

Retail Online Senior Customer Service Specialist (German, Spanish or Italian) - Jobs at Apple (IE)

Apply for a Retail Online Senior Customer Service Specialist (German, Spanish or Italian) job at Apple. Read about the role and find out if it’s right for you.

jobs.apple.com

So do job ads these days not reveal salary or benefits? Very strange way to operate. If proud of what the company offers employees, why hide this key info?

 

[0128672]

So do job ads these days not reveal salary or benefits? Very strange way to operate. If proud of what the company offers employees, why hide this key info?

That's true for a lot of large companies in their job listings. "Competitive salary and benefits package" is the standard language, and you usually learn the specifics upon interview. You can sometimes get inside salary info from sites like Glassdoor.

Here's a basic overview of Apple's benefits: https://www.apple.com/jobs/us/benefits.html

 

[Expos of 1969]

That's true for a lot of large companies in their job listings. "Competitive salary and benefits package" is the standard language, and you usually learn the specifics upon interview. You can sometimes get inside salary info from sites like Glassdoor.

Here's a basic overview of Apple's benefits: https://www.apple.com/jobs/us/benefits.html

That's all very interesting but I think the call centre worker in Cork has more important needs and priorities than Apple assisting him/her make dinner reservations

 

[rmoliv]

Does anyone know what the training for the At Home Advisor position is like? I read elsewhere it’s about 3-4 weeks but no specifics as to the subjects covered and whether the training is online or in a physical location. I’m actually considering applying to this position.

 

[0128672]

Does anyone know what the training for the At Home Advisor position is like? I read elsewhere it’s about 3-4 weeks but no specifics as to the subjects covered and whether the training is online or in a physical location. I’m actually considering applying to this position.

Here's a link to an older thread here about the application/interview/hiring process, which you may find answers some of your questions:

Apple At-Home Advisor... (Part 2)

completed the whole application process.. 2 interviews and job preview... still haven't heard anything back.. when I did the Skype interview I was told they were aiming for a group to start end of June and another at the end of July... I'm not sure if I should hold out or not... it so hard to...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[C DM]

Here's a link to an older thread here about the application/interview/hiring process, which you may find answers some of your questions:

Apple At-Home Advisor... (Part 2)

completed the whole application process.. 2 interviews and job preview... still haven't heard anything back.. when I did the Skype interview I was told they were aiming for a group to start end of June and another at the end of July... I'm not sure if I should hold out or not... it so hard to...

forums.macrumors.com

Also another similar one:

Working as an AppleCare Senior Chat Advisor

I want to try and provide as much infomation as I can, but along with that I may hold to hold out some details for certain questions so I can remain as anonymous as possible. I do want to keep myself employed. I think I can provide some insight to some common misconceptions when it comes to...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Tech198]

Likely to get their sweetheart Irish tax deal they had to commit to creating x number of jobs in the country. Of course they probably imported people from various countries so they were not actually employing x number of Irish people but Ireland does benefit from the taxes paid by the Apple workers.

You could probably say that to any companies who do the same offshore support just get rich from taxes,,, but then there is no point in matching both of them up either without evidence... We can say that to Apple because it's disclosed, but how do we know others are doing the same?

When a company seems to always be far ahead in the 'loot' you gotta start to wonder what else are they not telling you.

 

[mrpsuser]

Absolutely, they do outsource. Apple uses outsourcing for customer service. Some are based in America and others are overseas. Note, most outsourced folk are lucky to make $14 in America, and they still have to pay almost 100% for their healthcare. Some received 5 days or less in paid time off. NOTE: these are the American employees, so there's most likely even less benefits offered in other countries. On top of all of that, Apple still monitors these people almost daily, expecting them to understand a cluster of policies, etc. It seems like Apple wants "experts" but they want to pay less than fast-food wages for it.

So do job ads these days not reveal salary or benefits? Very strange way to operate. If proud of what the company offers employees, why hide this key info?

It's because this ad is being run by an outsourcing agency/company. These agencies employ thousands and thousand of people throughout the world, including the U.S., but most make very low wages with almost no benefits. Apple, however, still rates these people as if they should be seasoned Apple employees. Anything less than a 5 on their 5-star customer review process will mean an underpaid agent will be asked to improve, regardless of the actual circumstances of the call they dealt with. I'm sorry to say, Apple is heartless in its quest to provide its investors with huge returns, and they have lost (if they ever had any) all concern for the people who are trying to support their products. They are a sad company.