History Main / OperatorFromIndia

* In most Overseas Chinese communities and Singapore, this trope is known as The Operator from China. Infamously, these Chinese call centers also originate the infamous U.S. Chinese-language scam phone calls supposedly from Bank of America, AT&T, or a [=PRC=] Consulate.

** When the guys are designing an App for the iPhone, Sheldon appoints Raj to be their support line operator (and instructs him to answer as "Steve from Wichita") to [[InvokedTrope invoke this image]] and make customers believe that they are a much larger corporation that can afford to use overseas call centers. Raj calls him out for this, but [[ActuallyPrettyFunny does admit that it's a clever ploy]].

** When the guys are designing an App for the iPhone, Sheldon makes Raj their support line operator (and instructs him to answer as "Steve from Wichita") to [[InvokedTrope invoke]] this image and make customers believe that they are a much larger corporation that can afford to use overseas call centers. Raj calls him out for this, but does admit that it's a clever ploy.

* In most Overseas Chinese communities, this trope is known as The Operator from China. Infamously, these Chinese call centers also originate the infamous U.S. Chinese-language scam phone calls supposedly from Bank of America, AT&T, or a [=PRC=] Consulate.

TruthInTelevision, of course. For English speakers the most common call center location are the territories of the former British Raj. Odds are within ten years, they'll have been sourced somewhere else. The {{UsefulNotes/Philippines}} are another common destination, on account of American colonialism there. Unlike with (stereotypical) Indian examples, expect no or minimal quirky accents if you're from the West—owing also to such thorough colonialism, and the subsequent ForeignCultureFetish it's engendered with it, Filipino call centre agents have been trained to mimic American (and possibly other Anglophone) accents so well, they would be mistaken for English-speaking Westerners without any further clues to their location! [[note]]At least, until a call needs to be paused, in which case a Filipino will say "For a while, Ma'am/Sir", where first-language Anglophones would say "Please hold" or "Just a minute".[[/note]]

* Indian ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Pakistani]]) call centers make outgoing telemarketer calls as well. Most cold call scams supposedly from Microsoft, the tax office, phone company, etc. are sadly...you guessed it, Indian, especially if they ask for payment or banking details. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned The second the call goes in this direction just hang up and report it to the authorities.]] Of course, that hasn't stopped people from conversing in [[PrankCall prank calls]] with them for their own entertainment.

* Indian call centers make outgoing telemarketer calls as well. Most cold call scams supposedly from Microsoft, the tax office, phone company, etc. are sadly...you guessed it, Indian, especially if they ask for payment or banking details. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned The second the call goes in this direction just hang up and report it to the authorities.]] Of course, that hasn't stopped people from conversing in [[PrankCall prank calls]] with them for their own entertainment.

* In most Overseas Chinese communities, this trope is known as The Operator from China. Infamously, these Chinese call centers also originate the U.S. Chinese-language cold call scams supposedly from Bank of America, AT&T, or a [=PRC=] Consulate. Adding to the infamy, often times [[WhatAnIdiot the scammers call people who don't speak Chinese]].

* In Francophone Europe (e.g. France and (probably) French-speaking Belgium) and certain parts of French-speaking Canada, it's The Operator from North Africa.

-->'''Capt. William Lennox:''' This is an emergency Pentagon call! I need you to... Do you understand? It's an emergency Pentagon... I don't have a credit card!\\
'''Operator:''' Sir, the attitude is not going to speed things up any bit at all. I'm going to ask you to speak into the mouthpiece very clearly.\\
'''Lennox:''' I'm in the middle of a war! This is frigging ridiculous!

* In France, (probably) French-speaking Belgium, and certain parts of French-speaking Canada, it's The Operator from North Africa.

[[DescribeTopicHere "You have reached the Operator From India page. My name is Bob, how may I be helping you today?"]]

* Indian call centers make outgoing telemarketer calls as well. Most cold call scams supposedly from Microsoft, the tax office, phone company, etc are sadly...you guessed it, Indian, especially if they ask for payment or banking details. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned The second the call goes in this direction just hang up and report it to the authorities.]] Of course, that hasn't stopped people from conversing in [[PrankCall prank calls]] with them for their own entertainment.

* In Spain this trope is known as Operator from South America.
* In France, (probably) French-speaking Belgium, and certain parts of French-speaking Canada, it's Operator from North Africa.

* Nearly every live person you engage at Dell is based in India.

* Indian call centers make outgoing telemarketer calls as well. Most cold call scams supposedly from Microsoft, the tax office, phone company, ect are sadly...you guessed it, Indian, especially if they ask for payment or banking details. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned The second the call goes in this direction just hang up and report it to the authorities.]] Of course, that hasn't stopped people from conversing in [[PrankCall prank calls]] with them for their own entertainment.

TruthInTelevision, of course. For English speakers the most common call center location are the territories of the former British Raj. Odds are within ten years, they'll have been sourced somewhere else. The {{UsefulNotes/Philippines}} are another common destination, on account of American colonialism there. Unlike with (stereotypical) Indian examples, expect no or minimal quirky accents if you're from the West—owing also to such thorough colonialism, and the subsequent ForeignCultureFetish it's engendered with it, Filipino call centre agents have been trained to mimic American (and possibly other Anglophone) accents so well, they would be mistaken for Westerners without any further clues to their location! [[note]]At least, until a call needs to be paused, in which case a Filipino will say "For a while, Ma'am/Sir", where first-language Anglophones would say "Please hold" or "Just a minute".[[/note]]

* Done on ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'': When Zack and Cody go to the top of an Indian mountain (Cody hopes to meet a religious man who can help him reach nirvana), they discover that the so-called 'religious man' actually runs a technical-support center for computers...[[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments the same one that Mr. Moesby has been trying to contact so that he can fix his computer]].

* "Gregory" from ''Film/HorribleBosses''. The guys make a game effort at calling him by his real name, but find it unpronouncable.

* An episode of ''Series/TheDailyShow'' also poked fun at this by having Aasif Mandvi interrupt his "live" report from India to take someone's Tech Support call on his cell phone, while claiming to be an American named "Chandler". He then excuses himself to Jon by claiming this is an "Indian custom"

* In the WebSite/SFDebris review of the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Evolution", the part of the OperatorFromIndia is taken by the incomprehensible aliens from ''Darmok'' who speak entirely in metaphor.

* Some UK and Australian companies are now explicitly advertising the fact they have local call centres. Ironically, [[Main/LoopholeAbuse they still contain many Indian immigrants who simply moved to take the job]].

* ''Series/TheWedge'': This Australian sketch show featured a recurring sketch set in an Indian call centre.[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPWyfDYa8Tw]].

* Some UK and Australian companies are now explicitly advertising the fact they have local call centres. Ironically, they still contain many Indian immigrants who simply moved to take the job.

* In France, and certain parts of French-speaking Canada, it's Operator from North Africa.

* Indian call centers make outgoing telemarketer calls as well. Most cold call scams supposedly from Microsoft, the tax office, phone company, ect are sadly...you guessed it, Indian, especially if they ask for payment or banking details. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned The second the call goes in this direction just hang up and report it to the authorities.]]

* In the eight season of "WesternAnimation/SouthPark" the episode Grounded Vindaloop had a run-in with an Indian Call Center thanks to a VR game. Cartman receives a phone call from an Indian call center employee calling himself Steve, from Oculus Rift's technical support, who tells him that he is actually the one trapped in a VR state. Stan tells Cartman and Kyle that what they are doing is all reality, while Cartman claims that he is a computer program, so one of the others must still be trapped in the VR world. Steve tells Stan that Butters was the first one to call customer service, then Steve calls customer service himself, getting another version of himself on the other end. Steve tells Steve that the call to customer service from within the VR setting has caused a feedback loop, which he names a customer service Vindaloop (a portmanteau of Vindaloo and loop).

A [[RaceTropes Race Trope]], where phone calls are redirected to operators in territories of the former British Raj, most commonly India. The implication is that the operators have been outsourced by Western telecommunications companies. Expect the problems other English speakers encounter with Indian accents (and overuse of the MilitaryAlphabet so both parties can understand each other) to be comedy fodder.

TruthInTelevision, of course. A lot of Tech Support and call centers ''have'' been outsourced to India. Odds are within ten years, they'll have been sourced somewhere else. (The {{UsefulNotes/Philippines}} are a common destination, on account of American colonialism there, but unlike with (stereotypical) Indian examples, expect no or minimal quirky accents if you're from the West—owing also to such thorough colonialism, and the subsequent ForeignCultureFetish it's engendered with it, Filipino call centre agents have been trained to mimic American (and possibly other Anglophone) accents so well, they would be mistaken for Westerners without any further clues to their location! [[note]]At least, until a call needs to be paused, in which case a Filipino will say "For a while, Ma'am/Sir", where first-language Anglophones would say "Please hold" or "Just a minute".[[/note]])

TruthInTelevision, of course. A lot of Tech Support and call centers ''have'' been outsourced to India. Odds are within ten years, they'll have been sourced somewhere else. (The {{UsefulNotes/Philippines}} are a common destination, on account of American colonialism there, but expect no or minimal quirky accents if you're from the West—owing also to such thorough colonialism, and the subsequent ForeignCultureFetish it's engendered with it, Filipino call centre agents have been trained to mimic American (and possibly other Anglophone) accents so well, they would be mistaken for Westerners without any further clues to their location! [[note]]At least, until a call needs to be paused, in which case a Filipino will say "For a while, Ma'am/Sir", where first-language Anglophones would say "Please hold" or "Just a minute".[[/note]])

* The day job—ahem, ''night'' job—of Izabel, the title character of ''WebVideo/ForeverSucks'', and her coworkers at a Filipino call centre. An ideal job for her too, considering [[WeakenedByTheLight she's a vampire]].

* Done on ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'': When Zack and Cody go to the top of an Indian mountain (Cody hopes to meet a religious man who can help him reach nirvana), they discover that the so-called 'religious man' actually runs a technical-support center for computers...[[CrowningMomentOfFunny the same one that Mr. Moesby has been trying to contact so that he can fix his computer]].