Outsourcing is a contentious topic, and when it focused on the local scene, the article drew some interesting responses. EPMU secretary Andrew Little discussed the impact of losing contact centre jobs in Hamilton and Palmerston North and TUANZ Chief Executive Ernie Newman suggested that where a contact centre is based is not something that, on the whole, should be government mandated.

But these interviews came at the end of an article preceded by a montage of film from Asian contact centres, some unsourced statistics, and even a clip from a movie scene (in which a character quips that all the agents are called ‘Melanie’ because it makes the customers think they’re talking to the same person each time).

It didn’t examine why New Zealand companies are outsourcing their contact centres, and I couldn’t help thinking that viewers who know little about the profession would have had their worst fears and prejudices about it confirmed.