OH!!! There is a GOD!!!

This is one of the best pieces of news I have received in a very long time.  I have complained about this topic, and not necessarily in regard to our travel agency help desk, but in respect to the airlines in general and I for one couldn't be happier.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to Galileo for bringing the jobs back to good ole Atlanta.  In fact, I told a gal at Geico today, that their agents should not encourage their customers to do things online because she'll basically walk herself out of a job.  I think I made her really think about it.  This is wonderful news.  This letter should speak volumes to all US companies who have outsourced their consumer phone calls to other companies outside the U.S.  I would love to hear that the same thing will be happening with the airlines.  We can only hope anyway.  It appears as though they will retain some of that staff in India, but only time will tell if they truly are keeping the more qualified representatives for the job or not.

Here is the letter we received today. 

Back home again:
The return of Atlanta staff to the NAHD

Dear Valued Client:

When I joined Galileo in February, I told you that the only voice we need to listen to is yours. Since we transitioned the Galileo North American Help Desk (NAHD) to India at the end of 2005, you've told us that you are not receiving the level of experienced support you need on your core business issues.

We've heard you and we're making changes. Galileo is in the process of rehiring members of our original Atlanta team and re-establishing an Atlanta-based Help Desk to support our U.S. and Canadian customers. Already working remotely to bridge the support gap, these Apollo subject matter experts bring you:

• 12 years of experience each, on average
• The ability to grasp your concerns and readily address them
• Support in processing the air, car, hotel, cruise, and any other Apollo® bookings that directly affect your profitability
• Advanced support for GlobalWare^SM

This re-establishment of experienced support has resulted in improved service levels and call handling quality - as I'm sure you're well aware if you've called the NAHD during the past few months.

The balance of our support staff will remain at our site in India and continue to address your hardware, software, network, Agency Account Table, basic Apollo and GlobalWare, and airline space support needs. The NAHD toll-free number remains the same: 1-800-762-3490. Your call will be routed to either the Atlanta- or India-based team best skilled to support your needs. We are confident that, together, these two teams can provide the full scope of support and customer service you expect from Galileo.

As always, thank you for your honest feedback. All of us at Galileo look forward to continuing to serve you through our multiple avenues of support.

Sincerely,

Dave Falter
President, Galileo Americas
Travel Distribution Services Division