Outsourcing

So last night we wanted to order Swiss Chalet for dinner. There is a Swiss Chalet about a mile from where I live so picking up the order wasn’t a problem. However, I wanted to know if I had to dress for the occasion or if I could go sans makeup and in sweat pants and stained tee shirt so I called to ask if they had a drive-thru window. They don’t.

I can easily put on some blush, jeans and a jacket so I say I would like to place my order. No, no, the voice on the phone from so very close replies. You need to use our call centre number. I am talking to the outlet I can reach in five minutes. If I climbed up on my roof, I might even be able to wave to the lady on the phone.

But she insists she can’t take my order so I hang up and call the number on the website. A cheery voice answers, asks my phone number and postal code and slowly we work through my order. I don’t know if I have a speech impediment or what, but ordering anything on the phone is, in almost every instance, a long, drawn out and frustrating experience. (Have I written about Alberta Treasury Branches yet? If not, I’m pretty sure I will.)

Anyway, back to dinner. Finally we have confirmed and reconfirmed my order. The guy asks where area code 403 is and I tell him where I am. He asks how the weather is?

“Cold,” I say, “Where are you?”

“Toronto,” he says. “It’s cold here too. It’s cold everywhere?”

He should know. People from Vancouver to St. John’s are placing their dinner orders through a telephone service in Toronto so they can pick them up a few blocks from their homes.

“Your order will be ready in 18 minutes. Have a nice evening, goodbye,” the voice on the phone says.

I really don’t trust this process but when I arrive at Swiss Chalet, there is my order, packaged up and ready to go. I still think there something weird about this?