Outsourcing Fast Food - It's True!!!
Posted By: Pokey on 2005-11-03
In Reply to: This is what I think..... - Ling Ling
"McDonald's may outsource drive-thru orders - Fast-food chain looking into remote call centers to improve service"
That is the title of the MSNBC story. Here is a link so you can check it out yourself.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7149812/
Very sad state of affairs - but true!!!!
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Does anyone eat out a lot. I don't like to cook but am bored with the same old fast food.
Got any places not too expensive where I can get food to go. To go is the key. Bored with McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King, delivery pizza. (Boston Market?)
Thanks.
The only "easy in" jobs are in fast food.
If you want a job in MT, you're going to have to work at it. That means doing what it takes to get an education that will enable you to get a worthwhile job, then going out and getting it.
Anywhere I see an error it bugs me. I've seen the fast food
signs, grocery store signs frequently with spelling errors. I have even called a fast food store and told them about an error. It also bugs me when I watch the news and they'll put the name of a person or a place as a caption and they obviously spell it wrong. Not only am I an MT, but I homeschool my children, so I think spelling errors bug me more. Before I took my DS out of school the kids were having a contest about guessing the weight of a pumpkin and they made posters and spelled it "pumkin." I brought it to the attention of the principal as I noticed it on the day I was pulling my son out of school and she took down all the posters. I don't proof posts here and I'm sure I make spelling errors or use the wrong "they're/their/there", but I really try to be conscious of my spelling.
can you start out at $11.50/hour at a fast food place?
nm
I worked fast food in high school,
mostly the drive-thru, and one morning when my alarm went off I sat up in bed and sat in bed and said "May I help you?"
Prob is then you may get all fast fast fast talkers...not a fair way nm
x
Food stamps, WIC, food banks, churches, family...
There are many answers to that problem.
No one has the right to steal and writing a dishonorable check is stealing. It is called "theft of property".
My tax dollars support government programs to prevent people from going hungry and to provide for women, infants, and children. I make donations to food banks and churches, etc., for those who just need help as well.
Food for the staff and doctors, if you can afford it. Food is always a big hit in a doctor's off
One of the biggest perks I can remember when I worked in a doctor's office was when the drug reps or orthopedic equipment reps would cater lunch for the whole office just so they could meet with the docs. The whole office would get so jazzed at the idea of free lunch.
If you can't afford to cater lunch, then I would do something like a muffin basket and bagels always go over well. But food is your best bet.
Really???? I miss 'burgh food. Philly food is okay, but it
x
The food is resturant quality food and very good
XX
depends how fast the MT is......No one would want to pay me by the hour because I'm fast.
nm
how fast you can type, has little to do with how fast you can transcribe
Let's face it, we can only type as fast as the doctors dictate... worse, we can only type as fast as we can *understand* the doctors. Given someone who slurs or has a heavy accent, someone who clears his throat constantly or shuffles through the paper, given an unfamiliar account or work type, or an area we don't have much experience in and have to look up words, etc., any and all of these things combine to make typing speed not really relative at all. I personally type 110, but not when I'm transcribing. I tell most folks who ask, if you type 65-75 wpm, you're solidly in the ballpark for doing medical transcription.
Thank you ghost! So true! So true! More than one person!
xx
Yer crackin' me up! True, true, true! nm
x
ROFL!! true, so true! nm
nm
true, true but out of about 90 flicks....1 or 2...nm
true, true - but what you see as arrogance...sm
I think a lot of people go the extreme -
so, if I had to be one way or the other (being a humble extremist myself...*LOL*), I'd rather have too much self-esteem than not enough (been there, done that the first 30 years!!! *L*). And I am a truly humble person, been recognized for just that.....but because of *been there, done that* - and all sorts of therapies (not drug therapies), some end up the other way. Oh well, this was a fun couple of posts - so I thought.
Gave me much to chew on :) Have fun! 
True but to say there are no good MTs not true.
asdf
ROFLMAO!!!! so true! so true!
Everybody sees it but her, though! I love it! Thanks for the giggle! ":^)
OUTSOURCING....
http://msn.com.com/2100-9589_22-5757832.html?part=msn&subj=ns_5757832&tag=tg_itdc
outsourcing
In this day and age, especially with globalization, any one of us can be replaced quite easily..not just in the MT field, in all fields. When I heard they are outsourcing radiology work to India and hospitals are letting some radiologists go, I almost choked! The other day when I called the local court house to postpone my jury duty service, I talked with a lady who had a thick Indian accent. I was tempted to ask, are you in India.
outsourcing ad
about 20 or so posts down, subject "censorship" ... two advertisements at top of page, one soliciting transcription to be sent to india for great savings, etc. outrageous.
Outsourcing
Great article-- but do you think the CEOs care? They are too busy with their big 6-7 figure salaries and bonuses to worry about us. All they care about is the bottom line-- how to save an extra nickel so they can line their pockets and buy that new yacht every year. 
Outsourcing
I think it will get to the point where everybody will outsource at least some of the work. With all these companies begging for employees it doesn't seem like there's enough of us. The employer I just left was a private owned company and one of the biggest accounts decided to outsource. Don't know who they chose to do this for them, they didn't say, but my income was cut from 4500. a month to 1300. a month. Right now just desperate for a good job.
Dog food
Try switching to a better dog food, such as Nutro. Also at her age she deserves all the best in life and I would even consider giving her a meal once a day of chicken and rice or beef and rice, very inexpensive also. The table scrap thing, although stated by the vets all these years, is a bunch of bunk in my opinion. Dogs like a varied diet just as humans. Just so long as it is whole natural foods, not processed. You would love you to death to give her this small pleasure at her age. Good luck.
outsourcing
No way. It's here to stay. There just aren'the enough transcriptionists out there to do all the work and turn it around as quickly as it is expected these days. I would not worry. There is enough work for everyone.
Outsourcing
...I hear you. The more we rely on technology, the greater the risk, and the more our private information goes bye-bye to India, Timbuktu, or where ever, the greater the risk we are putting ourselves. Interesting to find out China, the sleeping giant, has thrown out all things MICROSOFT in the country. See, there're thinking ahead, years down the road. They use only Linux, won't chance anything to a world wide shut down someday by terrorists or otherwise. THAT, I find interesting. I also wonder if our powerful men in politics, especially our President and his administration have arranged to keep their private healthcare records state side ... hmmmmm...
I think it has less to do with food....
and more to do with activity. I'm 45 and remember eating Ring Dings and chips and all kinds of junk food back when I was a kid. Granted we hardly ever had fast food, but moms back then didn't exactly cook according to Weight Watchers.. We had spaghetti, meatloaf, fried chicken, all that good stuff. However, what did we do in our spare time back then? WE PLAYED OUSIDE! We didn't have organized activities or play dates, we just went outside and played, all day long if we could. I remember being dragged in at dusk because I didn't want to stop playing, riding bikes, skating, etc. What are kids doing today? Sitting on their rears watching movies and playing X-Box. Maybe that has more to do with childhood obesity than diet. Food for thought anyhow.
food?
AMEN to the mexican food and margarita!
food
Baked beans - 1/2 cup is considered a serving and for the hash browns, 4 ounces would be considered a serving. You can add or substract from this to make it come out. Better to have a little bit left over than not enough at all. Good luck
I do like his food. nm
x
outsourcing
I agree with the posters. Check your medical reports, some of them contain serious errors, I was misdiagnosed in an op report as having a serious condition I was determined "not" to have.
I also was treated like a common criminal by a foreign country because I bought a laptop from someone who lost their job in 9/11. I paid a little more than I should have because I felt sorry for him and unless I pretended to be "him" they would not help me. I finally after two months got the right part from an American company and my laptop worked just fine after two shipments of the wrong part and a whole lot of aggravation and misinformation.
They are a third world country and we will take their place soon if we don't watch out. They'll be taking over more than our jobs. It's very dangerous. It is life-threatening as far as information goes. Some will be saving money but losing lives.
outsourcing
What worries me is it's bad enough when they mess with our finances because they don't understand how things work in our country. But now with transcription being outsourced, they are literally messing with our lives! A transcription mistake of left versus right, Klonopin versus Clonidine, 0.5 mg versus 50 mg, could mean disfigurement or death if not caught in time by an overworked nurse or doctor.
food
And what about pierogies?..lol..yes, Primanti Brothers makes a pretty tasty sandwhich. :)
Gina
food
..I meant for this post to go under the pittsburgh post..thanks.
Outsourcing...
In response to: People say outsourcing will happen.....It is happening!! There are a few National companies (which will go unnamed, but you know who they are) who have contracts with facilities who know the work is being outsourced and they want it because it cut their line rates significantly. This is our biggest competition right now. Overseas, the piddly line rates of 6 cents/line is a lot of money to those people. They are getting better and better at it (the offshore countries), and in time, they will be so good that there will be little editing needed. It is just like newbies here in the US, it just takes time for them to improve and learn...and before you know it, we'll wake up one day and poof...very little if any work in US, all overseas! It is a global economy and what we think is peanuts, they think is a fortune! I am currently retraining in another profession (nutrition) because I have been watching this evolution for the past 7-10 years. I managed a company back in 1997 that first sent transcription overseas and I had to proof and edit that crap! I think in 9 years, they are probably getting better at it and with time, they will improve even more. Don't be so sure that outsourcing will not continue to be a current event! IMHO.
Outsourcing
I originally posted this on the "Company Board," but one kind soul there suggested I repost it on the Main Board, so here it goes:
I'll tell you my personal take on this. I'm a very small MTSO and am fighting like heck to keep my jobs in the good old USA - hiring only Americans, etc.
We face stiff competition from companies who offshore, use EMR, etc. I charge my clients what the market will bear. I've already had to lower my rates to 2 of my largest clients because even at the lower cpl rates I was charging them at the time, they were ready to walk to India, and in fact were testing out some Indian MT companies - this after I had, in fact, already lost 2 other doctors' offices to offshore Indian companies. I feel I am fair and pay my IC transcriptionists 2/3 of whatever I make from my clients. But whenever I advertise for experienced transcription help, I am pretty much told to go jump in the lake with the rates that I'm able to afford to pay, even though it's good, steady work. So the bottom line is that I really find it difficult to get any competent help from American MTs. Not that there aren't many around, just that I and many like me can't afford them. Not blaming the MTs (American OR Indian) for wanting to make a living either, I'm just saying this to demonstrate the dilemma I find myself in. I suspect it's the same for other small MTSOs. Can't really raise my rates, because from prior experience, many doctors offices have no scruples about sending work offshore. I've never resorted to offshoring anything, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted.
Not singing the blues, just telling the facts. Personally, I'd rather be selling hotdogs on the beach.
outsourcing
I am the only Transcriptionist in a doctor's office. We started sending some work to a transcription company in November and later found out they were outsourcing to India. I thought my doctors would be upset, but guess what??? NO!!! It has been the biggest "mess" for me to correct. It has been far more trouble for me than if I just typed everything. I started leaving all the blanks, etc. and let the doctors start dealing with this and as of 6/15/07 we are no longer using that transcription company. We found someone locally (IC) who is typing our work for the same amount per line. YEAH!!!!!
food
I totally agree. Also, I just got an awesome recipe that is a dip for fruit. I would get a fruit tray and make this dip. I took it over for a July 4th cookout and it was a hit. It's best with strawberries. Anyway, the dip is one 8oz package of cream cheese, one 7oz jar of marshmallow cream and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. You can even add food color to it if you want to.
Food lol
I have some doctor friends/clients and once in a while I book a traveling coffee place for them. Then they can get coffee, hot chocolate and muffins or something that they can pick out.
More food
I think it's a lot like illegal immigrants taking away our work, but this way they didn't have the moving expense of immigrating!
ASR/VR/Outsourcing
Right. Hopefully the other companies do not do the same as Medquist. One company can ruin it for everybody.
The truth of the matter is if you can get the same item at a different store for half the price, you are going to go to that store to get it (which in turn would cause the other stores to have to lower their price).
I am just putting a warning out there for people to know that this is out there. Medquist will tell you that you will be able to produce more work and will lower your cpl to 5 cents/line; however, as you said, the quality VR puts out is horrible and it takes just as long to edit the VR work as it would to type it. They (Medquist) are also outsourcing work to the Phillipines. Our pay is lowered as the cost of living goes up.
maybe it goes along with outsourcing.
If you can outsource paperwork, why not babies? The article says all nationalities are involved. It does make one wonder.
Outsourcing sm
Our jobs are going overseas and I had an idea! Lets outsource the US Government to India.
I'd bet it would cost a lot less. When candidates are running for office, they can use those Indian phone banks to explain their platforms. The accents are thick, but what does it matter? Politicians are not outstanding speakers and when it comes to listening to the people their skills are nil. Employ an Indian to run your rhetoric...raise funds...and sit in a caucus.
Let Indians do the accounting for the feds. I am willing to bet that for 3 cents a line a "highly educated" Indian could find all the wastage of $100 hammers and $1000 toilet seats. Let them type up bills to be put before congress, they type cheap and we all know that. I can't speak for the accuracy, but it is CHEAP.
Better yet, buy American! Shun the goods from China, India, and all those third world countries. Keep it at home.
And um, Mr. President? Exporting democracy doesn't mean you export American jobs...
Outsourcing
Can anyone enlighten me just how an individual such as myself could check to see if a company that adverises on MT Job Boards has any affiliations with India or outsourcing? Thanks for your help.
Not outsourcing
All our hospitals/facilities Outsource - to us.- so unless we all want to loose our jobs, we need to be careful what we complain about. It's Offshoring that we're protesting.
outsourcing
I recently lost my job due to outsourcing and it is killing me emotionally. I loved the company had been with them for a year and it was okay, could have been better but I felt good about the work, company etc. Monday, got the call and just been ship wrecked every since. I expected more out of them...nothing like we will find you another account, it was just we are going to be sending it to India due to the cost. I am still hurting from it....not really financially, but mentally.
Outsourcing
Our manager has fought off that demon more than once. She is very supportive of in-house transcription. It's great to have someone finally stand up for us!!!
Outsourcing
I just have to vent my frustration! I had an appointment with my orthopedic doctor this morning and we started on the subject of transcription. When I asked if he had inhouse or a service he told me they send all their work to India. They have several physicians and PACs which dictate and they were spending over $100,000 a year for transcription. Their service was charging them .12 a line. They pay .06 a line in India. Obviously the service could not compete. :( I should have asked him about quality and TAT!
Outsourcing
It is rightly mentioned by “none” that “this is not the only industry that outsources”. One just has to look around our house or a store nearby to find that there are lots of electronic goods, clothes etc. which are not made in the United States. These have been true since decades.
Frankly speaking it was the western world and US which wanted these economies to open up so that American products could be sold there. Now these countries have a Nike, Pepsi, Ford, Whirlpool etc. but they are now producing it too and at a cheaper rate. The job losses through manufacturing have been huge but this sector innovated. My take is that MT industry also has to innovate because technology has made outsourcing inevitable.
And those of you who say that we should not visit a doctor who sends work overseas, my question is are you using only American made products? If you are then you can say that otherwise please don’t say things which you don’t follow yourself. Maybe lot of American jobs would be created if all the things we use in our daily life were made in US and not in China or India.
Outsourcing
This just recently happened at the company I work for (not just psych but psych was included), they went with another service to do their work (we were just doing overflow) and part of the deal was they had to take all the inhouse transcriptionists...well from what I hear they are making it real difficult for the transcriptions, I think so they'll quit and they can bring newer people in at a lower rate. Just my opinion.
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