Archive for May, 2011

Wanted; skilled manpower for BPOs

May 25th, 2011

When Neeldeep Singh Sarvaiya, a young homeopath decided to stop his practice to join a BPO, he raised a few eyebrows. Sarvaiya is not regretting his decision of working as a quality analyst for medical transcription work.

With a chunk of voice-based work shifting to the Phillipines and China, Indian outsourcing industry is focusing on analytical skills and knowledge-based jobs – in the process creating demand for professionals like Sarvaiya.

Sibi Uralath, who holds an MBA degree, quit his job as a marketing executive with a leading firm to join the quality assurance team of CBaySystems. Earlier this year, at least 10 graduates from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad were recruited by Delhi-based BPO firm EXL Services for consulting roles.

The changing profile of the outsourcing industry has led to a sea change in the hiring criteria for companies that were earlier happy recruiting under graduates with good English language skills. “In the 1990s when the BPOs started, it was all about calls where one had to read fluently and communicate well. If a doctor works in a call centre, I would call it being underemployed but if he works in a BPO, he is certainly using the platform to provide specialised services,” a spokesperson for Nasscom said.

On an average BPO workforce includes 15-20% of specialized professionals like doctors, engineers, lawyers, among others.

“Today 80% of total recruitment comprises specialised skills of employability as compared to earlier times,” said Sunil Goel, director, GlobalHunt, an executive search firm.

Azure Knowledge Corporation recently hired doctors and MPharm graduates for a pharma project. “Knowledge is the key. One cannot expect SWOT analysis to be done by graduates. For that we need specialization like MBA,” says Jay Ruparel, co-founder-promoter of Azure.

BPO business has been broadly divided into two parts-voice process/ contact centre and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO)/ non voice-based skills process.

“Non voice-based skills process has much higher growth and offers skill-based and high compensation jobs,” Goel said.

A BPO job is no longer a mere stop-gap career option. “Previously, employees joined the BPO industry with a view that it was a well paying, stop gap arrangement until they found their dream job. However, today with the various service offerings, the BPO sector is now viewed as a steady, long term career path,” said Sanjay Shanmugaum, vice president, HR, CBaySystems, which has a staff strength of 6200 people of which 80-90% have an MBA, MBBS, or any other professional qualification.

According to Nasscom, revenues from BPO industry in India are expected to be Rs 76,423 crore (USD 17,191 million) in FY 2011. The IT-BPO industry currently employs 25 lakh people out of which 835,000 are employed by BPO exports industry.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Wanted-skilled-manpower-for-BPOs/articleshow/8561585.cms

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Infosys gets subpoena in the US on visa use

May 25th, 2011

Infosys on Tuesday said it had received a subpoena from a grand jury in a district court in Texas, indicating that the case filed by a former US employee, Jack Palmer, cannot be taken lightly.

North America, which includes the US, is the largest revenue earner ($6 billion) for Infosys and accounted for 66 per cent of its sales last year. Infosys, which mentioned the employee lawsuit effects as a risk in its latest annual report, said the subpoena required it to provide information to the grand jury regarding the company’s sponsorships for, and uses of, B-1 business visas.

A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel a witness to give testimony or production of evidence. “We intend to comply with the subpoena and cooperate with the grand jury’s investigation,” Infosys said.

B-1 visas are issued for short-term business trips for such purposes as attending business seminars and restricts employees from engaging in gainful employment during their stay. On the other hand, H-1B visas are longer-term visas issued to people with a minimum bachelor’s degree who work in specialty occupations.

Palmer in his lawsuit had alleged, among other things, that Infosys was improperly utilising B-1 business visitor visa programme.

He had alleged that he was threatened and harassed after refusing to help Infosys bring workers on B-1 visas for work, which he believed required H-1B visas.

Following the filing of the lawsuit, US senator Chuck Grassley submitted a letter to secretary of state and the secretary of homeland security, requesting that their respective departments review the B-1 business visa programme and investigate the manner in which it was being used by companies, including Infosys.

Palmer, who is said to have worked for Infosys as a principal for enterprise solutions since August 2008, had filed the lawsuit early this year.

Infosys immediately did not comment on business effects due to the subpoena. “At this time we are not able to comment further… but do want to reiterate that we take our legal compliance obligations very seriously,” the company said.

Grassley, in a letter to the US administration, including Hillary Clinton, had earlier said, “If the allegations against Infosys are substantiated, American workers will have been hurt by this company’s fraudulent actions, and the integrity of both the B-1 and H-1B visa programmes will have been compromised.”

The subpoena, disclosed by Infosys after trading closed on Tuesday, could have an impact on its share price. “Though right now it is difficult to judge the monetary impact… on the company, the news may surely have some negative impact on the sentiments. The US government may cap short-term B-1 visas which may not only have a structural impact on Infosys but on the whole IT sector,” said Sanjeev Hota, assistant vice-president of research and IT analyst with Sharekhan.

Other analysts see the US senator’s support to the lawsuit adding to the anti-outsourcing decibel, but Som Mittal, president of Nasscom, India’s industry lobby representing the $76 billion outsourcing sector, did not see any threat to the IT industry immediately.

“At this point, it (the subpoena) is very company-specific,” said Mittal. Asked about US protectionist moves, Mittal said, “Since a jury has sent the subpoena, concerns about protectionism are not warranted.”

As of March 31, 2011, the majority of Infosys technology professionals in the US held H-1B visas. They number about 10,100, not including Infosys BPO employees or employees of wholly-owned subsidiaries. This visa allows an employee to remain in the US for up to six years during the term of the work permit and work as long as he or she remains an employee of the sponsoring firm.

Source:http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/infosys-gets-subpoena-us-visa-use-142

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Freelancer.com CEO Matt Barrie Keynotes at Chile’s Largest IT Conference: eCommerce Day

May 25th, 2011

Matt Barrie, CEO of Freelancer.com, the world’s largest outsourcing marketplace, will be the keynote speaker at the launch of eCommerce Day in Santiago, Chile.
Billed as the most important day in Latin America on eCommerce, online and mobile banking and online entrepreneurship, the event aims to educate Chilean businesses on the power of getting online and its importance to the economic well-being of the country.

“I’m honored to be the headline speaker at Chile eCommerce Day,” said Matt Barrie. “As the world becomes more connected, small and medium sized businesses must keep pace. The online economy is a multi-billion dollar business, Internet sales in Chile alone were estimated at $550 million in 2010. Anyone who doesn’t adapt to the needs of their consumer base will be left behind,” he continued.

Mr. Barrie will be joined by business leaders from across Latin America, eager to share knowledge and learn how the use of online outsourcing has shaped the state of entrepreneurship and eCommerce across the world.

“Latin America, and Chile in particular, are in a prime position to be the next Silicon Valley. The alliance of development initiatives like eCommerce Day and a powerful site like Freelancer.com are a winning combination for any start-up,” Barrie concluded.

Santiago, Chile will host eCommerce Day on May 25th. To discuss Chile’s role in the international Internet economy with Matt Barrie, use the contact information below.

Source:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/freelancercom-ceo-matt-barrie-keynotes-at-chiles-largest-it-conference-ecommerce-day-122499328.html

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Cloud computing leading rise in IT outsourcing

May 25th, 2011

The rise of cloud computing is driving a seven per cent annual growth in the UK business process services (BPS) market, it has been claimed.

According to analyst TechMarketView, cloud technologies are bringing “dramatic and disruptive” change to BPS and organisations look to change the way processes are bought and delivered.

Public sector organisations will increasingly turn to IT outsourcing, the firm predicts, with growth reaching 11 per cent by 2014.

It noted that cloud computing is ideal for life and pensions platforms, HR, payroll, and revenues and benefits administration systems due to their flexibility, greater performance and lower cost.

John O’Brien, research director at TechMarketView, said: “The emergence of the cloud is the catalyst for many of these changes, and over the next few years it will encourage organisations to seek alternative approaches.”

A recent Bloomberg technology survey indicated that cloud technologies have helped financial services firms achieve “significant return on investment”.

Source:http://www.ihotdesk.com/article/800554348/Cloud-computing-leading-rise-in-IT-outsourcing

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Wipro BPO recognized as the ‘Best IT Enabled BPO’ by Alsbridge

May 24th, 2011

Wipro BPO, the Business Process Outsourcing arm of Wipro Technologies, the Global Information Technology, Consulting, and Outsourcing Business of Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT) was awarded the ‘Service Provider Excellence’ Award in the ‘Best IT Enablement in BPO’ category, at the Outsourcing Center’s 15th Annual Outsourcing and Service Provider Excellence Awards’ 2011. The awards were organized by Alsbridge Inc, a global advisory firm with expertise in IT & BPO, shared services and Finance & Accounting and benchmarking.

The recognition is a testimony to the value that customers have realized from Base)))™ which is Wipro BPO’s technology-augmentation route to help customers resolve business problems and unlock true value from outsourcing.

Wipro BPO which provides a broad spectrum of services across CRM, Back Office Transaction Processing, Industry specific Solutions and BPO Consulting complements its customer engagements with its technology-enabled process-layer, Base)))™. It is a combination of Wipro’s deep IT services expertise combined with its vast experience in outsourcing services. The extensive breadth of tools provided by Base)))™ eliminates the need to deploy multiple point solutions and has proven to be a cost effective solution for customers with quick results. Base)))™ is being used by 19 customers across eight countries with over 2200 users. Business benefits for customers include enhanced process effectiveness, improved governance and control, increased process and people efficiency, reduced risks and minimal technology investments.

“We are delighted to receive this recognition from Alsbridge. We have always believed that BPO customers are looking to utilize their existing assets completely before spending on new technology. This award is an acknowledgment to Wipro BPO’s technology excellence and ability to partner with client organizations to meet all their people, process and technology requirements. Base)))™ is our way of resolving customers’ business challenges through technology. It gives us great satisfaction to watch our customers get delighted with the visibility and control they have on their own outsourced processes” said Nithya Ramkumar, General Manager, Wipro BPO.

“Successfully executed outsourcing strategies blended with the right technology choice enabled each organization to achieve critical business goals and improve margins,” said Debra Floyd, COO, Outsourcing Center. “Innovative approaches are becoming critical for companies to gain competitive advantage and technology is taking the lead as a business process lever, today. These award-winning partnerships demonstrate models for success across industries.”

Outsourcing Center is an Alsbridge company. The Outsourcing Excellence Awards annually recognize the world’s best outsourcing arrangements. The judges select relationships that demonstrate best practices, create and sustain a competitive advantage, provide business transformation, achieve value, and benefit both buyer and service provider over time. The Outsourcing Center conducts the annual awards program and is an online community specializing in thought leadership, best practices, and innovation in outsourcing.

Wipro BPO, the Business Process Outsourcing service line of Wipro Technologies, is one of the largest BPO service providers on a global delivery platform. Wipro BPO has the capabilities to provide onshore, nearshore, offshore and hybrid delivery options with operations in more than 28 centers in 11 countries. The services portfolio spans industry specific solutions in Customer Contact center (technical and non-technical; voice and non-voice), Finance and Accounting outsourcing, Human Resource outsourcing, Supply chain management, Knowledge services including Data Management and reporting, Legal process outsourcing, and Sales and Marketing outsourcing.

Source:http://www.businesswireindia.com/PressRelease.asp?b2mid=26970

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Sri Lanka offers tax holiday for IT outsourcing

May 24th, 2011

The Sri Lankan Government has offered Australian companies and Government departments a tax holiday of up to twelve years if they choose the war-torn country for IT and business process outsourcing.

Recovering from a 25-year civil war between the dominant Sinhalese and separatist Tamil movement that ended dramatically in 2009, the Sri Lankan Government has pulled out all the stops to boost employment and the country’s economy.

Foreign ownership laws have been relaxed across several key verticals in a bid to attract Western investment that might otherwise flow to India or China.

The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka has offered Australian companies setting up IT or BPO outsourcing “no restrictions on repatriation earnings” – a principle the agency says is enshrined in Sri Lanka’s constitution.

It has also lowered corporate tax rates from 35 to 28 percent, comparable to Australia’s company tax rate of 30 percent.

Under a new scheme proposed for the IT and BPO industries, businesses can be exempted from tax for up to twelve years when they commit to employing a large number of Sri Lankan workers.

Source: Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka.
The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka has funded a delegation representing 15 Sri Lankan ICT companies to visit Sydney and Melbourne for a series of events, including the CeBIT conference next week in Sydney.

Agency chief executive Reshan Dewapura said the small nation expects its IT industry to be a billion dollar export powerhouse employing 100,000 within five years.

“We are excited to extend a warm invitation to Australian companies to realise the significant opportunities that exist here, including generous tax holidays.

Source:http://www.itnews.com.au/News/258433,sri-lanka-offers-tax-holiday-for-it-outsourcing.aspx

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Google Gift Gives Business Process Outsourcer Digital Divide Data a Technology Edge

May 24th, 2011

Digital Divide Data (DDD), the acclaimed social enterprise that delivers content business process outsourcing services to clients globally, announced today they would be making a major infrastructure investment spurred by a $100,000 donation from technology powerhouse Google Inc. The grant, from the Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund, will support a major upgrade of the technology and systems used by DDD to provide data entry, XML conversion and digital preservation services to publishers, libraries, archives, governments, academic researchers and businesses.

“Google’s support will increase DDD’s competitive edge in content conversion and ePublishing services,” said DDD’s Chief Sales Officer, Lori Silverstein. “The more competitive we are in the market place, the more poor youth we can employ.”

DDD competes with leading for-profit companies in the global content conversion industry while employing talented youth from disadvantaged backgrounds in developing countries. The organization employs more than 750 staff in Kenya, Cambodia and Laos.

DDD recruits talented poor youth, trains them in English and IT skills and employs them in a viable self-sustaining business. It is a new cutting edge model of development that gives those in need the skills and experience necessary to lift themselves out of poverty.

“It is a real validation of our business model to be recognized by one of the world’s leading technology companies,” said DDD’s CEO, Jeremy Hockenstein. “We are grateful for this generous gift, a recognition of the values we share with Google: using entrepreneurship and innovation to build a sustainable and scalable company that leverages technology to solve global problems.”

The gift comes on the heels of major donations from Microsoft, Cisco Systems and The Rockefeller Foundation. In early April, DDD expanded outside of Southeast Asia for the first time, opening operations in Nairobi, Kenya.

Source:http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/2052609/google_gift_gives_business_process_outsourcer_digital_divide_data_a/

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