The Outsource Blog

General discussion, news & views about Outsourcing and Offshoring

Archive for July, 2011

5 reasons why people quit IT Jobs

July 25th, 2011

“I have had enough of IT as a career,” – This is the feeling that creeps into the thoughts of many professionals working in the information technology industry and it’s spreading in a fast rhythm. Yes, IT is going through a phase of exciting growth which it has never experienced; however, there is an alarming number of professionals who feel that they have reached the saturation point in IT which doesn’t excite them any longer. Despite the positive demand for outsourcing and offshoring and companies offering hefty pay packages, many consider quitting the field and switching over to something interesting and challenging. A short peek into major reasons behind this spreading trend:
1. Stress
It’s a wrong notion to believe that IT is an easy career which pours in a lot of money. The stress level is so heavy here that people often find it had to cope with. IT disaster management is the best example to assess the stress level associated with the job. The nature of the job is highly risk associated and a failure can cost you the job. The close deadlines, impossible targets, and escalating customer demands are beyond one’s ability to manage at a time.

Source:http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/5_reasons_why_people_quit_IT_Jobs-nid-86977.html

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Unisys Higher Ahead Of Earnings

July 25th, 2011

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Shares of Unisys Corporation (NYSE:UIS) are trading higher by +0.61% ahead of its quarterly earnings release. Unisys, the global IT services and solutions compan is expected to release its quarterly results on July 25th.

Wall Street Analysts consensus calls for a loss of $-0.08 a share on $0.951 billion revenue.

Unisys estimates have a range of $0.26 a share. The high estimate calls for profit of $0.07 a share and the low estimate is calling for a loss of $-0.19 a share, a year ago for the quarter the company reported $1.37 a share.

Unisys Corporation (NYSE:UIS) is a worldwide information technology services and solutions company. Its services include systems integration, outsourcing, infrastructure, server technology and consulting. The Company primarily serves the financial services, public sector, communications, transportation, commercial and media markets.

Other companies on the watch on this earnings event are Accenture PLC NYSE:ACN and Hewlett Packard Company

Source:http://www.tradershuddle.com/20110722267047/Earnings/unisys-higher-ahead-of-earnings.html

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TMCnet Call Center Outsourcing Week in Review

July 25th, 2011

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We know. It’s hot out. So since you’re stuck inside anyway on a Friday, a slave to air conditioning, take a few moments to catch up on what’s what in the world of call center outsourcing.

New York’s dBusiness News Web site has a useful list of points to keep in mind when looking for a call center outsourcing provider, wrote TMCnet’s David Sims this week. “Do they have the right technology?” This means financial soundness and the correct technology, as well as the ability, experience and institutional stability you’d expect from somebody you’re going to trust with such an important part of your business. As the article suggests, this should really be your starting point, not a later consideration: If a possible vendor fails this test that’s all you need to know about them, better find it out earlier than later.

Woes for AT&T (News – Alert) this week: a group of home-based call center agents working for the telecom giant are suing it, alleging the company classified them illegal as “independent contractors.” According to the complaint, AT&T hired the at-home call center employees to provide billing and technical support for AT&T customers. The employees allege that AT&T devised an illegal scheme of mislabeling these virtual at-home call center employees as “independent contractors” as a way of dodging workers’ compensation costs as well as paying state and/or federal taxes, said the release.
If you’re a call center agent, how do you very quickly get the attention of the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice?
One former call center agent for outsourced contact center services provider Convergys Corp. found out the hard way this week and gained a nice pair of steel bracelets for his efforts. Lance Moore was arrested Tuesday by an alphabet soup of federal agencies and is charged with leaking confidential information to a group of computer hackers, reported New Mexico newspaper the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Want to integrate some social media into your contact center services? Chances are you do, but probably don’t know where to start. BenchmarkPortal (News – Alert) has announced a new call center certification course location in Denver, Colorado, wrote TMCnet’s Susan Campbell. Offered at American Family Insurance, the next course is scheduled for September 13-16. For those electing to attend, a bonus day will be offered in Social Media Certification.
Call center operations are going to have to accede to increasing demands by consumers who wish to communicate via alternative channels including SMS and Facebook (News – Alert)…and who knows what else? asked TMCnet’s David Sims this week. Why? Customers want – and are demanding – more fluidity in how they resolve an issue, meaning the ability to slide from one form of communication to another.
That’s all for this week. Though it’s still hot – we can’t help that – at least now you’re caught up on all the latest in the world of call center outsourcing. See you next week!

Source:http://call-center-outsourcing.tmcnet.com/topics/call-center-outsourcing/articles/200032-tmcnet-call-center-outsourcing-week-review.htm

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Xerox 2Q profit rises on service revenue

July 25th, 2011

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Xerox Corp. said Friday its second-quarter profit jumped 41 percent, as higher service revenue offset a decline in technology and equipment sales stemming from the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The printer and copier maker also raised its earnings forecast for the year.

Xerox reported net income of $319 million, or 22 cents per share, up from $227 million, or 16 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.

Excluding amortization costs and other one-time charges, the company posted an adjusted profit of $393 million, or 27 cents per share, up from $342 million, or 24 cents per share.

Revenue rose 1.9 percent to $5.61 billion.

Analysts, on average, expected a profit of 24 cents per share on $5.62 billion in revenue, according to a FactSet survey. Analysts’ estimates usually exclude one-time items.

Revenue from services rose 6 percent, or 4 percent on a constant-currency basis, on an increase in business process and document outsourcing.

But revenue from technology, which includes the sale of document systems, supplies and the financing of products, was flat or down 4 percent on a constant-currency basis, mainly as a result of Japan-related supply constraints. Xerox said the supply situation is improving and it expects things to be back to normal in the fourth quarter.

Xerox said it expects to post a third-quarter profit of 20 cents to 22 cents per share, or 24 cents to 26 cents per share excluding one-time items. Analysts expected 25 cents.

The company also boosted its full-year profit prediction to a range of 91 cents to 96 cents per share, or $1.07 to $1.12 per share after adjustments. In May, Xerox said it expected to post an adjusted 2011 profit of $1.05 to 1.10 per share. Analysts expect $1.07.

Source:http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9OKMSN00.htm

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ITCube Introduces Flexible Outsourcing Solutions

July 22nd, 2011

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ITCube Solutions a fast growing Outsourcing, Consulting and Back Office Offshoring company, announced one of its kind flexible outsourcing solutions for small businesses across US and UK in domains such as Real Estate, Manufacturing and Healthcare.

“ITCube with its Process Focused approach and Domain expertise has made outsourcing a good experience for our clients” J. Sheth, ITCube BPO Head. Businesses can now gain experience first hand by outsourcing just a single seat, without them having to take any risk that may be involved otherwise while outsourcing multiple seats. “This enables businesses to see the benefits and value created through working in collaboration with ITCube.”

ITCube currently has numerous projects running successfully with multiple employees, that once started as a single person project. This model has allowed ITCube’s clients to focus on increasing their business, without hampering their existing business model and most importantly it has allowed them to do all this without investing too much time.

Source:http://www.release-news.com/index.php/business/149448-itcube-introduces-flexible-outsourcing-solutions.html

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Call Center Outsourcing Provider Selection Checklist

July 22nd, 2011

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New York’s dBusiness News website has a useful list of points to keep in mind when looking for a call center outsourcing provider.

“Do they have the right technology?” This means financial soundness and the correct technology, as well as the ability, experience and institutional stability you’d expect from somebody you’re going to trust with such an important part of your business. As the article suggests, this should really be your starting point, not a later consideration: If a possible vendor fails this test that’s all you need to know about them, better find it out earlier than later.

“Are they helpful?” Don’t underestimate this one – especially for a call center, whose entire mission is to be helpful. As the article observes, if it is not helpful to you, chances are that it won’t be of much help to your clients either. How do you determine their level of helpfulness? As the article sates, check their management operations and talk to them to find out if they actually understand the nature of your business.

“Who is recommending them?” Again, don’t underestimate this one and don’t shirk this step as busywork or time-wasting. As the article says, when you talk to any VoIP providers, of course they’ll say they’re the best thing in the world, and of course you know what that’s worth. Get a much clearer picture by asking them for some recommendations. Yes, they’ll give you clients they know will give them a good word, but the key is to look for ones that are in roughly the same line of work that you are.

“What is their culture?” Visit the call center, look at the people working there – “are they smiling and relaxed? Or tensed and rushing? If the employees seem happy and helpful, this would be a good sign.” You do know, of course, that happy, satisfied employees are the #1 factor in happy, satisfied customers.

And as the article says, once you put potential vendors through these paces, you will “have a really thin list of VoIP call center companies. There will most probably be just one company that would satisfy all these criteria. Hire them.”

Source:http://call-center-outsourcing.tmcnet.com/topics/call-center-outsourcing/articles/199282-call-center-outsourcing-provider-selection-checklist.htm

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IBM and Board of Investments to Facilitate Outsourcing in the Philippines

July 22nd, 2011

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The project means that IBM is set to increase its BPO employment in the Philippines from 1,000 to 3,000 agents.

BoI Managing Head Cristino L. Panililo said that the scheme, entitled “Philippines as the Global Leader in Multilingual BPO”, seeks to further enhance Filipino linguistic talent to satisfy the needs of global organizations.
Panililo later added that “The Philippines continues to lead the global IT and BPO evolution with a strategic engagement with IBM that will cement the position of the country as a centre for excellence in Multilingual BPO”.
The BBC notes that the Filipino government has endorsed a series of measures designed to encourage international companies to outsource to the Philippines.

For instance, outsourcing firms will not need to pay income tax for the first four years, and will face no custom duties on equipment brought into the country.
Yet, the Filipino government is aware that businesses are looking for a skilled workforce. Therefore, the crux of the initiative involves developing multilingual talent at an academic level.

By enhancing the multilingual skills of graduates, James Velasquez, general manager at IBM Philippines, has argued that the industry would be better suited to attaining their target of generating $25 billion by 2016.

According to the BBC, recent research conducted by IBM has indicated that there are more call centre agents in the Philippines than in India. With 350,000 Filipinos working in call centers compared to 330,000 Indians, it seems that the Philippines is the new destination of choice for outsourcing call centers.
President of the Philippine Aegis People support, Bong Borja believes that the Philippines “definitely has the edge over India”, due to a superior clarity of speech. “To an American, the Philippine accent appears clear and neutral”, Borja added.

Being a former American colony, the Philippines is also very attuned to US culture, making it an ideal location for American businesses to re-locate their call centers to.

Former first lady Imelda Marcos has even referred to the Philippines as “America junior”, due to a passion for baseball, and a school system and legal framework that has been directly lifted from the United States.

With 12 million Filipino people unemployed, and the average salary for a call centre agent being approximately double the minimum wage, there are plenty of people ready to start training for call centre work.

Source:http://technorati.com/business/finance/article/ibm-and-board-of-investments-to/

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