Obama’s recent policy pushes city BPOs and KPOs to look at domestic market
Mid-day: US President Barack Obama’s recent declaration to shift American outsourcing units back to the US has city-based BPOs and KPOs looking at the domestic market for substitute clientele.
Though many BPOs and KPOs are optimistic that the US’s anti-outsourcing plan will not work , the announcement will very likely cause the emphasis to shift.
Agreed Kunal Agashe, senior executive, Syntel, “Though we are sure that the plan is not going to work out, we do have some alternate plans ready. The domestic market looks hopeful. Though we already have a major domestic client, we are still trying to rope in bigger companies.”
The government’s 2005 decision that allowed call centres to use the same infrastructure for domestic and international operations made it possible for BPOs to service local companies.
Sudam Choure, head, ITeS-BPO Association, Pune, says, “US clients constituted 30 to 35 per cent of our business, so there is nothing to worry about. Companies are concentrating on the booming domestic market as a back up plan. With a growing GDP, we are not in a very bad state.”
According to Pranav Vora of TopSource Infotech, the economic slowdown has also influenced their decision to look at Indian clients. “We have been looking at Indian firms for the past year. After the slowdown, earning in the same currency made more sense.
We earn 15 to 20 per cent profit with American firms but when the currency is low, profit margin goes down. We earn maximum profits from local clients now,” he explained.
However, Choure accepted that domestic centres are better guarantors of employment and pay packages will be nowhere near those of an American outsourcing unit.
More articles by The Desk
- Website to promote child rights launched - March 19th, 2010
- City nightlife is entangled in many restrictions - March 19th, 2010
- Ford India launches 'Figo' in the city - March 19th, 2010
- Opus - one of Pune’s live-band restaurants, is closing down - March 19th, 2010
- Pune is a premier business hub, finds study by UKBIC - March 19th, 2010
