BPO JOBS

Initially, jobs in BPO was driven by foreign companies that shifted work to India to save on labour costs. But with time, it has thrived and evolved. Now, a number of Indian companies too are farming out work to specialist outfits to keep expenses down. These outfits comprise the 'domestic BPO' sector.In terms of employment, it is still a relatively small part of the BPO pie, but it is booming. "It's the next happening thing," says M N Rao, CEO of Servizsol, a subsidiary of Tata Sons that provides BPO services in the domestic SECTOR


According to National Association of Software and Service Companies, during 2002-05, the domestic BPO sector saw employment grow at a compounded rate of 60 per cent, to touch 352,000.But, it expects employment to rise only marginally in 2006, to 365,000. IT research and consultancy company Gartner, however, expects employment in the sector to grow at about 50 per cent annually.

Some of the bigger players in this market are IBM-Daksh, MphasiS, TeleTech and Hinduja TMT. While they have a sizable chunk of foreign business, their domestic business is substantial too. Third-party players like Orion Dialog, Sparsh, Magus, Infovision, Solutions, Customer First and Mobilink have a sharper focus on the domestic businessThere is a whole range of verticals coming up in the sector. The largest, of course is telecom, which is expected to employ about 200,000 people in the next two years.



Domestic BPO jobs generally pay less than international BPOs. "Salaries are at least 1.5 to four times higher in foreign BPOs,". The reason is that employees don't have odd working hours, nor do they need to develop skills like speaking with a foreign accent. But this gap will not remain for long, says. "Firms will have to follow a market benchmark while setting salaries, especially for critical positions."


Even a Class XII pass-out can join as an associate. So, the sector is seen as a launching pad for freshers." It even helps some finance their education.The youths are happy to work in the evening. This way, they act as a support system for the family and also have time to attend college during the day. It also exposes them to a new industry. The best thing about working in a domestic BPO is that you get more time with your family, and unlike in international BPOs, you are likely to get Holi and Diwali holidays