05 Jul Why Outsourcing to India is So Popular
Outsourcing to India has become almost a catchphrase, something people assume is occurring in droves, and which is affecting business in the US in a dramatic way. It is true that many US companies outsource to India as a means of cutting costs and trimming back their work, but why is India as the place to go for business outsourcing?
Well, India has several built-in advantages for those looking to outsource work, especially in the areas of programming, customer service, and other technical and communications functions. India is known especially for its massive call centers, where trained representatives handle calls from US customers, often using "Americanized" names in place of their own. The time difference between India and the US means many of these call center reps are working in the middle of the night, but a whole industry has been built in India around this fact, as many call centers are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to accommodate customer needs.
The Indian government has done a lot to encourage and develop the outsource business in India; even allowing complete foreign ownership of BPO businesses as a means of maximizing local employment, which is evidently especially in the IT area. The country also has an excellent telecommunications infrastructure which allows firms to compete with few communications and technology issues, although it is true that call delay from India to US is sometimes a factor and can frustrate customer service efforts.
People in India tend to have very good English skills as well, which gives them an advantage for outsourcing when compared to countries like China, where the work may not be as well versed in English. India has made huge strides in public education over the past two decades, increasing primary school attendance rates and expanding literacy to about two-thirds of the population. They also have an excellent university system producing many highly skilled workers and technical experts. Given the country's large population, this provides a huge potential workforce for overseas companies looking for educated and trained labor.
Outsourcing to India is a popular option for American businesses, as there are immediate cost savings that can be generated by bringing on a trained team with proven skills. The best advice is usually to go with a large outsourcing firm that can illustrate the track record and work history of each individual employee and make this information readily available to prospective clients.
No Comments