The Hindu Business Line : Soon, BPO companies may proclaim: Proud to be Indian

THE age of modesty for Indian call centres may soon be over. Far from getting worried about anti-outsourcing legislation in the US, a section of Indian Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies believes that very soon they will proudly proclaim their real identity and offer their services to their clients' customers as an option.

"The time will come when this entire debate about outsourcing will vanish as customers in the US realise that they get better service from Indian call centres.

Recently, E-Loans started offering its customers the option of getting their application processed in India or the US, and 85 per cent chose the India option," the chief executive of a leading BPO company said on condition of anonymity.

Responding to a Bill introduced in the Washington State that seeks to make it mandatory for call centre executives to disclose their location, he said Indian companies should stop worrying about Bills in the US that are yet to be debated upon and made into law. "Lots of Bills keep getting moved in different states in the US. Even if such a Bill was to be passed, it will have no immediate impact on the industry," the CEO said.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) also said the Bill would not have any impact on Indian companies.

The Nasscom President, Mr Kiran Karnik, said a very small percentage of customers, if at all, would turn away if they realised that their call had been routed to India. "Any customer who wants some information or service is unlikely to hold the phone and listen to music for 15 minutes He would rather speak to somebody, wherever in the world, and get the job done," he said.

The Washington State Bill, introduced by Messrs Zack Hudgins, Steve Conway and Sandra Romero in February 2004, had been referred to the state legislature's committee on commerce and labour. It seeks to make it mandatory for call centre executives to disclose their location and company name while making or receiving any calls. At present, the Indian call centre executives use pseudonyms and do not disclose that the call has been routed to another country.

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