The Hindu Business Line : Lason India sets up shop in Pondicherry

MOST players in the ITES space dread to move out or position themselves in tier II towns or cities though they generally are appreciative of the talent pool in such places.

Lason India, a player in the MBPO (medical business process outsourcing) space, took a bold step last week by setting up its first facility outside of Chennai, at Pondicherry.The management, which has been toying with the idea of moving to smaller towns closer to Chennai, identified Kancheepuram and Pondicherry as ideal hubs for establishing its presence.

The Pondicherry unit has a seating capacity of 120, offering employment to 300 persons.

Company sources said that Kancheepuram was not an easy choice, since the company could not neither narrow down on a service provider nor get the connectivity. But it hopes to operate out of Kancheepuram soon.

Mr Pradeep Nevatia, Managing Director, told Business Line that the company is contemplating presence in Coimbatore and Madurai too, as these centres are considered fertile ground for BPO services.

The company provides claims processing solutions and adjudication services to some of the top health insurance companies in the US. It has decided to foray into medical billing during the current year.

The company is looking to tap the potential of high school passouts with proficiency in English. "There are different components in claims processing. The production process, which is the first step, can be done at different sites. This is where we are trying to rope in high school passouts or fresh graduates."

In six years of operations, the company has been able to provide employment to some 5,000 persons. The attrition rate in this sector was 20 per cent, he said.

To a query on investment, Mr Nevatia maintained that the initial investment was only in training and retraining, on investment in people. Lason India plans to induct another 50-100 persons to handle the gamut of services.