l Initially,
everyone had doubts… We started at a time when not much was known about the industry. American
Express did have a some customer support operations, it was at a much smaller
level. There were doubts about connectivity, reliability and other such issues.
Can we rely on the satellite links? Will people work night shifts? A number of
such questions arose.
l We had to
build trust… We had no set business models to follow and no prior experience. All we had
was an idea, but we had to prove ourselves. Not just our customers in the US,
even my bosses were very skeptical. We had to bring people here and convince
them that we could manage and run this operation smoothly. In areas like
infrastructure where we knew India was weak, we made sure we had triple
back-ups. It added to our costs, but was critical. We could not afford to let
our systems go down. We also made sure that the work we picked up in the early
stage was stuff we knew we could do very well.
Pramod
Bhasin, President, GE Capital
(Asian operation)
We
are in the early stages. India should occupy 10-20% of the
world’s total $300-bn market. We make up less than 1%.
We have a long way to go
l India’s
intellectual capital… The quality of work done by graduates in India is very good. Similarly, when
we go into more complex things like accounting, analytics, the caliber is high.
Many people here are familiar with the US’ work style having worked there
before.
l Branding for
India Inc… We changed the global perception of India. We are one of the largest English
speaking countries of the world. Every year we produce millions of qualified
people, from plain graduates to PhDs. We had to break many myths about old
India, from a ‘low-wage’ to a ‘high-intellectual’ country. We had to
convince them that these people are smart and that they will learn quickly.
l How the
industry has evolved… Today you see more capital available in the market; there are more people
interested. The number of players in the market is rising and so is the number
of potential employees. Increased competition should keep us on our toes.
l The fallout
of rapid growth… It is good that top multinational banks and IT companies are entering the
market. However, the proliferation of other players in the industry could even
spoil the market if they don’t deliver the service quality or have enough back
up plans. I am very worried about the damage to India’s reputation because of
quality problems. When I came here in ’93 everybody wanted to start a finance
company. Today, it is call centers. You don’t start call centers because you
have real estate!
l We could do
better… When customers come here to outsource critical process to a third party,
they need to see that the third party is well capitalized, has a good management
team and backup plans. If clients deal with small companies, which cannot
showcase these qualities, they will have doubts. I think Indian companies have
not invested enough at the front-end marketing resources. They will need to do
that to generate business.
l The
challenges… I don’t see major impediments other than infrastructure and law and order.
People need to feel safe while commuting. We transport hundreds of people daily
especially after dark. I need to be sure that the police is responsive, fire
brigades are responsive, ambulances work. And as far as I can see, that
infrastructure is falling apart.
We are at the early stages. India should occupy 10-20% of the world’s $300
bn market. Today we make up less than 1%.We have a long way to go.
l ITeS is not
just about call centers… The ITeS industry is huge. I don’t know why everybody is running only into
call centers. For instance, call centers constitute only 40-45% of GE’s
business. There are lots of other areas, which are very lucrative. We could
offer so many services… underwriting, mortgage, engineering design, healthcare
services. But everybody seems stuck on call centers alone.
l India needs
to focus on… …developing a brand for the country, improving skills and front-end
selling. There is enormous growth potential, but you need good investment. The
market could be US, UK, Germany, Japan...
l We need to
learn from China… The commitment and determination of the government as well as people and the
investment made is phenomenal. So, will China be a threat? Yes, absolutely! When
the Chinese say single-window clearance, they ‘mean’ single-window
clearance. It means that I do not have to run for clearance to 20 other levels
and ministries that are fighting with each other.
l Looking back… We started our first call center in this office, with 25 people sitting in a
little booth. At that time we could never imagine we would grow so big within
five years. We have been able to create employment for so many people. Not just
for the people who work here, but also for the infrastructure companies who
support us. We are very fortunate to have been part of something like this.
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