The Indian call centre industry has a shortfall of skilled workers, says international research firm Gartner. A local expert says this is an opportunity for SA.
The current shortage of skilled Indian labour is negatively affecting that country`s call centre industry, Gartner warns in a statement released today.
"Cost, quality and security issues threaten to slow the offshoring of business processes to India and are causing firms to assess alternative destinations. The Indian government estimates that the need for trained and qualified employees in call centres will reach one million by 2009, with an expected shortfall of more than 260 000 workers," the statement says.
Gartner attributes the Indian labour shortage to the growing demand for offshore business process outsourcing (BPO) resources. The shortage has caught offshore call centre service providers by surprise, particularly in India. Many large multinational organisations that located their shared service centres in India did so anticipating an unlimited supply of skilled labour.
"This expectation has not been met, specifically for educated recruits with good English-language skills, even though India graduates more than 2.5 million college students each year," Gartner says.
Local opportunity
Any perception of a shortfall in India creates an opportunity for SA, says Brian Nielson, director of local research firm BMI-TechKnowledge.
"SA is already developing a reputation as a second source call centre destination for organisations that want to spread their risks," he says.
Nielsen estimates that between 30 000 and 40 000 call centre jobs are already in existence in SA and government has a target to create about 100 000.
A shortage of skilled Indian workers means the industry "will have to start scratching at the bottom of the barrel" to fill positions which, says Nielsen, may lead to a deterioration of quality.
Gartner advises organisations to investigate carefully before engaging with an Indian call centre provider. Organisations should inquire about attrition rates and security measures and ensure that adequate mechanisms - such as service level agreements and resulting penalties, call monitoring and customer satisfaction surveys - are built into contracts.
Gartner also urges organisations to review their offshore BPO strategies regularly, looking for signs of improvement or deterioration in the service provided to them, particularly over the next two years.
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