The Reliability of Indian BPO Industry

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There is a lot of hue and cry over the reliability of BPO Industry. A section of media and other organisations have launched a scathing attack on the call centre employees of India, which may prove detrimental for the growth of Indian BPO Industry. The recent sting operations made by the 'Sun' and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) can be seen as one of such campaigns against the Indian BPO sector.

We are talking about corruption and fraud in the call centres. If we analyse both the past and present scenario, corruption is rampant everywhere in our country. For more than a decade, we have been figuring in the top ten list of the most corrupt countries in the world. Can we blame the BPO for this? Corruption and Frauds are not alien words for us. On every alternate day, we get the news of scams and frauds being unearthed. Then why single out the BPO Industry for the one-off incidents?

All the BPO employees are well educated and they are well aware of their responsibilities. Life in a BPO is not easy. Here the young employees used to sweat over their work with an eye on a bright career. Not only they work for money, but also they work hard to make the best out of it so that they can see a better tomorrow. They know that any wrongdoing will shatter their dreams and ruin their career.

The persons, who work with the BPO companies, understand the importance of security. They never breach the rules defined for them by their employers. Now the BPO companies are taking strong security measures to prevent any misuse of the details of the customers and all the employees adhere to the rules.

Most BPO companies have certifications such as BS 7799 and SAS 70 and undergo third-party audits at regular intervals. BS 7799 (British Standards 7799) is set by the British Standards Institute, which is opted by many companies with a large client base in the UK. BS7799 is the most widely recognised security standard in the world.

SAS 70 is also an internationally recognised auditing standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts (AICPA). To get the SAS 70 certification, companies go through in-depth audit of their activities which crucial from the customers' point of view.

A number of BPO companies such as EXL Services and ICICI One Source already have obtained these certifications and many others are on the queue. For example, Efunds International, a leading BPO which was preferred as a 'Dream Company' by most number of employees in the E-SAT Survey by DATAQUEST in 2004 is on the verge of receiving a BS 7799 certificate as it has already implemented this internationally recognised security standard in the organisation. As security is the main concern of the leading companies abroad, such measures will boost their faith on the Indian BPO Industry and they won't hesitate to outsource their business to India.

Of course, there are some black sheep who indulge in malicious acts for their self-gain. Because of these few people, the whole industry cannot be blamed. India receives most of the outsourcing jobs from the USA. The US people have acknowledged that India is the best place for outsourcing. Indian employees have already proved their mettle by handling the jobs skilfully and received acclaim worldwide.

Unemployment is a pain area, which has affected the growth and development of our country. The growing BPO industry has resolved this problem to a large extent. The skill set and reliability of Indian BPO employees played a major role in wooing the outsourcing firms to the Indian soil. This industry has generated impressive revenue for the government and also helped the youth earn good money while shaping their career.

It has been noticed that BPO is the best place for women empowerment. Women are given ample opportunities to prove themselves in the BPO sector. This is the only industry, which has witnessed high growth for women and helped them move to the higher positions in large numbers. Gender equality, which is a distant dream in our society till now, is clearly visible in the BPO industry.

Some people say that Call Centre employees are adopting western culture by sidelining Indian values. Recently, an article in 'The Times of India' has termed the life in a BPO as a 'culture shock'. In fact, westernisation started in the Indian society much before the BPO came into picture. Parties, Socialising, Pubs, Discos and Hangouts have become integral parts of our society now and nobody can point fingers on the BPO employees for it. It is not bad to adopt the western culture as long as people do not compromise on their moral values and ethics.

The nature of the job requires the Call Centre employees to behave and think in the way their clients and customers expect from them. Thus, they try to adopt the western culture in order to identify themselves with the customers. They should be given credit for their hard work and efforts, which they put to see the Indian Industry reach a new high.

Despite all the odds, BPO Industry is booming. People abroad understand the importance of outsourcing their business to India. They know that their business is safe and secure in the Indian hands. Indian BPO employees have displayed their adroitness and efficiency in handling the works assigned to them. They should be encouraged and motivated to work more diligently. It will not augur well for the growth of our Industry, if they are maligned persistently.