Call centers in India answer rising demand

Chicago Tribune - By Melissa Allison (Tribune staff reporter)

June 23, 2002 -- Although fears of a war between India and Pakistan have taken a bite out of the once-booming software industry in India, the appetite for that country's call-center capabilities continues to grow.

An increasing number of U.S. companies are hiring Indians to handle service calls from U.S. customers, who typically have no idea they are speaking to someone overseas.

Demand has caused one California-based firm that operates a 700-person call center in Bangalore for U.S.-based clients to nearly double its workforce since the beginning of the year, and the company is building a second, 500-seat facility in Hyderabad.

The firm, called 24/7 Customer, figures it saves clients--who prefer not to be identified--25 percent to 40 percent on call-center costs.

Dell Computer Corp. opened a call center in Bangalore a year ago with 200 technical-support employees who help customers by phone and e-mail. It now has 750 employees, and spokesman Mike Maher said the conflict with Pakistan is "something we've watched and are concerned about, especially when it comes to our employees' safety, but it has not had any impact on operations there."

Sudhakar Kosaraju, vice president of marketing for 24/7 Customer, said his firm already is looking at other countries that might be suitable for call centers, particularly those with fluent Spanish-speakers.

His company and others are aware that India might not remain the hot spot for companies canvassing the globe for call-center locations.

GE Capital, which operates call centers around the world, opened its first center in India about three years ago and now has three there.

But the newest location taking customer-service calls from GE Capital's credit card operation is Dalian, China.

Why?

"It has an enormously high incidence of people who speak unaccented Japanese," said spokesman John Oliver.