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What
image comes to mind when you hear the word 'Outsourcing'?
Unless
you've been completely disconnected with the global economy,
you're most probably picturing young Indian college graduates,
in a large facility sitting in front of state-of-the
art flat-panel computer screens with phone headsets on.
You're probably hearing the buzz of these professionals
speaking in English, servicing customers halfway across
the world.
Well,
you might as well start imagining some of these callers
operating from neighboring Pakistan! At least that's
what more than 100 Pakistani BPO (Business Process Outsourcing)
providers would have you imagine. With some comparable
skill-sets and unique advantages of their own, these
service providers are making a run for this huge market.
BPO
(Business Process Outsourcing) is essentially a strategy
by which a company offloads back-office operations
to reduce costs and to put more resources towards its
business strengths--or in MBA vocabulary, its 'core-competencies.'
For example, a large supermarket chain in the United
States could outsource most of its accounting work
to a low-cost accounting services company in Pakistan
rather than maintain its own large internal department.
In return, the supermarket chain saves money and is
able to focus more on its development and marketing.
According
to Gartner, a recognized technology research company,
the BPO services market was estimated to be $131 billion
in 2004.
More...
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