Alpha-U

Cold water and Heart Attack

2007-06-05T03:39:00.001-07:00

This is a very good article. Not only about the warm water after your meal, but about heart attacks. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals, not cold water, maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating.
For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine . Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer . It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
A serious note about heart attacks - You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.
You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive.
A cardiologist says if everyone who reads this message sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life. Read this & Send to a friend. It could save a life. So, please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends you care about.

Competition at its best

2007-05-17T00:57:00.000-07:00

Competition at its best

Advertisement : Jet Airlines

Advertisement : KingFisher

Competition at its best : Go Air

Health Time - Feel Energetic

2007-05-16T02:12:00.000-07:00

Health Time - Feel Energetic

It is clichéd, but true: you are what you eat!
How we look, how we feel, how healthy we are, how we perform our daily tasks -- it all narrows down to what we eat.
How easy it would be if we knew which foods could be beneficial to us -- to help us feel energetic, to help us improve our health, to help us in our battle against body fat.

Get Ahead gives you a guide -- in two parts -- as to what we consider the ten most beneficial foods.
These foods are rated on the basis of the health benefits they provide, the fibre content, their vitamin and mineral content as well as low fat and caloric content.
Note: These foods work best when combined with an all round healthy diet and regular exercise regimen.

1. Oatmeal
Touted as the breakfast of athletes all around the world, this mushy, gushy delicious grain can be the first addition you could make to your new and healthy diet and lifestyle change.
Unlike other breakfast cereals that are loaded with sugar and stripped of all fibre, which give you a sugar-loaded burst of energy and then drop drastically, allowing it to drop.
Oats are slow to digest and thus provide you a steady sustained flow of energy to take you through the first few hours of the day.
Oatmeal is also loaded with fibre, especially the soluble kind, and has thus been proven to be invaluable in the battle against high cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Mix it with milk, fruit, yoghurt or nuts; have it hot or cold; use it in cooking -- just make sure to make this heart healthy food a part of your daily diet.

2.Tomatoes
Our tiny little red friends are a lot more powerful and beneficial to us than we could ever imagine.
Tomatoes contain a carotenoid (a class of highly unsaturated yellow to red pigments occurring in plants), called lycopene.
Not only has this powerful carotenoid been proven to improve immunity as well as reduce the risk of developing heart attacks, it has also been proven, believe it or not, to reduce the risk of cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, stomach, pancreas, colon, esophagus, mouth and cervix!
While we realise that there are just so many raw tomatoes that we can stomach, here is where it gets more interesting.
Research shows that lycopene in tomatoes can be absorbed more efficiently by the body if processed into sauce, paste and ketchup, thus making the tomato one of the few vegetables that is actually more beneficial in its processed or cooked form than when its raw.

3. Almonds

Nuts have always managed to get a bad rap due to their high caloric content.
Thus, they are often overlooked for their fibre and protein content as well as being an important source of healthy unsaturated fats and numerous beneficial minerals and vitamins.
While all nuts do have their benefits, if I had to name just one as the most beneficial, it would have to be almonds.
These tasty, crunchy treats are sprinkled into cereals, salads, ice cream as well as being a calming cooling airline snack we rely on to curb our hunger during those long flights.
Little do we realise that not only do almonds provide taste and texture to foods, they also provide more complete nutrition in one handful than you can imagine.
Just 28 grams (around 23 almonds) provide us with 9 grams of mono-unsaturated fatty acid, 6 grams of muscle building protein, 3 grams of fiber, 200 mg of potassium, 65 mg of bone strengthening calcium as well as a hearty dose of vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, zinc and riboflavin.
As with most other foods, moderation is important.
Nuts do have a high caloric content and it is so very easy to inhale an entire box of these tasty crunchy characters without a thought!

4. Fish
Who would have thought that our smelly friends from the sea could prove to be one of the most beneficial foods in the world?
When we were younger, fish was inexplicably considered 'brain food'.
Studies in later years concluded that the omega 3 fatty acids were what actually made fish brain food, as well as making it one of the most beneficial foods as far as heart health, lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels and treating psychiatric illnesses, like depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, were considered.
Recent studies have also shown benefits of omega 3 fatty acids for people suffering from arthritis and other joint conditions.
Let us not forget the protein punch that fish provides us with, as well as delicious taste whether we decide to order it soaked in butter and garlic or whether we decide to go healthy and have it steamed or grilled.
As every fish has its own unique taste and beneficial characteristics, mackerel and salmon lead as far as omega 3 fatty acid content goes

5. Milk
Something our mothers always told us to drink before we left our home, when we were kids.
Think she had any idea that milk is one of the highest quality sources of whole food protein, with a biological value second only to eggs?
And let's not forget the calcium content that milk provides us with, preventing our bones from becoming weak and hollow and developing osteoporosis later in life.
Recent studies have also proved that calcium could be beneficial in our battle against body fat.
Just make sure to have low fat or fat free milk, which provides us with the same important nutrients minus the fat and the cholesterol.
So let's thank our mommies for nagging us all those years and drink away to a lean muscular physique!
PS: Please check that you are not lactose intolerant before you drink milk.

6. Apple
Every fruit has its benefits to the human body.
Bananas are rich in heart-healthy potassium, strawberries rich in disease-fighting antioxidants, watermelon is rich in heart-healthy and cancer-preventing lycopene, etc.
But we have decided to name the apple as the fruit of our choice due its high antioxidant and fibre content, its taste, its ability to fill a person as well as its extremely low caloric content.
Apples are often overlooked due to the lack of vitamin C when compared to fruits like oranges.
But recent research has indicated that apples have more antioxidant activity than would be expected from their vitamin C content.
This antioxidant activity is thought to come from other natural substances in apples, collectively called phytochemicals.
The nutritious content of the apple is very favourable: a medium sized apple contains a mere 80 calories, with no fat or cholesterol content as well as a whopping 5 grams of fibre.
Apples are especially rich in pectin fibre, associated with helping keep blood cholesterol levels in balance as well as helping to control appetite levels, thus aiding us in our battle against overeating.

7. Tea
Everyone has their choice of beverage they rely on to perk them up when their energy levels run low, to relax them when the stress just gets too much, or that they can simply enjoy because of its fine taste.
Unfortunately, most people go for sugary soft drinks or creamy café lattes.
It's time to switch. To tea!
It is tasty, contains some caffeine to perk you, but not too much that it leaves you jittery. It also provides a cupful of antioxidants called flavonoids, that may help prevent cholesterol- damaging arteries.
Recent research also suggests that this popular beverage can help reduce the risk of cancer, heart attack and Parkinson's disease.
While most teas are good for you, green tea contains the highest amount of flavonoids, making it an extremely potent antioxidant.
Epigallocatechin Gallate (ECGC), the green tea extract, is also known for its fat-burning benefits.
Another very interesting bit of information is that green tea is also known to suppress foul breath caused by certain foods.
8. Garlic
It was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, chewed on by Greek Olympian athletes.
It aids in keeping the heart healthy, wards off coughs and colds, reduces cholesterol and triglycerides, controls high blood pressure, and chases away vampires and witches (as well as a couple of friends and family members)!
Yep, this aptly nicknamed 'stinking rose' has a number of benefits, and not just to make Italian dishes taste so good

9. Kidney beans
We highly recommend you add beans to you meal plan.
Beans are high in fibre, both insoluble as well as the all-important, cholesterol- lowering soluble kind.
Their high fibre content also slows down the digestion, thus providing a steady flow of energy as well as keeps you feeling more satiated at the end of the meal.
They are also a good source of a host of vitamins and minerals.
Why kidney beans? Because of their delicious taste and the fact that they are an excellent source of iron, folate as well as magnesium.
Red kidney beans lead the way as far as antioxidant content in beans go.
Add them to soups or salads, use them in your curries, use them in your sabzis whatever you do, don't miss out on this nutritional powerhouse.
But make sure you add them gradually to your meal plan.

10. Water
Maybe it isn't the best choice to include in a list of 'foods', but it is so very, very important to include water at all times of the day!
Water is a fundamental part of our lives. It is easy to forget how completely we depend on it.
Water has been ranked by experts as second only to oxygen as essential for life. The average adult body has 55 to 75 percent water.
Two-thirds of our body weight is water. A human embryo is more than 80 percent water. A newborn baby is 74 percent water.
The water you drink literally becomes you!
The functions of water go far beyond just hydration. They include aiding digestion, weight loss, battling water retention, regulating body temperature, aiding the kidney in excretion, lubricating our joints, the list goes on and on

2007-05-16T00:54:00.000-07:00

Keyboard shortcuts for Windows
APPLIES TO
•Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
•Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
•Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition
•Microsoft Windows 95

MORE INFORMATION
Windows system key combinations
•F1: Help
•CTRL+ESC: Open Start menu
•ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs
•ALT+F4: Quit program
•SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item permanently

Windows program key combinations
•CTRL+C: Copy
•CTRL+X: Cut
•CTRL+V: Paste
•CTRL+Z: Undo
•CTRL+B: Bold
•CTRL+U: Underline
•CTRL+I: Italic

Mouse click/keyboard modifier combinations for shell objects

•SHIFT+right click: Displays a shortcut menu containing alternative commands
•SHIFT+double click: Runs the alternate default command (the second item on the menu)
•ALT+double click: Displays properties
•SHIFT+DELETE: Deletes an item immediately without placing it in the Recycle Bin

General keyboard-only commands

•F1: Starts Windows Help
•F10: Activates menu bar options
•SHIFT+F10 Opens a shortcut menu for the selected item (this is the same as right-clicking an object
•CTRL+ESC: Opens the Start menu (use the ARROW keys to select an item)
•CTRL+ESC or ESC: Selects the Start button (press TAB to select the taskbar, or press SHIFT+F10 for a context menu)
•ALT+DOWN ARROW: Opens a drop-down list box
•ALT+TAB: Switch to another running program (hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to view the task-switching window)
•SHIFT: Press and hold down the SHIFT key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the automatic-run feature
•ALT+SPACE: Displays the main window's System menu (from the System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window)
•ALT+- (ALT+hyphen) : Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu (from the MDI child window's System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the child window)
•CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program
•ALT+underlined letter in menu: Opens the menu
•ALT+F4: Closes the current window
•CTRL+F4: Closes the current Multiple Document Interface (MDI) window
•ALT+F6: Switch between multiple windows in the same program (for example, when the Notepad Find dialog box is displayed, ALT+F6 switches between the Find dialog box and the main Notepad window)

Shell objects and general folder/Windows Explorer shortcuts
For a selected object:
•F2: Rename object
•F3: Find all files
•CTRL+X: Cut
•CTRL+C: Copy
•CTRL+V: Paste
•SHIFT+DELETE: Delete selection immediately, without moving the item to the Recycle Bin
•ALT+ENTER: Open the properties for the selected object

To copy a file
Press and hold down the CTRL key while you drag the file to another folder.

To create a shortcut
Press and hold down CTRL+SHIFT while you drag a file to the desktop or a folder.

General folder/shortcut control
•F4: Selects the Go To A Different Folder box and moves down the entries in the box (if the toolbar is active in Windows Explorer)
•F5: Refreshes the current window.
•F6: Moves among panes in Windows Explorer
•CTRL+G: Opens the Go To Folder tool (in Windows 95 Windows Explorer only)
•CTRL+Z: Undo the last command
•CTRL+A: Select all the items in the current window
•BACKSPACE: Switch to the parent folder
•SHIFT+click+Close button: For folders, close the current folder plus all parent folders

Windows Explorer tree control
•Numeric Keypad *: Expands everything under the current selection
•Numeric Keypad +: Expands the current selection
•Numeric Keypad -: Collapses the current selection.
•RIGHT ARROW: Expands the current selection if it is not expanded, otherwise goes to the first child
•LEFT ARROW: Collapses the current selection if it is expanded, otherwise goes to the parent

Properties control
•CTRL+TAB/CTRL+ SHIFT+TAB: Move through the property tabs

Accessibility shortcuts
•Press SHIFT five times: Toggles StickyKeys on and off
•Press down and hold the right SHIFT key for eight seconds: Toggles FilterKeys on and off
•Press down and hold the NUM LOCK key for five seconds: Toggles ToggleKeys on and off
•Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK: Toggles MouseKeys on and off
•Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN: Toggles high contrast on and off

Microsoft Natural Keyboard keys
•Windows Logo: Start menu
•Windows Logo+R: Run dialog box
•Windows Logo+M: Minimize all
•SHIFT+Windows Logo+M: Undo minimize all
•Windows Logo+F1: Help
•Windows Logo+E: Windows Explorer
•Windows Logo+F: Find files or folders
•Windows Logo+D: Minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop
•CTRL+Windows Logo+F: Find computer
•CTRL+Windows Logo+TAB: Moves focus from Start, to the Quick Launch toolbar, to the system tray (use RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW to move focus to items on the Quick Launch toolbar and the system tray)
•Windows Logo+TAB: Cycle through taskbar buttons
•Windows Logo+Break: System Properties dialog box
•Application key: Displays a shortcut menu for the selected item

Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType software installed
•Windows Logo+L: Log off Windows
•Windows Logo+P: Starts Print Manager
•Windows Logo+C: Opens Control Panel
•Windows Logo+V: Starts Clipboard
•Windows Logo+K: Opens Keyboard Properties dialog box
•Windows Logo+I: Opens Mouse Properties dialog box
•Windows Logo+A: Starts Accessibility Options (if installed)
•Windows Logo+SPACEBAR: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys
•Windows Logo+S: Toggles CAPS LOCK on and off

Dialog box keyboard commands
•TAB: Move to the next control in the dialog box
•SHIFT+TAB: Move to the previous control in the dialog box
•SPACEBAR: If the current control is a button, this clicks the button. If the current control is a check box, this toggles the check box. If the current control is an option, this selects the option.
•ENTER: Equivalent to clicking the selected button (the button with the outline)
•ESC: Equivalent to clicking the Cancel button
•ALT+underlined letter in dialog box item: Move to the corresponding item

BPO knowledgebase 1(Source: neoIT)

2007-05-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

knowledgebase

We attempt here to share some knowledge which could be useful to the BPO community. We will list questions even if we don't have answers for them. Hopefully, one of you will respond to those queries. Please do feel free to correct/improve the knowledgeBase.

1.What are the pros & cons of outsourcing?

Third Party Service Providers (TPSPs)
o Usually TPSP already has expertise and experience with other clients in similar business lines.
o Very competitive pricing / flexibility to assess various TPSPs
o No infrastructural / capital investment.
o Payback period very less (usually between 6 months to a year).
o Flexibility to source multiple TPSPs.
o Flexibility to scale up and down business relationship.
o Can exit from one relationship and move to another .
o Retains decision-making, therefore relationship with TPSP is clear (fee-based, quality-based) ; no staff backlash.
o As TPSP works towards a profit there is more business commitment.
o Customised solutions ensure data security and safety.

Captive centres
o Build expertise from scratch by redeploying resources. Latter option more expensive.
o Unit costs higher.
o High capital investment.
o Payback usually between 3 and 5 years.
o Committed to bringing in economies of scale, hence the need to establish a sufficiently large centre.
o Committed resources reduces such flexibility, else training costs could shoot through the roof.
o No exit possible without incurring high costs.
o May or may not retain decision-making. Possibility of backlash from senior management personnel.
o Captive units are usually cost centres.
o Long-term strategy looks for establishing centres to first move work as-is, and save costs first.

2. What are the pros & cons of outsourcing to third party vendors?

Advantages
o Focus on core business issues.
o Benefit from best-of-breed solutions.
o Better quality at lower costs.
o Better process maturity, resource flexibility and economies of scale.
o Flexibility in deploying new technology.
o Quick wins with outsourcing

Disadvantages
o Burden of excess capacity or challenge of insufficient capacity is done away with.
o High unit personnel cost.
o Tight business margins.
o Not enough financial muscle to sustain very tight payback periods.

3. What are the pros & cons of outsourcing to a captive centre?

Advantages
o Securing data is less complicated.
o Capture margins that would otherwise go a TPSP.
o Decision making authority contained within the organisation.
o Tighter management control.

Disadvantages
o Expensive specialist skill in host countries.
o Compliance and legal restrictions.
o Unavailability of skilled manpower due to market stagnation.
o Requires considerable effort in terms of management's time and attention to establish

People inside BPO

2007-05-15T23:04:00.000-07:00

Why people prefer to join BPO's?

In general a person with any graduation can join any of the BPO. Some BPO's like to take people with MBA but then again the specialization are of an individual hardly makes any difference. Again, this is the industry, where there is no reference checks and very often people don't even specify there exact age. Lets me share with you some of the reasons as why people prefer to join a BPO:

1.Did not get a better job.
2.Find nothing better to do.
3.Education level doesn't matter
4.Good work environment
5.Good Benefits
6.Flexibility of time
7.Attractive life style
8.Transport facility

Why people leave the BPO's?

When there are so many benefits associated with BPO industry….when there are so many privileges for the BPO employees than what makes them to change the company/industry? ? Is it only MONEY that matters or anything else as well?? Here are some of the reasons for a BPO professional to change his/her job.

1.No growth opportunity/ lack of promotion
2.For higher Salary
3.For Higher education
4.Misguidance by the company
5.Policies and procedures are not conducive
6.No personal life
7.Physical strains
8.Uneasy relationship with peers or managers

What they have to say?

With so much of uncertainty in the market…..people are trying their best to stop or to at least have a control on the attrition rate…let me share with you the opinion of the real gurus of the industry.
"Training is a very important aspect of the ITES-BPO industry"- Mr. Arjun Vaznaik, COO, Tracmail

" Career growth in the industry is robust and there is a long-term opportunity. The great growth momentum that the industry is witnessing is creating both vertical and lateral career opportunities. There also exists enough growth opportunities in the middle-management and supervisory level within the industry". - Aadesh Goyal, Executive Vice President & GM, Hughes BPO Services

"It will not be possible for the industry to arrive at a blanket agreement on poaching but bilateral agreements between companies are being signed. Basic norms are being put in place and code of ethics is being stressed upon by industry players within the sector with respect to HR practices. We are encouraging companies to adopt responsible behavior in order to ensure that the industry does not become a victim of its own actions. Industry needs to go aggressive but not cannibalistic." - Mr. Suren Singh Rasaily, Senior Vice President, NIIT Ltd. and Head Plantworkz,

Conclusion:

This is a descriptive report on BPO industry. I have tried to cover almost everything related to the industry. I like to have your opinion about the same. Even at the end of this comprehensive report, my concerns are related to development of employees in BPO, controlling attrition rate in BPO, can we have some standard industrial compensation package/ break-ups?

BPO as a Industry

2007-05-15T22:54:00.000-07:00

Challenges for a HR Professional in BPO

1.Brand equity: People still consider BPO to be "low brow", thus making it difficult to attract the best talent.

2.Standard pre-job training: Again, due to the wide variety of the jobs, lack of general clarity on skill sets, etc, there is no standard curriculum, which could be designed and followed.

3.Benchmarks: There are hardly any benchmarks for compensation and benefits, performance or HR policies. Everyone is charting their own course.

4.Customer-companies tend to demand better results from outsourcing partners than what they could actually expect from their own departments. "When the job is being done 10,000 miles away, demands on parameters such as quality, turn around timeliness, information security, business continuity and disaster recovery, etc, are far higher than at home. So, how to be more efficient than the original?

5.Lack of focused training and certifications
Given this background, the recruiting and compensation challenges of HR departments are only understandable.

Key To success

The key to success in ramping up talent in a BPO environment is a rapid training module. The training component has to be seen as an important sub-process, requiring constant re-engineering.

Business Process Outsourcing: The Top Rankers

WNS has emerged as the top BPO in India, pushing Wipro Spectramind to the second position, according to a survey done by NASSCOM. The basis of ranking is the revenues generated by the BPO companies in 2003-04, as per US GAAP. A list of top fifteen BPO companies in India is given below.
1.WNS Group
2.Wipro Spectramind
3.Daksh e-Services
4.Convergys
5.HCL Technologies
6.Zenta
7.ICICI Onesource
8.MphasiS
9.EXL
10.Tracmail
11.GTL Ltd.
12.vCustomer
13.HTMT
14.24/7 Customer
15.Sutherland Technologies

The parameters for the survey was: Employee Size (Operation level executives), Percentage of last salary hike, Cost to company , Overall Satisfaction Score, Composite Satisfaction, Company Culture, Job Content / Growth, Training , Salary and Compensation , Appraisal System, People, Preferred Company: (Percentage of respondents of a company who named their own company as the preferred one), Dream Company: (Percentage of respondents in the total sample who preferred a particular company).

Employee Benefits Provided By Majoriy Of the BPO Companies

•Educational Benefits: Many BPO companies have this policy to develop the personality and knowledge level of their employees and hence reimburses the expenses incurred towards tuition fees, examination fees, and purchase of books subject, for pursuing MBA, and/or other management qualification at India's top most Business Schools.
•Performance based incentives: In many BPO companies they have plans for , performance based incentive scheme. The parameters for calculation are process performance i.e. speed, accuracy and productivity of each process. The Pay for Performance can be as much as 22% of the salary.
•Flexi-time: The main objective of the flextime policy is to provide opportunity to employees to work with flexible work schedules and set out conditions for availing this provision. Flexible work schedules are initiated by employees and approved by management to meet business commitments while supporting employee personal life needs .The factors on which Flexi time is allowed to an employee include: Child or Parent care, Health situation, Maternity, Formal education program
•Flexible Salary Benefits: Its main objective is to provide flexibility to the employees to plan a tax-effective compensation structure by balancing the monthly net income, yearly benefits and income tax payable. It is applicable of all the employees of the organization. The Salary consists of Basic, DA and Conveyance Allowance. The Flexible Benefit Plan consists of: House Rent Allowance, Leave Travel Assistance, Medical Reimbursement, Special Allowance
•Regular Get together and other cultural programs: The companies organizes cultural program as and when possible but most of the times, once in a quarter, in which all the employees are given an opportunity to display their talents in dramatics, singing, acting, dancing etc. Apart from that the organizations also conduct various sports programs such as Cricket, football, etc and regularly play matches with the teams of other organizations and colleges.
•Wedding Day Gift: Employee is given a gift voucher of Rs. 2000/- to Rs. 7000/- based on their level in the organization.
•Employee Referral Scheme: In several companies employee referral scheme is implemented to encourage employees to refer friends and relatives for employment in the organization.
•Paid Days Off
•Maternity Leave
•Employee Stock Option Plan

Inspite of all these benefits, the attrition rate in BPO industry is very high, why?. What is the reason for an employee to leave? These and many more are the questions that need immediate attention from the industrial gurus

Different Types of Services Being Offered By BPO's

2007-05-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

1.Customer Support Services
Our customer service offerings create a virtual customer service center to manage customer concerns and queries through multiple channels including voice, e-mail and chat on a 24/7 and 365 days basis.

Service Example: Customers calling to check on their order status, customers calling to check for information on products and services, customers calling to verify their account status, customers calling to check their reservation status etc

2.Technical Support Services

Our technical support offerings include round-the-clock technical support and problem resolution for OEM customers and computer hardware, software, peripherals and Internet infrastructure manufacturing companies. These include installation and product support, up & running support, troubleshooting and Usage support.

Service Example: Customers calling to resolve a problem with their home PC, customers calling to understand how to dial up to their ISP, customers calling with a problem with their software or hardware.

3. Telemarketing Services

Our telesales and telemarketing outsourcing services target interaction with potential customers for 'prospecting' like either for generating interest in products and services, or to up-sell / promte and cross sell to an existing customer base or to complete the sales process online.

Service Example: Outbound calling to sell wireless services for a telecom provider, outbound calling to retail households to sell leisure holidays, outbound calling to existing customers to sell a new rate card for a mobile service provider or outbound calling to sell credit or debit cards etc.

4.Employee IT Help-desk Services

Our employee IT help-desk services provide technical problem resolution and support for corporate employees.

Service Example: of this service include level 1 and 2 multi-channel support across a wide range of shrink wrapped and LOB applications, system problem resolutions related to desktop, notebooks, OS, connectivity etc., office productivity tools support including browsers and mail, new service requests, IT operational issues, product usage queries, routing specific requests to designated contacts and remote diagnostics etc.

5.Insurance Processing

Our insurance processing services provide specialized solutions to the insurance sector and support critical business processes applicable to the industry right from new business acquisition to policy maintenance to claims processing.

Service Example:

New Business / Promotion:
Inbound/outbound sales, Initial Setup, Case Management, Underwriting, Risk assessment, Policy issuance etc.

Policy Maintenance / Management:

Record Changes like Name, Beneficiary, Nominee, Address; Collateral verification, Surrender Audits Accounts Receivable, Accounting, Claim Overpayment, Customer care service via voice/email etc.

Data Entry Services / Data Processing Services

Service Example:

Data entry from Paper/Books with highest accuracy and fast turn around time (TAT)
Data entry from Image file in any format
Business Transaction Data entry like sales / purchase / payroll.
Data entry of E-Books / Electronic Books
Data Entry : Yellow Pages / White Pages Keying
Data Entry and compilation from Web site
Data Capture / Collection
Business Card Data Entry into any Format
Data Entry from hardcopy/Printed Material into text or required format
Data Entry into Software Program and application
Receipt and Bill Data Entry
Catalog Data Entry.
Data Entry for Mailing List/Mailing Label.
Manuscripting typing in to word
Taped Transcription in to word.
Copy, Paste, Editing, Sorting, Indexing Data into required format etc.

1. Customer Support Services

7.Data Conversion Services

Service Example:

Conversion of data across various databases on different platforms
Data Conversion via Input / Output for various media.
Data Conversion for databases, word processors, spreadsheets, and many other standard and custom-made software packages as per requirement.
Conversion from Page maker to PDF format.
Conversion from Ms-Word to HTML format
Conversion from Text to Word Perfect.
Conversion from Text to Word to HTML and Acrobat
Convert Raw Data into required MS Office formats.
Text to PDF and PDF to Word / Text / Doc
Data Compilation in PDF from Several Sources.
E-Book Conversion etc.

8.Scanning, OCR with Editing & Indexing Services
Service Example:

High speed Image-Scanning and Data capture services
High speed large volume scanning
OCR Data From Scanned page / image
Scan & OCR paper Book in to CD.
ADOBE PDF Conversion Services.
Conversion from paper or e-file to various formats

9.Book Keeping and Accounting Services

Service Example:

General Ledger
Accounts Receivables and Accounts Payable
Financial Statements
Bank Reconciliation
Assets / Equipment Ledgers etc

10.Form Processing Services:

Service Example:

Insurance claim form
Medical Form / Medical billing
Online Form Processing
Payrol Processing etc

11. Internet / Online / Web Research

Service Example:

Internet Search, Product Research, Market Research, Survey, Analysis.
Web and Mailing list research etc

What is BPO

2007-05-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

BPO [Business process outsourcing]

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is the contracting of a specific business task, such as payroll, to a third-party service provider. Usually, BPO is implemented as a cost-saving measure for tasks that a company requires but does not depend upon to maintain its position in the marketplace. BPO is often divided into two categories: back office outsourcing, which includes internal business functions such as billing or purchasing, and front office outsourcing, which includes customer-related services such as marketing or tech support.

BPO that is contracted outside a company's own country is sometimes called offshore outsourcing. BPO that is contracted to a company's neighboring country is sometimes called nearshore outsourcing, and BPO that is contracted within the company's own country is sometimes called onshore outsourcing.

The most common examples of BPO are call centers, human resources, accounting and payroll outsourcing.

Use of a BPO as opposed to an application service provider (ASP) usually also means that a certain amount of risk is transferred to the company that is running the process elements on behalf of the outsourcer. BPO includes the software, the process management, and the people to operate the service, while a typical ASP model includes only the provision of access to functionalities and features provided or 'served up' through the use of software, usually via web browser to the customer. BPO is a part of the Outsourcing Industry. It is dependent on Information Technology, hence it is also referred to as Information Technology Enabled Services or ITES. Knowledge Process Outsourcing, or Legal Process Outsourcing are some of the sub sets of Business Process Outsourcing.

Industry Size

India has revenues of 6.4 billion USD[2] from offshore BPO and 36 billion USD from IT and total BPO. India thus has some 5-6 % share of the total BPO Industry, but a commanding 63% share of the offshore component. This 63% is a drop from the 70% offshore share that India enjoyed last year, despite the industry growing 38% in India last year, other locations like South Africa, Philippines and Eastern Europe have emerged to take a share of the market. China too is trying to grow from a very small base in this industry, though the industry is expected to continue to grow in India. Its market share of the offshore piece is expected to reduce.

Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a broad term referring to outsourcing in all fields. A BPO differentiates itself by either putting in new technology or applying existing technology in a new way to improve a process.

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is the delegation of one or more IT-intensive business processes to an external provider that in turn owns, administers and manages the selected process based on defined and measurable performance criteria. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is one of the fastest growing segments of the Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) industry.

Few of the motivation factors as to why BPO is gaining ground are:

Factor Cost Advantage
Economy of Scale
Business Risk Mitigation
Superior Competency
Utilization Improvement

Generally outsourcing can be defined as - An organization entering into a contract with another organization to operate and manage one or more of its business processes.