English advantage.

One of the biggest reasons why India is considered as a preferred destination for out-sourcing is the English speaking population of India. English tops the list as a second language of India. Nevertheless, it's also very much evident that India might lose on this advantage if she does not learn to cash on it, for that matter, like any other country in the race to woe big businesses to outsource. This advantage will not be an advantage any long.
The cost advantage is diminishing according to the recent survey conducted by A T Kearney; is not just enough to retain the competitive edge over China, Philippines, et.al. The market for services other than voice support is comparatively small; and will remain small in volumes in comparison to voice support services. There is yet a lot to be explored in relatively larger segment, which still has many un-addressed issues.
Irrespective of the new alleyways of domain expertise such as, finance, law, human resource, telecommunications, copyrights, healthcare, and such like services; the regular fresh English speaking work force to cater to human voice support functions will remain in volumes. The industry can change the resolution to new alleys for a while, but should never lose its focus from the backbone of the industry. At least not at the cost of the essence.
To expand the scope of business process outsourcing, to snare volumes, we need to zero-in on building clients faith by redefining the parameters of quality deliverance.
Big businesses know of the limitations and understand the nuances of human contact needs to strengthen the bond of trust with their consumers; and that's the only reason why they silly-sally to outsource, or somehow compromise with the available resource, and somehow let the resource deliver of its own volition.
They look askance at the speech habits of the available resource, but because of the cost benefits, they give it a pass. Many a times businesses silly-sally over the idea of moving their Consumer care/human voice support base, and the location switch reappraisals are centered on the cost benefits only.
Now the choice is among the destinations offering cheaper alternatives, Chapter-13, Chapter-7, or any other option available.
The fact is, it’s not an option, is compromise.
The time is not far to see businesses volt-face in favor of a destination who can understand the need, and act before any other competitor does. If they can do away with Chapters altogether and still maintain their creditability.
We really don't have to sit back basking in the comfort zone, chipping away at the mainstay to embark on new alleyways of BPO, as it'll have impinge on the market share; because whenever a client outsource she also compromise on certain things. The client will be more than happy if she does not have to compromise on something that can affect her business. Whosoever does it first and with precision; will take the lead. Not someone, who is just passing the monkey over.
The very core of the business is actually not how much good you are but how well you deliver. How fast you take cognizance of future needs.
Indians are considered well endowed with grey cells; are diligent, and have the fire to excel.
But the industry as a whole seems to over look the importance of quality deliverance of human support functions, as is blinkered by the new avenues and sometimes fail to realize the importance of speech in its true sense, to understand the concept of speech impacts on their business. Industry has been escaping from the challenge altogether and always turned deaf ear to the evolving industry needs.
If a destination has to improve its attractiveness for the offshore business, has to take cognizance of the potential growth prospects by the redefining the cognitive base, and by pruning the stance with knowledge acquisition in the domain of voice training.
I would love to share one of the unsatisfactory cop-outs of the industry, which I noticed when I got the chance to visit a so -called captive unit recently.
Few verses from what they worship as Bible.
"Dearest creature in creation, study English pronunciation. I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse. I'll keep you, Suzy, busy. Make your head with heat grow dizzy. Tear in eye, your dress will tear. So shall I! Oh hear my prayer."
"Just compare heart, beard and heard. Dies and diet, Lord and word, Sword and sward, retain and Britain. But be careful how you speak: Say break and streak, but bleak and streak; cloven, oven, how and low, script and receipt."
"Finally which rhymes with enough-Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough? Hiccough has the sound of cup. My advice is to give it up!!!"
Moreover, the heading was: "English is tough stuff"
Who would not be convinced with such a work (700 words) of art, if client can, but me?
It is nothing but an easy escape to blame it entirely on English, instead of understanding the need for segmental/phonetic conditioning, the coherence and generalities of morphological alterations needed to twig the concept better.
Businesses are bending over backwards to find something that could click, but their own frames of reference and their vacuity on the subject is making it quite a job. Anything other than Jones is in complete denial altogether.
Only knowledge driven approach would help maintain the lead among preferred destinations. Only if we can cut loose from ostensible old philosophies, which have no functional significance; to reinforce the stance over something, which is affecting the business.
The language seems to be fraught with confounding and the training department seems rather flummoxed by them.
But this is not at all incorrigible.
All this is a result of habitual imitation of the follies of the yesteryears. We can correct this if we can just sit back and try to see the core of the so-called problem.
Rajeev, a good friend of mine; is quite successful in his career with the BPO industry. Four visits to USA in the last 2 years, all financed by the company, all of them were to bring new processes. Is working as a Group manager, is diligent so is successful.
He knows grammar, vocabulary, and the thought process is also good. However, most of the times I find him vacillating between alternate pronunciations; between his understanding of the sound predictability and the possible probabilities of sound sequences. He forces his way to identify the structural cues to identify the sounds sequences.
The only thing I like about him is that he does not give up it up for the distorted and sound damaging Indian way of utterance, as most of the libertarians in India have.
Either they match the rhythm they are comfortable with or they kill speech. Either ways they kill word sounds. This very much apparent as are left with guessing only, whenever they are encountered with a completely new word. They mispronounce or cling on to their "chulta hah" philosophy.
The capability to customize utterance and the phoneme prediction is not well developed. Every time they fall through to tap the sound patterns.
The strengthening of the knowledge base will only keep the business from moving to a new destination altogether, or back to the lands where it came from.
So save the advantage falling in to decline.