Gautama: Glad tidings

Calcutta, Aug. 28: The state government plans to create an interactive platform to facilitate exchange of ideas among home-grown entrepreneurs.

“The small and medium segment will drive growth in the BPO industry, accounting for 95 per cent of the total investment flow. A significant portion of the state’s IT revenues should also come from entrepreneurs,” Bengal IT secretary G.D. Gautama said at a seminar on strategic outsourcing.

The seminar also discussed ways to create long-term relationships with companies, which outsourced their work to domestic firms.

“Outsourcing projects are based on long-term relations. The idea is to add value slowly and create a strong bond. Aggressive marketing and cost cutting is not the right approach,” said Indranil Mukherjee, managing director of Tathya, a city-based BPO services company with a strong presence in the SME segment.

Tathya plans to increase its headcount from the current 190 to around 800 in the next 4-5 years.

The company also expects to double its turnover to Rs 3 crore this year and will fund growth plans through internal accruals and investment from foreign partners.

Regarding the factors taken into account while selecting an outsourcing partner, Kevin Payne, director of US-based A-CTI, said, “It is not the location or size of a company that matters when we consider outsourcing a project. It is important to build a team that communicates.”