Are you at career cross roads?? Opportunities working with KPOs

Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) is a fast emerging wave in global outsourcing, which has evolved as an intellectual cousin of BPO, or Business Process Outsourcing in India. KPO deals with high-end jobs in order to save costs and increase operational efficiencies. India has a huge amount of intellectual resources and specialized expertise, which makes it a one of the most favorite destinations. According to a report by GlobalSourcingNow, the Global Process Outsourcing industry is expected to employ more than 250,000 people by 2010 in India and it is expected that a business of around $12 billion would be outsourced to India till 2010.

In its recent study-'India in the new knowledge economy'-the CII had said that the services sector would grow at a more than eight percent and its contribution to GDP would be above 51 percent. The study affirmed that India's transition from being a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) destination to a KPO destination was imminent.

Areas with significant potential for KPO include Finance & Accounting, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Technology, Legal services, Intellectual property, Research and design, and development of Automotive and Aerospace industries. Everyone ranging from CAs, MBAs, Lawyers and now even Doctors are heading towards KPO. So what would drive the best brains to KPO?

Basically, KPO requires qualified professionals who can undertake intellectual jobs. Salaries at KPO are counted amongst the pay-packages across the entire industry. The perks are also an added advantage.

Before jumping for a career at KPO, one must take into consideration the following skill pre-requisites

• Good communication ability
• Strong command over English language
• Enunciation ability
• Interpersonal skill like listening, questioning and intonating
• Knowledge of computers and online research skills
• Some job specific skill like writing ability, analyzing raw data, report creation etc
• In-depth domain expertise
• Apart from this one should have a positive attitude and a basic interest in the work along with high level of commitment so that one can grow well along with the growing KPO sector.

Here’s a brief insight to jobs at KPO vs. BPO

BPO jobs are great for beginners with limited experience, while KPO jobs require in-depth domain expertise. Although, BPO jobs might pay more initially, but considering the direction of career growth and salaries of senior employees in KPO, it is definitely a better choice for those looking for a more fulfilling and long-term career. Qualified individuals who perform well can get handsome salary packages in this sector – much higher than BPOs. KPO jobs require a higher commitment level and a positive attitude towards work.

How to win an Olympics gold medal for your website?

Just like an athlete persistently practices preparing for that great game, it takes practice and experience to understand what works to for your website visitors. Unique mix of talent, creativity and technology combined with understanding your audience is required to bring them repeatedly to your website along with recommending others to visit your site.

So how can you win that gold medal of approval from your website visitors?

• Remember your website is not for the organization, it is for your customers. Always keep your customers in forefront while designing your website.

• Provide information in a credible manner. Show your customers what you've done, why you've done it and how is it going to help them.

• If your website lacks testimonials, you might fail to connect with your customers. People prefer to buy from someone they trust, testimonials help to bridge that gap.

• If you don’t ask, you won’t get. Your customers are ready to give their honest feedback, but you need to ask them.

• De-clutter your website. Don’t go on overboard with flashy animations and too much information. Be clear why you have a website and remove anything that’s not aiming towards achieving those goals.

• Flash banners and graphics are alright, but don’t make your customer wait. People hate to wait while a website is loading.

• Make navigation super friendly. See your customer gets information within maximum 3 clicks. The deeper they have to dig, the more frustrated they become.

• Inquiry forms or contact us forms should be user friendly. Asking too many questions with complicated codes to prevent spamming might turn into an unwanted barrier and turn your visitor off.

• Last but not the least; check the most visited website in your business category. This will give you useful nuggets on what is working and how your competitor is operating.

Also remember to think beyond a website. A website is one of the stepping stone towards bridging that distance between customers and you. There are other marketing strategies that need to be adopted to win the game.

The road to your business Olympics gold medal is using the best experiential expertise and playing some smart tricks that makes you match yourself to Michael Phelps to breaking your own records.

If Beijing is currently a hot destination on this earth, so can your business be on the Web.

Thinking about building your website? Tips to help you select the right web designer

Nobody can deny the fact that the business world is paved with cut throat competitors and reaching your prospective client before them is a never ending struggle. Website is a major part of online marketing strategy. There are billions of online users searching for information/product/services/entertainment online and a website is an effective tool of attracting them to come to you.

So, you've decided you want to develop a web site but you don't have all the technical know-how and you've started looking for a website designer. Well here are a few things you have to know first to make a good decision

Website design is an unregulated business allowing anyone and everyone to set up a shop posing as a website designer. That means you are at a risk of giving your job to an inexperienced complete nincompoop who is going to botch up the job right royally. Rather than choosing a web design firm purely on basis of their sales pitch or price do further investigation become making a conclusive decisions.

Tips that will help you make a right choice:

• Check the experience and credentials of your web designer. They should have at least 3-5 years solid working experience with a good portfolio consisting of varied jobs they have undertaken so far for you to make the judgment. Don’t forget to check their academic qualifications.
  
  
• Check their portfolio for variety, creativity and effectiveness. See that their work are not replicates of each other, that their sites load fast, navigation is very easy and it’s easy to get information quickly relevant to the areas these websites represent.
  
  
• Check their work i.e. graphic, designing, content etc is 100% authentic and original. It is very easy to copy templates from free sites available on the net. Why pay for something which is freely available online?
  
  
• Check the marketing strategy adopted by web designers for their own website. The web designer today should incorporate proper search engine optimization tactic to make your website easily readable by search crawlers along with human viewers. Since you are already investing money in setting up a website, do it right from the start so that it’s the most effective site for your business. Check to see if they have SEO consultants/experts on their payroll to help develop a SEO friendly website.
  
  
• Check the website developer has access to all relevant browsers and platforms required by you. For this you need to decide who your audiences are and what browsers they use. You need to decide if your site should work in all version 4 browsers and above on PC and Mac or Internet Explorer 5 and upwards on the PC. Accordingly the expertise and cost vary.
  
  
• Check how the website developer is on client servicing. They may be wonderful creative designers but if they act like divas on tantrums and ego sprees it will be very difficult to develop a working relationship for successful completion of your website development project. Ask for references and check with their previous clients on how they rated on client servicing and satisfaction.
  
  
• Check the timeliness of your web designer. Deadlines sometimes need to be flexible in order to deliver quality job, however if they are unable to adhere to schedules all the time, it’s not going to work out. Time equals money, so you cannot afford too many delays. Ask for detailed schedules and time lines on how they are going to deliver the job. It is important these time lines are followed accordingly
  
  
• Check whether your website designer is good with content management systems. In case you require your website to be designed in such a way that you can manage the text (content) without knowing any HTML check if your designer can offer you CMS before handing the work.
  
  
• Check if they can provide you full service. It is ok, if they need outside help for some special complicated database programming, however see that most of your requirements are fulfilled at one place so that you don’t need to run from pillar to post searching for multitude of vendors. Be clear on what all is required by you, whether you want an e-commerce website, SEO service to market your site and any special flash or dynamic website requirements. See if you can order everything from one vendor. It’s easier to manage the project if one vendor handles your complete website requirements especially if you don’t have a fully developed IT department.
  
  
• Check the communication skills of your web designer. Many designers have a proficiency in graphics, but lack the companion skills necessary to develop a website that effectively supports the goals and objectives of business. Pages in a website can be viewed in any order. The design of your site, must give your visitor an intuitive sense of where they are-and why--to keep their attention. Only if messages flow through the site smoothly and efficiently, can you capture the customer-and the sale.
  
  
• Last but not the least check on the cost factor. A professional website can start from $1000 to $5000. Ask for details cost break down so that you understand each and every element of cost involved. See that it includes all the basic requirements of running a website like domain name registration, hosting, graphic designing, content management, marketing strategies like SEO and other web development matters.

Your website should generate more money, or save more money, than it costs to develop and implement. Good design is an investment that can increase revenues and broaden your sphere of potential clients. Select a design partner that displays a proven track record for excellent graphic design, good technical and marketing communication skills, and a clear understanding of exactly what you want to deliver it and increase your ROI.

Bursting the MYTHS surrounding OUTSOURCING

The Indian outsourcing Industry has entered an existing phase with brighter prospects for future. We have travelled a long way from the 1990s with simple IT process outsourcing which later evolved to Business Processes Outsourcing in the 2000s and now we have entered a higher plateau with Knowledge Process Outsourcing.

In spite of the indisputable success of KPO with an estimated growth of $17 billion and 45 percent per annum growth till 2010 (Source: www.NASSCOM.in) there are still some myths and misconceptions surrounding outsourcing in general that needs to be tackled:

Myth 1:

Employment opportunities are being drained from client’s country to outsourcing hubs like India, China, Philippines and other centers.

Reality:
Yes, jobs are going overseas but it is erroneous assumption that rising unemployment is to be blamed on outsourcing. Less than 2% of jobs might go overseas. In fact, as per details provided by Fox News America is actually a net importer when it comes to jobs. Far more foreign companies come to America to hire people than American companies go overseas to hire cheap foreign labor. American companies are even a net importer of tech jobs.

Myth 2:

Only low end/routine processes can be outsourced/off-shored. Value additions to businesses is minimal with outsourcing

Reality:
Outsourcing Industry has evolved with changing requirements of businesses. Besides basic back office outsourcing functions, the other channels that have emerged are knowledge process outsourcing in the field of research, finance, insurance, pharmaceutical segment s (KPO), legal process outsourcing especially in patent research (LPO), and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). These reside at the higher end of the outsourcing spectrum besides the basic back office functions and BPO/ITES outsourcing.

Myth 3:

Outsourcing is only utilized by big corporate to save resources and costs

Reality:
Although outsourcing has been a tool utilized by big corporations to take advantage of economies of scales, this venue is now more accessible and open to small and mid-sized firms due to development of technology and fast communication processes. With current economic slump being faced by US firms, more smaller firms are looking towards outsourcing to save costs and survive the difficult economic tide.

Myth 4:

Outsourcing leads to higher risks for data and business secrets.

Reality:
Outsourcing industry would not have flourished at such high rates if this was true. Data theft and security risks are involved with outsourcing, but no less than if the work is done in-house. If careful selection of vendors is undertaken with proper due diligence followed in defining processes and security measures, this risk are minimized considerable. This sector has become more organized after three decades of existence and survival of outsourcing vendor depends on gaining trust and establishing strong reputation, which will ensure that they strict security measures are adhered.

Myth 5:

Cost reduction is the only benefit from outsourcing.

Reality:
Although the obvious benefit of outsourcing is cost reduction this is only tip of the iceberg. There are innumerable lesser known advantages to outsourcing like utilizing your in-house resources for specialized strategic work only, increase in flexibility of processes, less stress during peak season, advantage of saving cost during off season time with ‘pay for only what you get’ motto of outsourcing, no hiring pain and training expenses involved, 24x7 access to qualified work force providing faster turnaround of work and instant access to global workforce having the skills, creativity, qualities required for your business without burden of searching for them.

Myth 6:

Outsourcing vendors hire semi-skilled employees to take advantage of cost.

Reality:
Outsourcing has become a highly competitive segment with survival and success directly in proportion of the quality of people hired. Especially with KPO only technically skilled personnel and expertise in various targeted segments like accounting, finance, marketing, law, insurance etc are hired to provide rich and qualitative work to clients. Constant training and education is part of employees’ life at a BPO/ITES/KPO. There is no dearth of qualified people in India.

Myth 7:

Attrition in outsourcing industry is very high having a negative impact on productivity

Reality:
With this industry segment stabilizing and processes being well defined, the attrition rate has reduced. Employee loyalty and growth is nurtured by professional outsourcing vendors. With rising career opportunities available at higher managerial tier the attrition rate is no more alarming. Firms understand that there is no such thing as a company anymore; they exist only in paper, with the crux of success lying in people working for other people. This solidarity of encouraging the talent force has led to increase in productivity and quality of work.

Overall, outsourcing is now a strategic move essential for every small or large firm who are constantly looking for ways to improve their businesses and reach the pinnacle ahead of competitors. It is high time to be well informed about outsourcing to enjoy its benefits.