Indians working in Pakistani call centres? That is exactly what is happening. Pakistanis are wooing top BPO brains from India to train their call centre staff.
Already 18-20 Indian BPO trainers are working in two newly-established call centres in Pakistan. People have been hired from call centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore to help in training, migration and integration, says Rakesh Gupta of Astra Netcom India, a customer relationship management company.
The Pakistan government is going all out to attract investment in the ITeS sector. At present there are 123 international and domestic call centres, with 30 more in the pipeline. The government has announced a 15-year tax holiday for setting up call centres besides other incentives for the IT/ITES industry, according to Pakistan Software Exports Board (PSEB).
PSEB, a government body set up to promote outsourcing, forecasts that the BPO business will grow by at least 45 per cent annually in coming years.
"India is a very matured market compared to Pakistan where the call centre industry is at a very nascent stage. The euphoria which India witnessed in the year 2000 can be seen there now," says Gupta, Chairman of the IT enabled services committee, Electronic and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC).