This Paper was amongst top-10 winning entries in "Opsyrus 2005", the CoolAvenues.com - OIG (IIM Lucknow) Paper Writing Competition held in October 2005.

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Executive Summary

The IT-ITES sector faces the challenge of building an 'engaged' and 'committed' workforce. While the attrition rate in the IT sector is comparatively low (10-15%), the ITES sector continues to experience high levels of attrition (30-50%). To control these attrition rates, it is important
for organisations to provide an 'engaging' employment deal for the new age workforce. The demands placed upon today's call centers are growing. Call centers must deliver the best quality service while being responsible for a growing number of channels and applications. Additionally, agents are not only expected to handle service inquiries, but also to cross-sell additional products in support of the industry trend to push products through all channels rather than constrict them to silos.

This paper explores the current operating conditions of the BPO-ITES industry and the challenges that remain top of mind for the managers. It also addresses some of the available solutions and strategies to overcome these challenges. Its first section provides a brief look into the process related challenges in the BPO-ITES industry, which have been identified as: -