What is the aim of the forthcoming workshop on Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) being held tomorrow?

The purpose of the workshop is to brief the Mauritian BPO industry on opportunities in the United Kingdom. Through the various presentations, we can help people understand what it takes to prospect and win business in that particular market. Service providers need to have a clear understanding of why and how UK companies outsource back-office and front-office operations like customer relations management, to emerging markets and offshore locations like India, South Africa and the Philippines, among others. The seminar will be very helpful in providing insights on what customers expect from service providers.

India?s chunk of the world?s BPO market is on the increase. Is there any reasonable scope for a small and new player like Mauritius in this very competitive English-speaking market?

It is true that the outsourcing industry in India is still growing but there are also some problems. People in the industry move a lot from one firm to another very quickly. This is causing a lot of problems for clients. Many UK companies are now having recourse to several sources. They are increasingly pursuing a multi-source strategy.

India is very good at back-office operations, but Mauritius and other countries can be as good if not better at providing front-office services. Mauritius needs to promote itself in the UK as an offshore location to which businesses can outsource operations. For the moment, Mauritius is mainly known in the UK for its beaches.

What are the key strengths of a competitive outsourcing industry?

First of all, you need to have educated people for the job. The right human skills are critical to the success of a BPO location. You have capabilities in both English and French. This is a definite edge over rival destinations. Second, the country must possess quality infrastructure for telecommunications and technology. You cannot imagine a BPO sector without good and competitive telecommunications services. Quality control is also critical. You must have systems and procedures to ensure that processes are managed as effectively as possible. There is a strong emphasis on control in all the areas of the function being outsourced. The three key words in achieving success in BPO are people, process and quality.