Most call centres have come up in Chennai. Ahmedabad and Mumbai are the other favoured destinations for voice call centres. Bangalore, expectedly, is emerging as the home to web/e-mail-based tech support centres. Gurgaon near Delhi, with fare share of both, is emerging as the undisputed call centre capital of India.

The Business Today

• The Top Vendors (1999-00) Company Type Location Initial Channel 24/7 Customer.com Domestic/International Bangalore Email/Chat Air Infotech International Gurgaon Voice Allsec Technologies International Chennai Voice Customerasset.com Domestic/International Bangalore Integrated Cybiz Call Domestic/International Gurgaon Voice Daksh.com International Gurgaon Email/Chat Flex Industries International Noida Voice IT&T International Noida Email/Chat Minerva International New Delhi Voice Renasonic International Gurgaon Voice Sapphire Infotech Domestic Delhi Voice Solutions Domestic New Delhi Integrated Spectr@mind International Gurgaon Integrated Talisma Domestic/International Bangalore Email/Chat Transworks International Mumbai Integrated Venus Cybertech International Hyderabad Voice

  It is estimated that in the first year, most call centres will get about $12 to $20 per seat per hour depending on the type of service rendered.

• Service quality, not just cost is likely to emerge as the differentiator for Indian call centres.

• Today, the initial (set-up) cost for a 100-seat voice call centre is about Rs 12 crore.

• The estimated operational cost for the voice call centres is estimated to be $7-$8 per seat per hour, compared to the corresponding US figure of about $22. The cost is likely to go up from next year onwards, as more capabilities are added and better quality standards are adhered to. The scarcity of people will also take the salary up.

• Most call centre companies are hoping to earn somewhere between Rs 5 - 8 crore for a 100-seat call centre.

• Business is coming from direct marketing, insurance, and finance companies.

• Recruitment and training of agents and availability of bandwidth are likely to be the toughest challenges for Indian call centre businesses.

Forecast

• Though not a bubble that will burst, the call centre industry will go through a readjustment and shakeout process in the next couple of years. Some good call centre companies will acquire the less successful ones.

• DLD will give a major boost to the industry.

• Most of the single channel call centre companies will graduate to integrated (voice, e-mail, and chat) call centres.

• Soon, dotcoms and technology companies will give business to both voice and web-based call centres. Direct marketing activities are likely to shift to e-mail.