How About Virtual Call Centers ?

In my yesterday's blog ( Slow and Steady wins the Race )- and in earlier blog ( If Mohamed cannot Go to Mountain / 26 July 2015 ) , I had suggested allowing 1.3 million schools of India to lease out their premises at night ( 6 pm to 6 am ) , for private parties to set up Call Centers ( BPOs )

Also enabling them with 100 mbps  Internet broadband connections ( of course , FREE )

Idea was to reduce investment in setting up of BPOs by " round-the-clock " utilization of , otherwise idle assets

That logic could be extended to many similar under-utilized public assets such as :

#   2,25,000  Gram Panchayat offices ( all getting internet connection )

#   1,45,000  Post Offices ( also getting internet connection under Payment Bank scheme )

#   Lakhs of Government offices ( Central / State / Municipal / PSUs etc )

#   Lakhs of branches of Public Sector Banks

But any attempt to share a public place by different entities ( especially by Private Sector entities ) , at different times of day and night , is bound to raise many issues , including that of security / maintenance  etc

Again , these " idle / under-utilized " capacities will be available ONLY during the nights , whereas  a Call Centre  needs to work around the clock !

But then , in today's totally interconnected World , why should it be necessary for housing 10 / 20 / 50 persons in ONE place , under ONE roof , for collaborating on execution of COMMON tasks ?

I am sure , in any given ONE square km of a small town , there are 50 unemployed - and quite possibly , GRADUATE - youngsters , who would be more than happy to " work from home "

They will be happy to set aside , in their homes , a 5 feet by 5 feet space , as a " Home Work Station "

Now , that subsidy of " Rs 1 lakh per seat " that the IT Ministry has promised , is quite sufficient to set up a :

VIRTUAL  CALL  CENTER ,

by connecting those 50 youngsters through a  , VPN ( VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK )

And since these youngsters are working from their homes , they can be asked to work in 3 shifts of 8 hours each , providing " Round the Clock " service to customers !

If Uber-Ola are adding 5,000 " Ride Sharing Taxies " EVERY MONTH , by providing lease finance to the drivers or even buying the cars themselves and giving to these drivers , then what is holding back the IT Ministry to follow their suit and enable 5,000 youngsters to become " Self Employed " , each month ? or even 50,000 ?

Dear Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad-ji :

Why give a subsidy to a prospective " OWNER " of a Call Centre ?

Why not give it directly ( DBT / Direct Benefit Transfer ) to those youngsters ?

Of course , this subsidy transfer should take place , only AFTER , the Call Centre Owner , certifies that it has entered into a " Contractual Retainer-ship " with a particular youngster

I would request you to consider the following aspects of my suggestion :

*  No new building premises needed

*  All technologies for a VPN, are existing / well proven  / reasonably priced / easy to implement quickly

*  MSPs / ISPs and your own Ministry are pushing internet connections to every corner of India

*  Moving from " Ownership of Assets " to " Assets as Service " scenario ( ala Uber-Ola-Airbnb etc )

*  Moving from " Employment " to " Self Employment " with direct transfer of subsidy to beneficiary

*  Has the potential to raise India's share in global BPO business from current 36 % to 50 % in one year

*  Can earn billions of dollars in foreign exchange

*  It would become a LIVING PROOF that DIGITAL INDIA can help our un-employed graduates to earn a living

*  Google  /  Microsoft  / Facebook , would be happy to help since " Next Billion " is their topmost agenda

In an age where the " Fast and Furious " are out to overtake the " Slow and Steady " , the meek are unlikely to inherit the earth !

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

05  Oct  2016

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs