| > | | | | communicate any exigency to support staff urgently. |
| | | | Current Process: Servers generate a text message |
| Overview | | | | which goes as Email to support staff. At times Email |
| The business of providing outsourced services to | | | | is not checked immediately and problems are not |
| corporates in India and abroad has seen a | | | | attended to for some time. |
| phenomenal growth in India. With this growth comes | | | | SMS Solution: Using ValueFirst Airmail service, Emails |
| the challenge of providing excellent infrastructure and | | | | can be sent to support staff as SMS. Used by HCL |
| support to the employees working in BPO offices. | | | | Comnet. |
| BPOs typically have large workforce, working at odd | | | | Benefits: Problems are attended instantly. Support |
| business hours. Providing a proper and secure logistics | | | | staff does not have to sit on computers to track |
| support to the employees is very critical for BPO | | | | incoming mails or trouble ticket alerts. Also, in-built |
| administration. In addition, real time dissemination of | | | | escalation in the service ensuring that the problem is |
| critical and useful information to a large number of | | | | attended to as per the SLA agreed. |
| stake-holders is essential to ensuring smooth | | | | About Valuefirst Messaging |
| operations at BPOs. | | | | ValueFirst empowers its customers to communicate |
| Key Challenges | | | | between varied IT back-end systems and mobile |
| The key challenges with the BPOs in India are as | | | | phones using SMS Services. ValueFirst provides a |
| follows: | | | | unique, end-to-end, global carrier-grade mobile data |
| - Ensure employee security | | | | service. Its mobile data service offering includes "plug |
| - Provide real time information to employees | | | | and play" application licensing and hosting. Employing a |
| - Minimise churn and attract talent and | | | | partnership with Mobile operators, ValueFirst acts as |
| - Reduce turnaround time for processes | | | | a Virtual Mobile Operator, with a clear focus on SMS |
| Looking Ahead | | | | mobile messaging. ValueFirst’s Mobile |
| Security is the biggest concern for the leading | | | | Messaging Platform is capable of delivering SMS |
| BPO’s with global operations. BPOs in India | | | | services to virtually any CDMA/GSM mobile handset. |
| need step up the initiatives to provide highest levels | | | | ValueFirst SMS Service - Description |
| of security for its employees and infrastructure. | | | | 1. Send SMS directly to any mobile phone using a PC |
| Security includes three important dimensions -- | | | | connected with the internet. |
| people, technology and processes. People security | | | | 2. Receive critical emails as SMS when you are not |
| took centrestage for BPO’s after the murder | | | | connected. |
| of Bangalore BPO employee in December 2005. | | | | 3. Receive incoming SMS and reply in an automated |
| There are various measures being taken to meet the | | | | way. |
| aforementioned challenges. Some of the challenges | | | | Both single messaging and multi-messaging |
| are addressed by adopting to the new media and | | | | communications facilities are available, creating a |
| new age technology-related services such as SMS | | | | dynamic tool for cost saving communications, helping |
| services that connect computer systems with mobile | | | | improve performance of businesses. |
| phones.SMS technology is fast being adopted by | | | | Why is SMS effective? |
| BPOs to provide real time information to the | | | | SMS has evolved as a global communication facility |
| employees. This information pertains to logistics, HR | | | | with GSM network spanning in over 200 countries |
| processes, and IT infrastructure management. | | | | and more than 500 operators offering mobile |
| Common SMS services used by BPOs: | | | | services under its umbrella. In addition many CDMA |
| 1. Logistics Information: Knowing the cab timing | | | | operators also have embraced SMS in their bouquet |
| accurately is highly desired by the employees. In | | | | of services. With SMS being the talk of the town, |
| addition, there are last minute changes in schedule of | | | | many technological initiatives have been taken |
| cabs. At times the designated cab is not available and | | | | keeping this highly cost-effective, globally |
| alternate arrangement is done. Change in route and | | | | approachable and secure means of communication |
| time too in not infrequent. | | | | directly in sync with the interest of the customer. |
| Current Process: Administration calls up each | | | | Since, there is a network sharing understanding |
| employee to inform change in timings, cab numbers | | | | among most of the mobile network operators around |
| and route. This takes lot of time and all employees | | | | the world, SMS becomes an obvious choice for |
| are not reachable instantly. | | | | expediting 2-way text based communication |
| SMS Solution: BPOs maintain a database of cabs | | | | irrespective of the geographical location. In addition, |
| going on different routes. ValueFirst application | | | | there are several unique benefits of using SMS as a |
| VelocityPlus pushes the information on any change in | | | | medium of communication: |
| cab timings, cab numbers to the members of the cab | | | | Cost-effective |
| as SMS in an automated way. | | | | As a communications medium, SMS is the most |
| Benefits: Instant and automated transmission of | | | | cost-effective way of communicating to any mobile |
| message at lower costs and without manual | | | | audience. The fact that SMS can be sent out to large |
| intervention. Used by Convergys. | | | | groups of recipients in a manual or automated |
| 2. Employee change in schedule: When an employee | | | | manner further means that fewer resources are |
| is on leave and is joining after a time gap he is not | | | | required to action the communication. |
| sure of the current timings and route. | | | | High Reach |
| Current Process: Employee has to call up to know | | | | In India, more people can be reached via SMS than |
| the current status. It takes time as phones at the | | | | with e-mail communications. Currently, there are |
| receiving end are frequently busy. | | | | about 80 million mobile connections in India. |
| SMS Solution: Employees send an SMS on a 4 digit | | | | Immediacy |
| number and information about their cab is sent as | | | | An SMS is typically delivered within seconds. Because |
| SMS to them. ValueFirst application VelocityPlus pulls | | | | message is pushed to the handset by the delivering |
| all these SMS, queries the backend database | | | | network’s SMSC and does not rely on the |
| pertaining to the mobile number and replies as SMS. | | | | recipient retrieving it from a server, it is an extremely |
| Convergys employees send an SMS <CIS> to a | | | | reliable means of pushing time-sensitive messages to |
| 4-digit number to get their cab status on mobile | | | | recipients. |
| phone. | | | | Automation |
| Benefits: Instant information with savings in | | | | Should an organisation need to integrate SMS with its |
| communication cost. More convenient way of getting | | | | existing (legacy) database environments, automating |
| information. | | | | SMS is easy. ValueFirst, for instance, allows for |
| 3. Emergency or last minute information to | | | | generic protocol integration such as e-mail, HTTP, |
| employees: BPO administration, HR department have | | | | SMPP, XML and windows application systems to its |
| to communicate with large number of employees | | | | Servers. |
| very frequently who work at different timings. | | | | Reliability |
| Current Process: Notices are displayed at various | | | | Since the time SMS was launched, it has excelled as |
| locations in the office. Many of such notices are | | | | an acceptable communications medium. With increase |
| either missed out by majority of employees or these | | | | in reliability, end-to-end solutions providers such as |
| are seen after a time gap. | | | | ValueFirst are committed to achieving 100% reliability. |
| SMS Solution: Using ValueFirst Velocity application SMS | | | | Hence, SMS is getting widely accepted as a new |
| are sent to employees for various information. | | | | business communications channel. |
| Vertex sends interviews schedules for new | | | | Message Reporting |
| recruitments to employees and employees refer | | | | SMS can be saved on customer’s existing IT |
| candidates for interviews. | | | | infrastructure, and can also be logged with a full |
| Benefits: Instant, low cost, convenient dissipation of | | | | message report by the ValueFirst Servers. Messages |
| information to large employee force. | | | | can be searched based on date, content, destination |
| 4. IT infrastructure maintenance: BPOs generally | | | | number and product or ID employed. |
| manage huge IT infrastructure. It is required to | | | | |