Outsourcing to India workable for U.S. firms: Dan Vetras

Monday, 04 November 2002, 20:30 IST
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BANGALORE: Two years ago, Dan Vetras declined to accept his board's informal suggestion that Captura, a total expense management software company, outsource its requirements to India. As its president and CEO, he "thought it was not workable". But today, as president and chief operating officer of U.S.-based Talisma Corporation, an Indian company headed by Pradeep Singh but operating out of Bangalore, he believes it is more than a workable model. "I have come a full circle. If I had accepted the board's suggestion, I wouldn't have had to sell my company, join Talisma and focus on outsourcing. A number of Americans are re-assessing India in terms of outsourcing," Vetras told IANS. Vetras' induction has made the product-turned-services company shift from the customer relationship management (CRM) mode to a customer service management (CSM) centric company, a significant differentiator to attract outsourcing contracts. "If we stay in the CRM space, we are competing with 699 other competitors. So, we are enhancing our services business, leveraging on the customer service environment by providing CSM," Vetras said. In simple terms, Talisma would continue to run its technical support centre (currently with 200 agents) for its clients like Microsoft, which has taken its CRM product. But it will "also build content, host, manage applications and provide third party technical support to its customers." This is being offered to new clients, regardless of whether they buy their popular CRM product. "We could offer the entire bundle or even a part of the bundle," Vetras said. "We can double business next year (from the current sales of $10 million) even in the current global economic situation. And, we could also consolidate through acquisition of companies that compliment what we do." Aditi Technologies, like any other IT services company, shot into fame by developing the e-CRM product Talisma. It later set up Talisma as a separate company to provide CRM solutions. The privately held company has received venture funding to the tune of $58.5 million through four rounds. "A fifth round of $ 10 million is the pipeline for the CSM," said Vetras.
Source: IANS
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