Need To Recognize Lifecycles

South Asian call centers generally follow the same lifecycle, although most market entrants never progress beyond the first stage:

1. Business-to-consumer (B2C) outbound telemarketing programs, which are usually paid on a pure pay-for-performance basis.

2. Business-to-business (B2B) outbound telemarketing programs, which are usually paid on a pure pay-for-performance basis.

3. Simple hourly-rate work such as outbound marketing surveys, soft collections or inbound directory support. This runs for about US$15-$18 per production hour from a good facility in India or the Persian Gulf and at least $2 an hour less in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

4. Complex inbound work that is often billed on a per-minute basis, and for which U.S. centers would charge the equivalent of $75 per hour or more.

The most critical time in an IT facility's lifecycle is at the beginning, when its corporate culture is first being defined. The best time to establish a good corporate culture is at the beginning of a facility's lifecycle, rather than wait and attempt to repair a damaged culture later on.