Introduction
 
The Indian contact center market continues to grow, providing offshore investors with services at prices that are much lower than those found in western locations. Investors across verticals in both North America and the United Kingdom have been quick to use Indian call center services, and despite recent negative press, evidence suggests that this trend is set to continue.
 

 
Scope
 
Market size and composition: how the Indian contact center market is set to grow through 2009 and the national markets Indian agents serve.
 
Business issues: what are the key competitive challenges faced by Indian contact centers from the standpoint of local problems and global competition.
 
Strategic recommendations: what Indian contact center providers can do to overcome local and global challenges in order to profit in the long-term.
 
Highlights
 
India is one of the longest-serving markets for offshore contact center services. Because of this, western investors are aware of its capabilities, and many have already established operations there. Thus, the relatively slow growth is reflective of India's mature positioning on the offshore product life cycle.
 

 
The overwhelming majority of Indian offshore agents were responsible for serving US-based customers. This is due to the strong efforts on the part of Indian outsourcers to market their services to American firms, as well as to the sheer size of the US economy, relative to that of other countries.
 

 
Given the rapid growth of the contact center business over the past decade, the recruitment of skilled, English-speaking agents has been a priority for providers. Therefore, agents fitting this profile have seen demand for their services climb, as well as their wage rates.
 

 
Reasons to Purchase
 
Learn about the current size of the Indian contact center market.
 
Comprehend the challenges faced by Indian contact centers on a daily basis.
 
Identify new strategies for competing in the Indian contact center offshore market.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
ABOUT DATAMONITOR 2
 
INTRODUCTION 5
 
Why are we talking about Indian call centers? 5
 
What you will learn from this brief 5
 
Datamonitor’s take on Indian contact centers 5
 
INDIAN CONTACT CENTERS – MARKET CONTEXT 6
 
COMPETITIVE ISSUES FACING INDIAN CONTACT CENTERS 10
 
Attrition 10
 
Pricing 10
 
Sophistication levels 11
 
Recruitment 11
 
Incentives 12
 
Ongoing offshoring backlash 13
 
Corruption 13
 
Lack of middle management 13
 
Urban locations 14
 
CONCLUSIONS 15
 
APPENDIX 17
 
Future readings 17
 
SPP writing team 17
 
How to contact experts in your industry 18