Date:18/01/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/01/18/stories/2006011802060400.htm

Back Sitel India eyes KPO, plans second centre

Our Bureau

Hyderabad , Jan. 17

SITEL India, part of the $1 billion third-party contact services provider Sitel, now eyes the knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) arena and plans to open a second centre either in Chennai or Kolkata.

Chief Executive Officer of Sitel Worldwide, Mr Chris Gates said the company had grown remarkably within a short time in India and expects to double headcount, while exploring opportunities in new areas.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating a centre here, the Chief Executive Officer of Sitel India, Mr Safir Adeni, said about 77 per cent of its work was voice-based — both incoming and outbound, and this would likely change, with voice and other services levelling out to about 50:50.

"Areas such as engineering design services and high-end technology support are among those we are actively considering. While we have begun to incubate a facility for a UK-based company handling data analysis and market research, the scope of KPO is likely to expand by the end of this year," Mr Adeni said.

The company employs about 2,000 people in India and expects to double this within a year. The Hyderabad centre can seat 1,500.

"The growth of the company and location of new centres are driven by the local talent pool. In every country, we create a disaster recovery centre and we are exploring opportunities to locate another centre possibly in Chennai or Kolkata," Mr Adeni said.