"BPOs are getting commoditised"

David F. Dougherty, CEO OF Convergys, one of the world’s largest BPO vendors, took time out from meeting employees and business partners to speak to BT’s Rahul Sachitanand. Excerpts:

How has Convergys fared in a slowing economy?
I would characterise our business as stable to growing. Companies want to maintain or lower costs in a slowing economy and will, therefore, look to companies like Convergys. The pipeline of our business is over $5 billion (Rs 21,500 crore), which is the largest I have ever seen. We believe that the markets we serve—communications, technology and financial services— will remain lucrative from the outsourcing and BPO standpoint.

Has the contact centre market become commoditised now?
Yes, the market has become commoditised at the bottom end; we’ve invested in technology analytics to get smarter about service delivery. We’ve also begun to pilot a service that allows people to work for Convergys without actually stepping into our office.

What are your plans in India?
We are moving from a voice-focussed business to expanding our presence in the back office segment. We see the domestic market as our next big growth driver. We’re also looking at M&As to add scale or capability.