HyperSoft to morph virtual call center into home-based call center

Hyderabad-based HyperSoft Technologies, a software product and services
provider, is toying the idea of giving the present virtual call center setup an
entire new look thereby emanating the concept of home-based call center. A first
of its kind of concept, it enables agents to work from their home provided they
have a computer supported by bandwidth.

"Hitherto, to set up a call center even for a small-sized tele-marketing
set up needs enormous investments that go into infrastructure besides other
things. Also the traditional leased line mechanism is a tedious process to go
by. Now one can adopt VoIP technology and with very little investments one can
start off a call center," said HyperSoft executive director Dadi Bhote.

The company has tied up with US-based Five9.com that provides Session
Initiated Protocol (SIP)-based VoIP solution on an ASP model. "All one
needs to do is to install VoIP gateway (also provided by Five9) to the existing
infrastructure. Agents would be assigned a login ID and password and they can
work in the early morning hours or late nights for three to four hours or
more," explained Bhote.

According to him, this concept also saves time and costs in terms of expenses
incurred on employees in the form of transportation, food, etc. Above all there
is no need to work in night shifts which is a cause for many a youngster leaving
the job after a one or two year stint.

Bhote claims that the home-based concept could prove to be an effective
solution, as the agents need not worry about going somewhere and working night
shifts. "They can bring down the number of working hours and as one
performs they'll be paid accordingly," he added.

"Presently we are testing this concept, all it needs is good bandwidth
that would soon be reaching homes with the proposed broadband connectivity. Once
its there, the access would be easier and the project can take off in the next
six months," Bhote explained.

HyperSoft Technologies kicked off its call center operations in January this
year with around 15 agents and now is planning to increase this by 50 by the end
of December 2004. And later, the company wants to spread the home-based call
center concept across the country and add the number of agents figure to 500 by
the end of December 2005.

The company has posted a turnover of Rs 1.5 crore and is expecting to
increase this by Rs three crore for the financial year 2004-05. It also has set
targets of recording a turnover of Rs 10 crore in the next three-year time
frame.

According to Bhote, the company is also making inroads into foreign markets
with its flagship product HyperStock for the stockbrokers. The product has a
large presence in the domestic markets and is under the developing stages
(customizing for the US markets) and would be launched in the middle of 2006 in
the US.

SUNITHA NATTI

(CyberMedia News)