Know Thy Competition

Filed in archive Outsourcing Advisors on June 20, 2007

Knowledge is the best weapon when it comes to competition. Through knowing the important information, you would be able to find a way to explore the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents. A game of poker is very much into this strategy which could be applied to the call center industry.

Take for instance India. As I've mentioned, the threat in India is expanding as more and more outsourcing countries are hoping to get a slice of the Indian outsourcing pie. Knowing these alternative outsourcing destinations is a good way to find out the future competition of India when outsourcing. Though sabotage is out of the question, implementing a good strategy could ensure the stability of India.

Here is a quick preview of some outsourcing alternatives in the industry today:

-romania is a growing source of specialist software development.
-China does not yet dominate voice communication, but already offers excellent technical skills and back-office functions.
-Russia and eastern Europe provide software development with pockets of IT and multi-language skills.
-Mexico is making important inroads into the call center market. Indian services supplier TCS announced earlier this month it plans to move 5,000 jobs to Mexico in response to wage inflation at home.
-South America is entering the fray as large firms open IT development centers in Uruguay and Chile.
-Ghana and Uganda are setting themselves up as technology centers.
-South Africa is the continent's leading IT services workforce market.