The A V Birla group-owned TransWorks, a call centre and business process outsourcing player with operations in India and the US, is open to relocating its employees from Mumbai to Bangalore.
The opening of a second call centre in Bangalore by January 2004, has prompted the company to look at the option.
Nearly 35 employees have already shifted base to Bangalore since January this year. "We have had several of our employees from Mumbai relocating to Bangalore out of choice. We have also recruited several people from Chennai who have moved to Bangalore," Prakash Gurbaxani, CEO, said.
Since recruitment in a call centre is need-based and requires individuals with a certain profile, the company is relocating existing employees who match the profile.
Currently, TransWorks has 800 operational seats spread between its centres in Mumbai (400 seats) and Bangalore (400 seats). Construction of the third centre in Bangalore is underway at an expenditure of about $4 million. It will be spread over 110,000 square feet and built in phases with the first phase of 400 seats to be operational by January 2004.
TransWorks has tended to scout for talent in regions closer to its operational centres in Mumbai and Bangalore. While Mumbai HR team has sourced candidates from Goa, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, among others, the Bangalore team have outstretched their recruitment environs to places such as Chennai, Mysore, and Mangalore.
According to company officials, the trend that is currently making waves in call centre hiring is the ability to recruit in large numbers as quickly as possible.
"TransWorks has received tremendous response from all of these places, thus making it simple to meet business needs. TransWorks recruits from Mumbai as well as Bangalore. Since we are adding more capacity in Bangalore, the large chunk of recruiting is taking place in Bangalore," Gurbaxani added.
In two-three months, TransWorks has hired around 75-100 employees per month. Today, the headcount at TransWorks is over 1,500 and based on ramp-up of existing businesses, the company expects its headcount to touch 2000 by March 2004.
"Currently, the hiring profile is determined by the client's requirement and the skills used on the job. The minimum hiring criteria is a college degree or diploma and strong communication skills in English. Based on specific client requirements, we could hire accountants," Gurbaxani added.
The general salary range for a fresher at TransWorks could be between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 based on skill sets that are required. Candidates with experience can draw 15-20 per cent more than a fresher. The average investment per seat is about $7,500- 8,000.
All agents selected to work on voice-based projects go through an accent neutralisation training programme that has been designed in conjunction with its accent training partners from the US and UK.
Today, TransWorks has direct relationships with 15 clients, several among them being Fortune 500 companies. The key markets include banking, credit card, insurance, telecom and technology.