Convergys looks to expand operations in India
Rajiv Ahuja
Senior VP (Operations), Convergys talks to Girja Shankar Kaura
After starting its operations in India 14 years ago, Convergys has been growing continuously. As one of the leaders in the Business Process Management (BPM) industry, it is looking to carry on its expansion plans in India in the coming year. Rajiv Ahuja, senior VP (operations) — India, China and Malaysia — talks about the company’s plans.
Q. What has been your past experience and how does it help you with a people-centric company like Convergys?
A. With over 30 years of work experience, a large amount of it in global, customer-oriented companies, my scope of responsibilities spanned multiple geographies such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and India. I also spent close to eight years in the Indian Army, and have trained troops in Survival and Special Forces Ops at the Commando Wing.
We are in a business where our most important resource is our people, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of Convergys. Our mission is to deliver unparalleled care for our clients, customers and our people.
Q. How has technology played an important role in shaping the BPM industry?
A. Technology solutions and capabilities are intrinsic to any global BPM company’s success and are a part of our continued investments to take the lead in our industry. Clients prefer BPM company partners that have the depth and breadth of solutions to support a seamless experience for our clients’ customers in their preferred service channel and at scale – whether that customer service channel is voice, chat, or email.
Convergys invests in omni-channel technology capabilities to make sure that we can deliver across these channels effectively, and add value to our clients.
Q. What has been your business strategy in addressing the needs and challenges of Indian BPM industry?
A. BPM industry in India continues to grow, with an already 3.5 million workforce. To stay ahead in a competitive market like India, we need to be the trusted partner of clients, and that requires our people to consistently deliver world class customer experience, across all their interactions, day in and day out.
The needs and opportunities in the industry involves cost-effective innovation and expertise in our domain, maintaining a robust, high-quality talent pool to meet the growth, and developing top talent. Convergys’ business strategy is a global growth strategy – having a global footprint and the depth and breadth of solutions that can meet any and all needs of our clients.
Q. What are the best practices that you follow at Convergys India to keep the employees motivated?
A. We rely on a strong value chain of talent acquisition, development and retention. It is important to us not only to provide meaningful employment but also to grow long-term careers for our people. Robust employee engagement, continuous training, and talent development programmes that equip our employees with new skills to move up the ladder and grow.
Q. How are you currently poised in India and what are your plans for 2016?
A. India remains vital to the success of our global growth strategy. Since Convergys started operations in India, our team has steadily grown. Thanks to the great performance of the India team across our seven centres nationwide, we continue to attract the best and brightest Indian talent, and are already 15,000-strong today from 13,000 at the start of the year. As a publicly traded global company, we cannot provide forward-looking statements or details on our expansions. That said, we look forward to continuing our journey of growth.
