The main thing in this business is patience and people management

Ramkrishna Tummala, after graduating as an engineer from REC Calicut, spent his initial years in manufacturing and marketing in the engineering industry. He set up Worldtech in February 1998 with little more than confidence and optimism. The industry at that time was tightlipped about business models and proven practices, and Mr. Tummala, in his own words, had to reinvent the wheel. Faith and persistence paid off and presently Worldtech turns around over 90,000 lpd. The All India Industrial Exhibition Society awarded Worldtech with the Best Export Award for 2002-2003. An interview:

MTIndia: What wisdom can Worldtech share from its experience regarding development and retaining of human resources? Is it getting difficult to draw fresh talent, especially with call centers coming up?

RKT: The main thing in this business is patience and people management.  One will be making a mistake if they expect results overnight.  Also, the main asset is the people - they have to be happy to be productive.  They should not be demoralized by the time it takes for the business to build, so you have to keep encouraging people and generating hope and optimism.  Along with that, you have to remember you are working with intelligent people, it is important to put efforts into building up a positive image of MT as a profession and a serious long-term career choice, so that you can attract the right kind of people.  Also, the specific skillsets in this field changes everyday, so ongoing training and education to keep pace with the world of medicine, technology, style, standards - one has to be sure that we, the providers, are on the cutting edge of all this.

Yes, call centers are definitely less taxing, and to start with, more paying as well.  In the end, it is HR practices and individual and career growth that you can offer that will keep people with you.  The other reason I do not worry about call centers is that their resource pool is a bit different from ours.  MT targets a different segment of the population.  Housewives, nursing mothers, people who had to take a break from their studies/careers - can become good MTs.  Moreover, home transcription is an excellent alternative for many!  Call centers, by virtue of their timings and the nature of the business, are targeting a different resource pool.  At present, there is an upswing in the MT industry, so I'm hopeful that the HR situation will improve.

MTIndia: Is there a requirement for a uniform certification process that would be acceptable across the board in place of in-house certification?

RKT: I think there is a need for at least a basic level training certification by a qualified agency.  In the end, each company has its own clientele and uniform training and certification will not necessarily produce people who will meet everybody's requirements.  But yes, bodies like the AITES, APSCHE and IAMR can help by introducing uniform training and certification for at least the core skills for MTs.

MTIndia:  What is *the* issue in running a business model without an infrastructure in the US?

RKT: I think it is not feasible in the long run to operate without a US front office.  Your client is in the US and your business is servicing. At the end of the day if there is a problem, the customer wants to pick up the phone and get reassured that it will be resolved - he cannot wait till the Indian operation starts its day. There is also the issue of legal accountability as the customer perceives a higher level of security when he knows that all parties are subject to the same laws. I disagree that quality control is an issue.  Indian transcriptionists (and proofreaders), especially those who have experience behind them have just as much skill, knowledge, commitment, efficiency and sincerity as the best in the US.

We see a lot of people following the middleman model, but long-term, any company depending on middlemen is not going to work.  Anything less than 5 cpl, the company is not going to survive.