Naturally when jobs are going out, there will be lot of resentment

MTIndia: A majority of "entrepreneurs" jumped into this industry thinking of it as quick money. As they exit, does that fathom better health for the industry?

RKT: In fact, initially when we started we also thought it’s quick money, but like in every industry, many joined and only 25% were successful.  Even now we have some new people coming in - this is a continuous process. Only those who are there consistently for some time, will survive.  We need to have a lot of patience, and in this business you need a minimum two to three years to survive.  We need money and time, as well as other synergies.  These people who are exiting the industry are adding to the lessons to be learnt and also helping indirectly by training more people and nurturing the industry with trained manpower.

MTIndia: Many Indian MTSOs couldn’t project correctly on the cost of marketing in the US, on the drawing board.  Is this the major reason for underutilized capacity and underbidding or is the problem with deliverables?

RKT: It is not exactly the question of cost to start with.  We need to be clear who our customer is; and to convince that customer, it takes one-on-one interaction and communication with the client to earn credibility.   It was and still is difficult for us to get customers.  It has taken us a good deal of time in spite of our presence in the US to acquire a client base that will generate some inertia.  Once we have a bunch of doctors, we are happy because then we can go out and market ourselves.  Also, having a front office in the US helps in planning growth, since you are not at the mercy of other people's business plans.  I don’t think deliverables is a problem, though we do see a learning curve with every new customer, which is only normal.  What took time for us was to convince our customers that we would be able to deliver, and once we gained their acceptance, they helped by spreading the word about our service.

MTIndia: How do you thing HIPAA compliance specs are going to change the face of the offshore outsourcing industry?

RKT: All of us need to follow some systems.  I think many of us are still trying to sort out what the total implication of this will be, but from I understand, I really don’t see any change or anything, but only thing is we need to follow some systems as per requirements of HIPAA.  For some businesses it might mean changing the way they work, bring in accountability and transparency of procedures.  Of course, it might mean we need to invest some money for those things.  I am sure the only change it will bring is to make the business process at this end more efficient.

MTIndia: Do you consider that the outsourcing model will ever be a threat to MTs in US? Do you perceive a threat from legislation like the New Jersey Bill?

RKT: Naturally when jobs are going out, there will be lot of resentment.  But, the New Jersey Bill, as of today, they say it’s only for government jobs, but I learnt recently that in the State of Washington, they don’t want to outsource even the private jobs to India.  If that really happens, it is a threat for the Indian BPO industry, but I am sure there will be some solution tomorrow for all these things since America is a free country where the decision will always be weighed in favor of quality and service and cost efficiency, that is the one country where they don’t care about all these things.