Business Process Outsourcing Here to Stay

All over the world, BPO outsourcing has taken every industry and has become a preferred method of doing business. Small and large companies in the country are taking advantage of it to sustain and even increase their operations. Even traditionally styled business firms are utilizing this business concept to make them more viable in the modern market situation. Their clients are also benefited by this approach because services geared to satisfy their requirements can be easily supplied.

Mexico has position itself as a prime provider of these services by taking advantage of its proximity to the United States. While other outsourcing services providers are several hundred miles away and with substantial time differences; Mexico just lies at our front steps, within easy reach and access and using Central Standard Time.

This resulted in the development of the outsourcing companies in that country. This advance of business outsourcing was also made possible because Mexico has a firm base of educated IT workers plus the fact that is so close to the US allows for an endless supply of fully bilingual resources. Mexico also graduates more people in IT than any other Latin American country. Without this pool of qualified bilingual resources plus technical workers, but outsourcing could not have developed as it did. They can now offer the same quality of outsourcing services that other far-flung countries have monopolized before.

BPO is not just about cutting cost but also the ability for many companies to provide better service, increase their reach and to gain competitive advantage. Small and medium companies today are learning what big companies know: they need to take advantage of business process outsourcing and outsource non core functions like: customer service, help desk, account processing, transaction processing and other back office functions to name a few, to compete in the market place and reduce time to market.

One great advantage of outsourcing to Mexico is its almost identical time zone with that of the US. This enables companies in the US to schedule meetings and conferences without the difficulty of adjusting the time. If a staff from the US company need to meet with an outsourced staff in Mexico, they can do it in real time without causing undue stress among themselves.

Definitely, the biggest advantage of utilizing an outsource service is the enormous savings that can be realized. The cut in expenditures could go as high as 30% or even higher in some cases. This alone is more than enough incentive for a commercial enterprise to adapt it in its operation. The savings can then be used to finance further expansion. This would not be possible if the company owners insisted on operating their business in the traditional way.

With the way things are going with business outsourcing, it would be safe to assume that this method of sustaining a commercial operation is here to stay. The marriage between IT and commerce has in fact spawned a myriad of other business activities where outsourcing is now being applied. Standard office procedures like accounting, payroll, inventory management, etc. are now being processed by outsourcing companies outside of the US as well as customer facing functions as customer service, help desk and technical support.

The Everlasting War With the Street Kitchen Monster

It was 11 in the night and I could feel Shayra's hands turn cold, her pulse miss a beat, her face pale in fear as she peeped through the glass to catch a glance of Linda. The doctors were examining her, exchanging medical terms and initiating treatment. From the little I understood of medicines we figured out that it was a case of acute food poisoning.

It reminded me of a piece of news I read the other day. A new study by the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Pusa revealed high faecal contamination in junk food items, specifically in West and Central Delhi. The study showed extremely high volumes of E.coli bacteria in street foods, causing severe infections. The numbers aren't quite convincing in other parts of the country as well.

A drop trickled down the syringe and as it made its way into her child's body, Shayra clawed my palm in horror and pain. That's how mothers are and I could feel every bit of anxiety she was going through.

Linda had been complaining about stomach cramps since the past few days and as is the general norm, we love to diagnose such complains at home. From a bitter Ayurvedic tonic straight from the grandma's kitchen to popping up that pill suggested by the next-door pharmacy, we try our hands at everything before consulting a specialist. It was no different with Shayra, who was juggling between two worlds, one of the corporate ecospace and other of that being a single parent to a five-year old daughter. It was only late today when Linda broke down in pain that Shayra realised the seriousness and rushed her to the nearby clinic.

"We have given her an intravenous to ease the pain and put her on drips to stabilize the condition. She needs rest and a platter of healthy meals for the next one week"

The doctors had done their work, leaving us to ponder on what all the girl might have gobbled in the past week. Burgers, chips, confectioneries, the list was endless. So, where did all the health-conscious sandwiches and consciously made noodles low on spice go? Shayra anticipated the answers, it had to be either the playground adjacent to her apartment or her girl's street side pet, Browny.

"I'm so tired of her. What else can I do but pack her lunch box early in the morning to avoid all of this. Why doesn't she understand. I can't see her going through this"

Shayra mumbled in between sobs, seeing Linda on bed with hands pricked with needles. I could relate to every bit of her apprehension as there was a similar battle with my kiddo each day. While I love the glint in her eyes as she gorges on to a slice of her favourite cheese pizza or twirls that long string of noodle in her fork before slurping it up, I'm equally worried about how I could supplement the nutritious value via other foods essential in her growth years.

The concern and fear often have me think of floating yet another business idea; health meal plans for kids across schools and homes. I'm sure it won't drill as big a hole in my pocket than buying a drone and have it hover around my kid's head to monitor what all bacteria and viruses she picks up on her way home.