Tata Communications Launches 'Work From Home' Services

Tata Communications has launched an innovative service, which will enable employees of BPOs to work from home. This service will be of immense value to IT enabled Services (ITeS) companies, allowing them to give their employees an option to work from home, while maintaining the security and confidentiality necessary for their businesses.

The Tata Communications ‘Work From Home’ solution allows companies to empower their employees to tele-work in a secure and cost effective manner. Tata Communications offers this facility as an overlay on its IP-VPN/ MPLS network.

Tata Communications has been closely working with its IT and ITeS sector customers to develop customised managed network and application services for the two verticals. This ‘Work From Home’ service has been introduced by Tata Communications within days of the Department of Telecommunications permitting Other Service Providers (OSPs, typically BPOs, call centres, tele-marketers, etc.) to appoint Extended Agent Position or work from home.

“This is a win-win solution for both employers and employees. Employees are expected to benefit in terms of reduced travel time and being able to maintain a better work-life balance. Employers would gain by way of lower real estate and administrative costs and availability of alternative talent pools, for instance home-makers, to meet their staff growth plans,” said Sunil Joshi, president of the Enterprise Business Unit (India) at Tata Communications.

The Indian ITeS industry, according to a recent Nasscom study, could grow by 45-50 percent per annum over the next five years and provide 2 million additional jobs. One of the biggest challenges that ITeS organisations face is the increasing cost of providing services in urban markets in the light of increasing real estate and salary costs and shortage of skilled manpower and urban infrastructure. The ‘Work From Home’ solution will enable ITeS organisations to build aggressive growth strategies by tapping into newer and lower cost talent pools, including part-time workers and emerging manpower in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

The ‘Work From Home’ would also go a long way in improving the quality of life for many of the nearly million employed in the ITeS sector. There would also be the added benefits of reduced pollution and lower pressure on transportation infrastructure due to reduction in travel requirements.