Lanka yet to respond positively:

US looking for more local BPO

Shirajiv SIRIMANE

Several USA companies are keen to offer Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) opportunities to Sri Lanka. However Sri Lanka is yet to respond positively to these ventures said Managing Director, Sri Lanka, Waquis, Inc, Mahinda Athulthmudali.

He said that BPO provides high paying employment opportunities for school leavers and there are many US companies who like to do business with Sri Lanka. The salaries for beginners go as high as Rs 40,000 for the training period.
 

The high literacy rate, quick turn around time, time difference and an active work force are some of the key advantages Sri Lanka offers for the BPO industry.

He said that founder President of Waquis, Inc, Los Angeles, USA, Joe O’ Neil had been networking through their office in Bangalore 7 years. “When I invited him to visit Sri Lanka he was amazed about the talent Sri Lanka offered,” he said.

Waquis, Inc, immediately set up an office in Borella with Mahinda Athulthmudali with an investment of RS. 40 million and to date they process around 3,000 assignments a week. “This is all we can handle for the moment,” he said.

He said that O’Neil was also pleased in the quick manner in which the BoI approved their project and this is an encouragement for other inventors.

Waquis, Inc, in Sri Lanka after setting up business six months ago handle USA bank loan applications for major banks and also handle mortgages. “Due to the time difference when a loan application is handed over to US banks they forward it to us. We go through it in the night and send it back within half an hour,” he said.

A former employee of the Federal government of Canada said that he wanted to render a service to the motherland and that was why he started this business. “We would next look at outsourcing annual reports to US companies and hope to do business with Australia as well,” he said.

Sri Lanka, Waquis, Inc is also looking at opening an office in Matara next year.

Athulthmudali said that one reason for the slow progress in the local BPO industry is that there is no association and urged people who are involved in the business to set up one. “When this is done more can get in to the business and the country can benefit,” he said.

He said that one gray area they face in the industry is the high charges for leased lines and the lack of backup in case of a failure in the night.

“The delay in VAT refunds is another problem we face and we suggest that the authorities should try to introduce a credit card which would give the VAT balance in it. This we can produced to customs and other authorities,” he said.