Is Mysore becoming the next BPO capital?

By Roshni Menon , CNBC-TV18

Think IT, think South India. Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad have seen unprecedented growth in the last decade owing to the growth of the information technology sector. But, could Bangalore be 'Bangalored' by its own neighboring town? Could Vijayawada or Madurai be the next BPO boomtowns?

Mysore is known as much as for Mysore Pak as it is known for Brindavan Gardens and the Chamundi Hills. This sleepy city has been witnessing a quiet IT revolution since 2003.

According to a NASSCOM - A.T Kearney study, Mysore is all set to breakout into the big league on the BPO scene because of availability of talent and the city's proximity to Bangalore. So, while the big firms like Infosys, Wipro and HCL are setting up big global trading and delivery centers here, it's the smaller firms that are actually able to dig in their heels into the local talent pool.        

HTMT Global Solutions is one of the first BPO companies is to set-up shop in Mysore. Benjamin Franklin, the Deputy GM at HTMT tells that the 250-seater facility is far exceeding his expectations. Set-up just 1.5 years ago, it has seen some of it's first employees now become team leaders. The response from the city has been so good that HTMT is already looking to expand by over 500-seats.  

"HTMT has basically been an early starter in this particular place and we have got that advantage because we came and checked for the kind of talent pool that is available here. We found that there were a lot of educational institutions which exist here. That talent pool was not fully getting tapped, so we have seen that potential and for our client basically we came across and set-up this center," said Franklin.

Lots of greenery, traffic-free roads, a low cost of living and a pollution-free city are some of the reasons that encouraged over 30 BPO firms to set up shop in Mysore. It is not just the Indian companies, but Mysore's charm is drawing foreign companies as well.   

Russel Smith came to India four-years ago to learn Yoga but he fell in love with Mysore and decided to set-up a branch office of SDD Global. Today, he manages a team of 20 lawyers who handle some of the most complicated legal issues of Hollywood movies. It is Mysore's character that made him choose it over Bangalore.

"Cost-wise, weather is fantastic year around and our average commute time for employees is 3.5 minutes, which contrasts to hours for tier I cities," said Smith.

When asked if he feels like a 'Mysorian' after four-years, he said, "I will have to check with my visa status and check with the Indian government who would probably be watching the show but in heart and in spirit I am a Mysorian."