The KPO (Knowledge Process Outsourcing) industry in India has now become a $14 billion industry in the country. According to the trade experts, the Indian KPO industry will hit the $50 billion target by the year 2025.
The KPO companies in India serve clients in different business sectors like data analytics, business research, data management, etc.
If you’re looking to outsource to India, you may be overwhelmed by the large number of companies providing KPO services.
Don’t worry.
In this article, we’ll cover the four most outsourced KPO services in India and highlight the top 10 KPO companies in India to help you find the best one for your business needs. We’ll also mention the four key advantages of outsourcing KPO to India.
Table of Contents
- Top 10 KPO companies in India
- 4 major services provided by KPO companies in India
- 5 key advantages of outsourcing KPO to India
Let’s get started.
Top 10 KPO companies in India
Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) is the outsourcing of core information-related services to a third-party company or vendor. The KPO sector majorly consists of data-driven work like research, data analysis, legal process, intellectual property services, patent services, etc.
Such tasks require technical expertise and specialized knowledge. Your organization can outsource such tasks to another vendor located in the same country or offshore for cost-saving purposes.
But, people often get confused between BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) and KPO (Knowledge Process Outsourcing). KPO consists of outsourcing core activities that involve specialized work and technical knowledge. On the other hand, a BPO company will take care of your non-core activities like payroll, accounting, customer care, etc.
And since there’s a high demand for knowledge workers, here are some major services offered by the KPO industry in India.
But, when should you consider KPO?
You can consider KPO when you have:
- Need for technological expertise and skill.
- Scarcity of skilled workforce and professionals.
- Opportunity to reduce costs by hiring skilled professionals in lower-income countries.
India has one of the most vibrant outsourcing ecosystems in the world. Many big corporations in India, like Wipro, Ugam Solutions, Infosys, etc., provide KPO services.
In this section, we’ll highlight some of India’s most popular companies providing KPO services.
1. WNS
WNS (World Network Services) is a well-known global brand providing KPO services to many international companies.
The company was founded in 1996, with its headquarters in Mumbai, housing over 300 employees.
As of June 2022, WNS had 52,000+ employees across 54 centers worldwide. Apart from India, they have facilities in China, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the United States, etc.
WNS global service delivers BPM (Business Process Management) solutions like:
- Banking services.
- Finance and accounting.
- Insurance.
- Life sciences.
- Research and analytics.
2. Aptara
Aptara, previously known as Techbooks, provides KPO services in the publishing sector.
It was founded in 1998 as Techbooks Inc in Virginia, US, and has recently entered into new sectors like e-learning services. Additionally, the company has more than 3,800 employees in India and has offices in Pune, Noida, Chennai, Dehradun, and Trivandrum.
Additionally, the company has been planning to expand its services in the corporate sectors and government organizations.
The company profile details how the organization uses cutting-edge technology to provide services like:
- Publishing and conversion services.
- Data management services.
- Corporate learning and performance.
- Customer lifecycle management.
3. Firstsource
Firstsource is a KPO company providing transformational services and solutions spanning the customer lifecycle across Healthcare, Banking and Financial Services, Communications, Media and Technology, and other industries.
The company’s ‘Digital First, Digital Now’ approach helps businesses reinvent operations and business models.
Firstsource has an established presence in the UK, the US, India, and the Philippines, Firstsource is a trusted growth partner for over 100 leading global brands, including several Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies.
Firstsource solutions help with solutions like:
- Automation and analytics.
- Healthcare.
- Intelligent back office.
- Customer support and contact center services.
4. Ugam Solutions
Ugam Solutions is an Indian KPO service provider that helps your business scale with a team that comprises data engineering, visualization, and experience management experts.
The company is headquartered in Mumbai, India, and was founded in the year 2000.
Ugam offers a portfolio of solutions, including
- End-to-end research operations.
- Technology transitioning support.
- Data warehousing.
- Visualization.
- Data analytics.
5. Genpact
Genpact is an Indian KPO company that enables your business to make data-led decisions with access to vast volumes of data from hundreds of client interactions.
It is headquartered in New York and currently employs over 84,000 professionals in India. The company provides services to clients in over 30 countries worldwide.
This KPO company transforms data into business intelligence through:
- Prescriptive analytics.
- Supply chain management.
- Machine learning.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI).
6. 24/7.ai
24/7.ai uses AI and machine learning to understand customers’ intentions efficiently.
Their customer engagement solutions use conversational AI to understand customer intent. This enables your company to create personalized, predictive, and effortless customer experiences across all channels.
Apart from Conversational AI, 24/7.ai provides global solutions like:
- Auto-messaging.
- Healthcare chatbots.
- Retail AI.
- Voice automation.
7. Wipro
Wipro is a leading multinational corporation that provides Information Technology consulting (IT services) and business process services.
The firm was founded on December 29, 1945. It became the first software technology and services company in India to be ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certified in February 2002.
Wipro’s headquarter is based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and it has offices in cities like Kolkata, Faridabad, Pune, etc.
Today, Wipro serves clients with services in:
- Cognitive computing.
- Hyper-automation.
- Telecom.
- Cloud data and analytics.
- Cloud security and compliance.
8. Evalueserve
Evalueserve is a leading knowledge process services company powered by mind+machine (in-house technology) that helps your company get the most out of your core processes.
Although the organization is headquartered in Switzerland, over 4000 of its 5000+ experts are based in India. The company also has offices in Chile, China, Germany, India, etc.
The company has worked with 500+ clients across a wide range of industries and business functions, helping them achieve work efficiency and see a tangible impact on their top and bottom line.
Evalueserve provides a range of digital solutions like:
- Data engineering and cloud.
- Financial and non-financial risk management.
- Supply chain management.
- Investment research.
- Research and Development (R&D) innovation.
9. EXL Service
EXL Service is a global analytics and digital solutions company providing services in insurance, healthcare, banking, financial service, media, retail, etc.
The company uses its specialization in analytics, customer service, and operations management to deliver solutions. Additionally, they use their deep industry expertise to help you outperform your competition.
The company has offices in several parts of India like Gurgaon, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Noida, Bengaluru, etc.
EXL helps to drive your business forward with the following services:
- Data strategy.
- Advanced analytics.
- Risk and compliance.
- AI and machine learning.
10. Infosys
Infosys BPM Limited (previously known as Infosys BPO Limited) is an Indian multinational knowledge process outsourcing company that provides information technology, business consulting, and other outsourcing services.
Infosys was founded on July 2, 1981, in Pune, Maharashtra, India, and headquartered in Bangalore, India. The company currently employs around 276,319 people worldwide.
This Indian KPO firm provides business solutions in services like:
- Digital Marketing.
- Blockchain.
- Cyber Security.
- Application and software development.
Let’s now learn more about the KPO services provided by these companies.
4 major services provided by KPO companies in India
Here are the top services provided by KPO companies in India:
1. Data management
Data management involves collecting, storing, and using data efficiently, cost-effectively, and securely. Digitally managing an organization’s data involves a broad range of practices, procedures, tasks, and policies.
Data management offers businesses robust analytics and reporting by providing efficient solutions to integrate, store, retrieve, and share data.
And to succeed in this hyper-competitive industry, Indian KPO companies use advanced business tools, such as business process management and data visualization software, to improve data management and security.
2. Data analytics and insights
Data analytics is the process of modeling, examining, cleaning, and altering your company’s data to organize important information. Due to the emergence and popularity of big data in recent years, the demand for experienced data analytics professionals has increased.
This service includes support for financial analytics, customer analytics, sales and product analytics, etc.
With rich industry experience over a number of years, the Indian KPO sector can provide your business with the services you need to pursue effective business decisions based on accurate data analysis.
The highly-skilled Indian data analysts can help you gather and analyze data with graphical visualization so you can join the dots between multi-dimensional data sets.
3. Market research
An effective market research strategy lets your organization test the waters by conducting surveys before launching your product or service in a new market.
With the help of data collected through surveys, the companies in the KPO sector can predict whether your company’s product or service will attract customers or not.
Market research services offer vital information to your business regarding
- Demographics.
- Competitors.
- Customers’ spending patterns and
- Current market trends.
4. Global reporting and performance management
Global reporting and performance management systems provide work measurement and efficient reporting across industries.
Effective performance management is essential to your business, and it may focus on an individual’s, a department’s, or the entire company’s performance. And since Indian companies are experts in providing performance management reports, you can be certain that the performance level of your organization never dips.
Through both formal and informal processes, Indian KPO companies help you align your employees, systems, and resources to meet your strategic goals and objectives.
But, how can outsourcing the KPO services to India benefit your company?
5 key advantages of outsourcing KPO to India
Indian companies provide many advantages to your organization. Here are some of them.
1. Cost-effective
Outsourcing, in general, can save your company a ton of capital. This is because your company doesn’t have to set up any infrastructure or bear any operational costs.
KPO outsourcing to India, in particular, can be even more cost-effective. India has a low cost of living and lower average salaries than other North American and European countries.
For instance, hiring an artificial intelligence developer would cost you USD 52,400 per year in the United States (US). On the other hand, the same employee in India will cost $5,700.
Check out our in-depth analysis of the average salary in India for more.
2. Access to a vast talent pool
You can take advantage of a large number of skilled laborers by hiring an Indian KPO service provider. More than 4.9 million Indian students received their undergraduate degrees in the year 2020.
Additionally, India is the second-largest English-speaking nation in the world, with more than 125 million speakers. This is because English is the primary medium of instruction in most Indian schools and the primary language of business among corporates.
Additionally, the IT services and the outsourcing industry (both KPO and BPO industry) employ more than 4.4 million Indian workers. You can take advantage of the vast talent pool already working in the outsourcing industry in India.
3. Outsourcing-friendly government policies
Outsourcing is one of the major sources of income for the Indian economy. The IT and BPM industries generated more than USD 195 billion in 2021.
This is why the Indian government is making it easier for foreign companies to outsource their business operations to India.
For instance, the Department of Telecommunications issued new guidelines for OSPs (Other Service Providers) in 2020.
According to the guidelines, India’s BPO and KPO companies will no longer be imposed with restrictive regulatory hurdles such as compulsory registration, compulsory static IPs, removal of BPO units from existing OSP guidelines, etc.
4. Effective utilization of resources
Indian KPO companies have years of experience in the market and can utilize their resources efficiently. They can assign tasks to the employees based on their expertise, install the necessary infrastructure, and also invest in useful business software to make the most of their resources.
In turn, since your company doesn’t have to worry about setting up the infrastructure and overhead costs, you can direct your resources to better places.
For example, if your company outsources supply chain management to an Indian company, you can use the remaining resources (surplus capital, human resources) to streamline your manufacturing process, marketing campaign, or R&D activities.
5. Adoption of quality frameworks
Indian KPO companies follow quality assurance frameworks like Six Sigma and Total Quality Management (TQM) to improve their service quality and deliver client satisfaction.
This lets them achieve better results with reduced operational costs. Western companies rely on their outsourced team to deliver quality services with a high level of professionalism.
Wrap up
Outsourcing your core business processes to a KPO company in India can help you profitably scale your operations and improve overall efficiency.
With the help of a variety of KPO services provided by Indian companies along with low-cost benefits, you’ll be free to focus on other activities and grow further.
You can use the list of top companies we covered here to shortlist a KPO vendor that perfectly suits your business needs.
Liam Martin is a serial entrepreneur, co-founder of Time Doctor, Staff.com, and the Running Remote Conference, and author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, “Running Remote.” He advocates for remote work and helps businesses optimize their remote teams.