Hi,
It gives me great pleasure to write this first blog post on the Boston Analytics blog! and I cant think of a better way than to write about the future of analytics and research in the country.
A lot has been written about the KPO industry and we see a lot of facts and figures touted so much so that we may have begun to overkill the opportunities that exist in areas like research and analytics which one could call an advanced form knowledge processing. I think it is important for me here then to explain what research and analytics is all about.
The moment someone puts together 'process' and 'outsourcing' in the phrase, one cant help but think of monotony and routine being part of the job. However in the context of research and analytics it becomes an altogether different story where process is not about a routine repeatitive task being performed to ensure a consistent output. sure there is some element of process in the sense of describing the framework to carry out a research project. But the output each time is diverse, enriching and on many ocassions pathbreaking!
That is what I believe differentiates research and analytics from any other KPO jobs as we have come to understand it now. While you may want to follow certain basic steps, what you do and how you do it changes the nature of the engagement and therefore allows you to differentiate. To that end i believe that research and analytics in India represent a new sector altogether one which i would call 'Knowledge Services Outsourcing'
So the question would ofcourse be how is it any different from knowledge process outsourcing? Is it just another 'buzz word'?
The answer is that it is more than a buzz word and it is something that is fundamentally different. when we talk about KPOs and analytics in that context, what we have seen being done is that large volumes of data being taken up and processed using various analytical applications like SAS or STATA. The output which throws up trends or patterns is typically delivered as the resolution of problem. The research and analytics industry however has to go beyond just churning voluminous data. paradoxically it may also have to work in 'absence of data' where the problems are so complex that data is simply not available for any knowledge or insight to be generated. Research and Analytics therefore cannot run on set processes or algorithms and rules that bring the predictability or consistency in BPO or even KPO environment. The work therefore while being done within a larger fixed framework remains unstructured and open to adaptation. Therefore what is being ultimately delivered is a service which provides the client with insights/knowledge to help drive strategic decisions.
So is this the evolutionary next step? it sure looks like it as the adavantage that drove the BPO and KPO industry namely that of labour arbitrage is not a strong driver any longer. we face the issue of increasing costs which are also in part due to the nature of work itself. The other key differentiator that we can work on therefore is the value that we add to the client's businesses. Knowledge services provides us that opportunity to address value proposition and thus help us to sustain the growth that we have seen in the industry as a whole.
The views being published here are my own personal views and may not be held as a representative of the organisation's views. I use this blog as a platform to promote analytics and research as a viable career option and hope to attract more talent to this industry in general and Boston Analytics in particular.
Pradip
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