[24]7.ai to hire talent from tier-2, 3 cities in Telangana, AP

US-based customer experience as a service (CXaaS) company [24]7.ai is in the process of creating a hub-and-spoke model in the ITeS services industry. While it's two offices in Hyderabad and Bengaluru act as hubs, the adjacent towns such as Warangal, Karimnagar, Guntur, Mangalore and Mysore will act as the spokes. Hybrid working model allows the newly hired people to work from their hometowns in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, Animesh Jain, Chief Delivery Officer (India and Americas) of [24]7.ai, tells Bizz Buzz. He shares the company's plans to go beyond Hyderabad and Bengaluru to hire freshers and laterals for permanent roles across various positions

Telangana government has been very friendly to business organisations. We don't see any concerns or issues while operating in this market. We see a lot of growth happening here. Thanks to the government's industry-friendly policies and the need for jobs in the market

Over the years, we have seen very good talent in Hyderabad. The educational background that people come from this city is very suitable for the kind of work we do here. We have seen quality talent in Hyderabad that helps us to be the top provider for our clients

Hyderabad: What advantages does Hyderabad offer to ITeS companies?

Over the years, we have seen very good talent in Hyderabad. The educational background that people come from in this city is very suitable for the kind of work we do here. We are into high-end tech support and customer service business at our Hyderabad office. We have seen quality talent in Hyderabad that helps us to be the top provider for our clients.

Our clients include some of the largest telecom and retail companies in North America, and they are very happy with the services offered from our Hyderabad office. All credit to the quality of talent available here. Also, our learning and development team works with them, in further honing their digital skills and improving their productivity at work.

How would you describe Telangana government's policies for IT and ITeS sectors?

The Telangana government has been very friendly to business organisations. We don't see any concerns or issues, while operating in this market. A decade ago, many industries didn't come to this region due to various reasons. Under the leadership of the new government, we see a lot of growth happening here. Thanks to their industry-friendly policies and the need for jobs in the market.

How many employees are currently working in [24]7.ai in India at both Hyderabad and Bengaluru offices? What are the hiring plans for the next year at each office?

We are continuously investing in cloud tools and technologies to enable our employees to work from anywhere. At present, the company employs over 2,000 people at Hyderabad and 5,000 at Bengaluru providing chat and support services for clients across the world. We are planning to add 1,000 people at each office, taking the overall headcount to 9,000 people in India.

We also have a micro-site in Shillong, Meghalaya, with seating capacity of about 400. This micro-site is tied up with the Hyderabad office. We have further created micro-sites in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. We are planning to introduce more micro-sites in smaller towns of the country to hire more techies from tier-2 and tier-3 cities of the country.

We will be upgrading the micro-site in Shillong into a hub by next financial year. The pandemic has transformed the business environment over the last one year. We have successfully implemented systems and processes that allow employees to work from anywhere (WFA). This will create huge opportunities for the right talent from towns and small cities.

How many employees are still working from home? Will you continue the hybrid working model? When 100 per cent of staff will return to the offices in Hyderabad and Bengaluru?

Only 15 per cent of our employees are working from the office, while the rest of them are working from home. The number of people working from office will increase to 20 per cent in the next couple of years, if there is no impact of Covid-19 third wave in India. The hybrid work culture is likely to continue for a long time.

Are your clients happy with the hybrid work culture? What measures the company is taking to avoid cyber threats and data-related issues?

We are establishing industry-leading practices to make our services reliable, consistent, and safe for our clients. We have made strategic investments in tools and technologies such as [24]7 Meet, [24]7 Connect and [24]7 Monitor across the entire organisation. We have successfully enabled our people to exercise their utmost efficiency.

[24]7 Meet allows the employees working from home to collaborate on a secured platform to do networking. [24]7 Connect helps them to move employee-related applications from the office environment to their homes. [24]7 Monitor provides a secure environment to avoid any suspicious activity. We have hardened computers/ laptops based on client requirements.

What is the attrition rate per month at [24]7.ai in India? What measures the company is taking to retain the talent?

[24]7.ai witnessed an attrition rate of 2 per cent a month in FY 2020-21 against the industry average of 5 per cent. This was the lowest attrition rate at our company in the decade and almost 50 per cent lower than the pre-pandemic period. During the pandemic, when we feared massive job cuts, we witnessed a 25 per cent growth in terms of both jobs and revenues.

Again, we are about to see 20 per cent growth this financial year over the previous fiscal. We are expecting the growth momentum to continue in the next fiscal as well. The pandemic has transformed the business environment; the operational models are continuously evolving to stay relevant and adapt to meet the needs of businesses and employees.

We are building an effective working model at [24]7.ai that is a win-win for all. The company follows a 'People First' policy which places paramount importance on promoting the learning and growth of employees. The organisation firmly believes that a contented team paves the way for customer delight, which automatically translates to enhanced sales and revenues.

This philosophy has not just helped [24]7.ai to maintain the best retention rates in the industry, but has also been a prime reason for 80 per cent of its clients partnering with them. [24]7.ai periodically runs audits to monitor the employee engagement and happiness quotient.

Most of your clientele are from which sectors? In which countries, [24]7.ai has a strong presence?

Since the year 2000, [24]7.ai helps organisations create a personalised and predictive experience across channels. Over the last decade, the company has invested in building platforms that allow customer interactions over digital channels. These platforms are enabled by a perfectly balanced combination of artificial intelligence and human intelligence.

Our clientele includes global Fortune 500 companies across telecom, retail, technology, travel, healthcare, and banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sectors. The company has added new clients in the telecom, retail and media broadcasting industry. We have a strong presence in North America, while most of the clients are based out of the US, UK and Australia.

How automation will help the next generation? Will automation kill the jobs or bring more opportunities in India?

Automation started in India in the late seventies and it comes every decade. When computers were introduced for the first time, many feared of losing the jobs in the country. Actually, automation provides opportunities in different areas. IT exports were set up because of this. IT work happening here will help the country to develop as a super power in IT across the world.

India is increasingly becoming a part of automation. New skill sets are required to be successful. Because there is a demand for such skills in the market, most of the youngsters will prepare for that skill set to succeed in life. The need for better educational institutions dramatically grew over the last 40 years. Automation helps everyone and it never reduces the job count.