What are KPOs?

People tend to confuse KPOs with BPOs. KPO is merely a continuation of BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) though with rather more business complexity. The defining difference is that KPO is usually focused on knowledge-intensive business processes that require significant domain expertise.

Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) is a form of outsourcing, in which knowledge-related and information-related work is carried out by workers in a different company or by a subsidiary of the same organization, which may be in the same country or in an offshore location to save cost. Unlike the outsourcing of manufacturing, this typically involves high-value work carried out by highly skilled staff. KPO firms, in addition to providing expertise in the processes themselves, often make many low level business decisions. Some of the KPOs in India are Evalueserve, Genpact, EXL Service, Kopal Partners.

India: Global KPO Hub

Due to a large knowledge pool and significant cost arbitrage, India has become the most attractive location for KPO activities. Companies like Bain & Company, Mckinsey & Company have their own knowledge centres in India by the name BCC (Bain Capability Centre) and McKC (Mckinsey Knowledge Centre) respectively. The government laws in India also favour IT foreign ownership and impose no export taxes. Hence, India automatically becomes the preferred choice for the outsourcing countries. According to a survey by Evalueserve, the revenues of the KPO industry in India has reached nearly $5.95 billion in revenues and is expected to rise to $10 billion (around 59% of the Global KPO industry) by 2013-14. So, with India becoming the global hub for KPOs, the job opportunities in this sector are immense.

Job Description

KPO involves processes that demand advanced information search, analytical, interpretation and technical skills as well as some judgment and decision making. Examples of KPO functions are legal back-office processes, intellectual property or patent research, R&D in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, data mining, database creation, high-end customer/technical support and a range of analytical services such as equity research, competitive intelligence, industry reports and financial modelling.

The research areas of a KPO include:

• Financial and Investment Research
• Business Research
• Market Research
• Intellectual Property
• Legal Support Services

Eligibility

All the B.Tech/B.E branches are eligible.

Skills Required

• Written English communication is a must and one of the most important parameters for this profile.
• Analytical skills and data interpretation skills 
• Thoroughness and comprehensiveness in work
• Good communicational Skills
• Computer proficiency
• General awareness
• Knowledge and application of statistics preferred