HCL Technologies starts operation, introduces Employees First, Customers Second

Last June 14, I witnessed the formal opening of HCL Technologies Ltd., the leading provider of global IT services, as it unveiled its Global Delivery Center for business process outsourcing services in the country.

Initially, employing 400 professionals in their offices in Quezon Ave., Quezon City, HCL technologies will deliver high value added transactions services such F&A, SCM and domain oriented industry specific processes.

According to HCL Technologies Global Operations head Raghavan Rangarajan, the company chose the country because of its time zone advantage, the pool of talent available and the growing prominence as a strong BPO services hub.

Vice President and Human Resource head Subrat Chakravarty said that HCL Technologies is committed to hiring and developing local talent following the management approach as espoused in Vineet Nayar’s Employees First, Customers Second (EFCS) book. He subscribed to Nayar’s teachings that value creation happens when employees interface with clients and this value, when is delivered to clients, brings profit to the business.

I was personally intrigued by Nayar’s pronouncements because this is the first time I heard of a company the puts first its employees before client satisfaction. During the interviewed, Chakravarty introduced Nayar’s book that has been around since 2005. Chakravarty largely attributes HCL Technologies’ success – business growth from 600 million to 4 billion and taunted as the fastest business growth in India – to EFCS.

Results of my initial on-line research showed that EFCS is a book based on “a first person CEO’s account” of Nayar that details the transformation of HCL Technologies. He described his leadership theories as “turn(ing) conventional management on its head”. Admittedly, he said that “placing customer satisfaction second may be an alarming thought for some” but he is also confident enough to say that “once you’ve read this book you may have a very different view.”

I, for one, am very curious and interested to delve more to what Nayar have to say. I would really like to get hold of his book, prove the worth of this management strategy and learn a thing or two.

So, what do you think?
Reader, please share if you know more about “Employees First, Customers Second”.

Big Job Fair this June!

For the newly-graduates, in-between jobs and career advancements seekers, brave the weather and head out to the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia this June 22 to 23. Following their successful feat last year, JobStreet.com is once again staging its biggest career fair via the Jobgantic Career Fair 2012.

This year, Jobgantic Career Fair is bigger with over 300 employer booths spanning SMX Convention Halls 2, 3 and 4 that offer both local and overseas employment opportunities. Job seekers get to have a knack at job positions in top-notch conglomerates and multi-national companies like San Miguel Corporation, Ayala Land, Robinsons, Coca Cola, Toyota, McDonalds, Jollibee, PLDT and SMART, ABS-CBN, Petron Marketing and RCBC to name a few that have signed up for the event. For BPO work, ADP Philippines, Accenture, Convergys, IBM, JP Morgan & Chase Co. and Sykes are but some of the biggest BPO companies that job seekers can apply to on the spot.

According to JobStreet.com, their job listing shows that jobs in engineering (17%), customer care service (14%) sales and marketing specializations (11%) are among the most sought-after job positions. These are followed by those which require skills in general works and maintenance services, manufacturing, computer and information technology, building and construction, administrative and human resources and hotel and restaurant. Thus, job seekers should align their career plans and resumes to grab these opportunities. The company also noted that there is an influx of jobs for the youth segment—almost 80% of the total jobs posted.

“As of press time (June 4), we have hit our record high, if not one of our record highs of over 80,000 jobs available in our website,” exclaims Carolyn Enriquez, senior marketing manager of JobStreet.com, who further explains that companies have started posting jobs heavily this month. “If the numbers continue to increase, our job seekers signed up with JobStreet.com can look forward to bigger and better chances of getting the job of their dreams soon. All they have to do is just log on at JobStreet.com and apply to the thousands of jobs online.”

Aside from the employer-companies, job seekers can also visit job assistance booths set up by concerned government agencies such as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)—making the event a one-stop shop for job seeker services.

To avoid long lines, job seekers can pre-register online to receive the Fast Lane Access during the job fair. To assist small and medium-sized enterprises with staffing requirements, Jobstreet.com is also willing to post job offerings for free. For more details, please go to http://www.jobstreet.com, send an e-mail to corpcare-ph@jobstreet.com or call 451-9999.

Business solutions for Pinoy SMEs

On May 29, PLDT SME Nation re-introduced three business solutions designed to liberate entrepreneurs from micro-managing daily operations. “PLDT makes sure that we offer relevant, useful and effective technology solutions to small and medium enterprise market,” said PLDT SME Nation vice president and head Kat Luna-Abelarde. “This way, SMEs can increase the efficiency of their operations and expand their market reach.”

For retail businesses, PLDT offers CheckOut, a web-based point of sale system (POS) that automates every function and process of sale transactions. Since data is stored in an online hosting service, accurate data can accessed from any desktop, laptop or tablet. Record sales, sales analytics, inventory and other important information now comes handy and readily accessible through CheckOut. For the CheckOut Software, the monthly service fee starts at P2,750.

The PLDT Watcher really lives up to its name because this business solution gives the entrepreneur access to watch the comings and goings of daily operations in real time. Designed to help reduce theft and pilferage, whether the treat comes from inside or outside elements, Watcher has a multi-camera system that is backed by a software solution. Unlike the ordinary CCTV system, camera snapshots and video clips can be sent through email and previewed from a computer monitor or mobile phone. Pay P2,000 monthly for the Watcher bundle.

For businesses heavily involved in transport, logistics, courier and delivery operation, the Field Asset System for Tracking (F.A.S.Track) is a web-based monitoring system that locates fleet of vehicles and people while on the road. Easily installed on vehicles or attached on a person’s clothing, the device enables business owners to view their assets in real time from a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone. With nationwide coverage, F.A.S.Track can be an invaluable tool in fuel cost reduction, better maintenance of vehicles, and effective utilization of manpower. Packages start at P1,100 a month.

To stay ahead of competition, small and medium entrepreneurs can step up their operation through these business suites. By embracing technology and automation, SMEs can easily achieve efficiency. Adopting technology need not be expensive, many business solutions are affordable and offer great returns in terms of higher productivity and eventually, profit as well.

For more information on PLDT SME Nation’s business solutions, visit their website at http://www.pldtsme-nation.com.ph.