India’s call centers move upmarket

An Indian call center usually conjures up the image of rows of young telephone operators talking politely to customers thousands of kilometers away – not dental workers. Yet in one large outsourcing company outside Bangalore, this is what you find.

Their desks sport models of molars, while teeth X-rays flash-up on computer screens, waiting to be checked against insurance claims filed to a big American healthcare group. India is the world’s leading business process outsourcing(BPO) hub, part of a global industry worth $153 billion in revenues last year, according to Nasscom, an Indian trade body. The health of the sector has also become increasingly important as much of the rest of India’s economy stumbles, with outsourced services to businesses abroad set to grow 12 percent yearly to $16 billion in 2012.