Services Export Case Study ~ NBA Computers Babar B. Jhumra Services Export Consultant & Managing Partner, NBA Computers

Pakistan’s Services Sector Enterprises in the Services Sector: 72% GDP Contribution: 52.3% Growth: 8.8% Employment Contribution: 40% Private investment in Services: 62% Babar B. Jhumra www.nbacomputers.com

Impediments faced by Services Sector in Pakistan Bureaucracy Inefficient Procedures and Processes Unethical practices by some entrepreneurs Inadequate marketing skills Babar B. Jhumra www.nbacomputers.com

The NBA Experience Research confirmed potential in North America Set up a BPO in 1999 call center remote data entry software development Obvious need for physical presence in the US (We use Mode 1 for service delivery and Mode 3 for Customer Service) Started Some 7 years back my elder brother Mr. Nasser B. Jhumra and myself started to look into Services Export by setting-up a BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) with international call center, remote data entry and Software Development – web-technologies, facilities. After doing our market research and finding the project viable and workable we decided to target North America as our market. Primarily the concentration was to develop and export software solutions to the US market and later on to add Int. Call Center services to our portfolio. We soon discovered a need for physical presence in the US, as most of the potential customers required a local US contact. Babar B. Jhumra www.nbacomputers.com

The NBA Experience…. contd. Impeded by local bureaucracy Took 2 years to register Eventually successfully exported to North America, and then added Europe While Locally being among the first legal BPO we learnt our efforts were uphill – after being faced by dire threats and harassment of long-term jail sentence and threats of millions of rupees of penalties on totally ill founded and baseless charges leveled out of shear ignorance! Took us nearly 2 years to obtain clearance from Pakistan Govt.’s multiple regulatory channels and bureaucratic procedures to obtain necessary permission for establishing a legal and duly registered BPO & international call center. After successfully exporting to North American markets, Last year we added European Union to our target market, and are successfully exporting Data Entry Services to Italy and Switzerland, while a few MoUs have been signed with UK. Babar B. Jhumra www.nbacomputers.com

The NBA Experience…. contd. Learning curve involved new client expectations, especially cultural expectations re time and quality We have skilled HR, IT infrastructure, language skills - the key things we need We employ top technical staff, train them to world-class standards and use sound management techniques Babar B. Jhumra www.nbacomputers.com

Successful Export Strategy We offered limited period free trials Prospects experienced our service, efficiency, quality and cost savings – with no initial risk!! This strategy has been a key to our success Babar B. Jhumra www.nbacomputers.com

Summary of Success Factors High quality services A strategy to win and keep customers The best staff Cultural sensitivity Efficient customer service (24/7) Sound business controls Confidence and Persistence

Conclusion ‘Going international’ by NBA has been a demanding but pleasing experience Export can deliver exciting business growth Success in services export will create significant economic benefits in future for Pakistan Babar B. Jhumra www.nbacomputers.com