National Association of Software and Service Companies is actively pursuing renowned IT firms having call centre operations to reduce duty shifts by at least an hour daily to enable personnel manning them to pursue higher studies.

Nasscom president Kiran Karnik told reporters in Kolkata on Wednesday that if call centre duty time was reduced from eight hour-shift to six-and-half hours, then young boys and girls who had joined these places just after completing graduation, would be able to carry out academic pursuits.

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This, in turn, would help the IT firms to retain them for a longer time by providing better career opportunities.

Karnik, however, said this would mean higher operational costs for the IT companies, adding that the firms should be able to bear the incremental expenses for future benefits.

On the contrary, if call centre duties were on an eight-hourly continuous basis, then after a certain period, IT firms would find it difficult to attract good talent, thus affecting the entire outsourcing industry as a whole.