Dell Computer India to set up customer centre

The Indian subsidiary of Dell Computer Corp said on Thursday that it was setting up a call center in India and would consider using it to service other English speaking countries.

The call center to service customers, will be set up in the southern city of Bangalore, Ron Goh, vice-president Asia for Dell Asia Pacific told a news conference.

"In the initial phase it will cater to the Indian market. We are doing a study to explore the feasibility of using the call centre for English speaking countries outside of India," he said.

Dell Computer India Private Limited was created last month to directly sell computers in India, while earlier it had been selling through distributors.

The US firm, which is the world's second biggest computer maker, is investing about $2.5 million in its Indian subsidiary, most of it for sales and support infrastructure.

It currently has an arrangement with Tata Infotech for providing service and support to its customers.

Chip Saunders, senior vice president of Dell Computer Corp, said it planned to strengthen its service and coverage in India by adding more service partners.

Dell expects its direct selling model will bring down prices by reducing distribution cost by 6-8 per cent.

Saunders said Dell would consider manufacturing in India when sales reach some critical mass, but he did not elaborate on what that level was.

Dell currently meets its Indian demand from its plant at Penang in Malaysia.

Saunders said it was exploring domestic tie-ups for local sourcing and local merging of components.

He also said Dell would work with leading Indian software developers to help the company develop technologies and improve business processes. Dell is already working with Infosys Technologies and Tata Consultancy Services, he said.

Dell has sold around 60,000 personal computers in India over the past few years.

"We expect triple digit growth for at least the next few years," he said.

"The increasing use of the Internet will be the key catalyst for growth worldwide and especially in India," he said.

Dell's sales via the Internet account for 50 per cent of its business and are worth $50 million per day now.

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