Karachi: Information technology has played a central role in the emerging dynamics of the knowledge society and economy, becoming an important lever of economic growth.
Like many countries in the region, Pakistan is currently witnessing a digital revolution, gaining a distinct place as a preferred source for software development, BPO and freelancing. Pakistan, with nearly 60% of its population of 220 million between the ages of 15 and 29, is a huge human and knowledge capital.
Currently there are more than 2,000 IT companies and call centers in the country and the number is increasing every year. Pakistan has in excess of 300,000 English-speaking IT experts with mastery in current and arising IT items and advances, and 13 programming innovation parks,
while in excess of 20,000 IT graduates and designers every year add to a developing startup culture are being prepared with Pakistan is the fourth fastest growing freelance market with a 47% increase in freelance revenue, in addition to a 70% increase in its IT exports over the past three years.
The country’s digital development is undergoing rapid evolution. The IT/IT-enabled services sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the country, contributing about 1 percent to GDP, which is $3.5 billion.
IT exports increased to $2.616 billion (July 2021 to June 2022) with a growth rate of 24.1% as against $2.108 billion during FY 2020-21, the Ministry of IT and Telecom reported. Pakistan’s IT exports have increased by 26 percent during the first eight months of this fiscal year compared to the same period last year.
They have doubled in the past four years, with experts seeing another 100% growth in the next two to four years, reaching $7 billion. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan’s software exports are currently worth $700 million.
However, the country’s freelancers add another $1.2 billion to exports, an amount not recorded by the central bank because they are not registered. According to Pakistan Vision 2025 and Digital Policy 2018, the size of ICT industry is targeted to reach 20 billion dollars by 2025.
Most importantly, the country’s otherwise poor security situation has seen dramatic improvements in recent years. Many successful start-ups like Careem, Daraz, Zameen.com, Rozee.pk etc. are bringing additional investment in Pakistan.
Traditional investors in Pakistan’s other sectors such as textiles and fertilizers are also taking special interest in the startup ecosystem.
In traditional IT outsourcing, other South Asian countries are becoming increasingly expensive and finding it difficult to compete in technology areas such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, cyber security, automation, etc.
According to a report by San Francisco-based organization Dell, the salaries of Pakistani freelancers are among the fastest growing in the world. Pakistanis are third behind Mexico (57 percent) and Canada (38 percent) with a 27 percent salary increase.
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A 2019 survey by Payoneer showed that Pakistani female freelancers were earning $22 per hour, 10% higher than men’s $20 per hour.
Earnings of Pakistani male freelancers are equal to the global average. The multi-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project has also boosted the rapid development of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
Pak China Science, Technology, Commerce and Logistics Park will be established in Islamabad on an area of 500 hectares at an estimated cost of 1.5 billion dollars. Islamabad will provide the land to China’s Xinjiang Production and Construction Corporation, while Beijing will bear the investment costs for 10 years.
Science and Technology Parks are the result of collaboration between the community, academia, government and businesses. Technology (IT) parks have become a primary source of innovation in areas ranging from small sectors to large economies.
Given the increase in economic activity due to expanding business dynamics, both innovation and technology have emerged as new frontiers for competition. Technological advancements may catch up with the world but one thing that can serve as a competitive advantage among other Pakistani professionals is empathetic customer dealing.
We need to focus on developing segment-based value propositions, taking the best offerings of all businesses and bringing them to consumers around the world in a consistent manner.
Focusing on digital transformation, we need a role model to demonstrate “customer first”, surprise and delight customers by anticipating their needs and building deep relationships with customers, developing Goes the extra mile to create opportunities and mobilize infrastructure.
Great customer experience. Companies should consider measuring their performance in terms of assessing their customers’ experiences and not just their revenue. This is an overlooked area by most companies and surveys.
Technological advancements may catch up with the world but one thing that can serve as a competitive advantage among other Pakistani professionals is empathetic customer dealing.
We need to focus on developing segment-based value propositions, taking the best offerings of all businesses and bringing them to consumers around the world in a consistent manner.
Focusing on digital transformation, we need a role model to demonstrate “customer first”, surprise and delight customers by anticipating their needs and building deep relationships with customers, developing Goes the extra mile to create opportunities and mobilize infrastructure.
Great customer experience. Companies should consider measuring their performance in terms of assessing their customers’ experiences and not just their revenue.
This is a neglected area because most companies and service providers focus on winning new business and neglect the need to maintain good and loyal relationships with customers.
They often forget that studies show that 85% of business comes from existing customers and their retention depends solely on the quality of service and satisfaction they feel while working with your company.
Training and quality certificates along with regular accountability and continuous improvement plans are essential to create an environment where global buyers know that if they are hiring a professional from Pakistan, even as a freelancer, So they will get the best business experience.
Continuous improvement leads to positive customer experience, improved quality and efficiency, sustainability and mindset.
Building the capacity to implement all of this and achieve more requires time as companies need to work on improving communication skills and people need to learn how to make their customers great. How to deliver experience
To support this desire, companies and freelancers must consider that the key is to better understand the expectations of their customers, in order to delight them.
Without customer service, customer retention and success will be impossible. In fact, the flywheel will probably stop spinning altogether.
With excellent customer service, you’ll attract new customers, avoid customer churn, and build your brand’s reputation and image. In addition, the data continues to support the fact that excellent customer service is an expectation, not a “good thing.”
The author is a digital expert from Turkey.
