On condition that AI abilities are now not non-obligatory, there stays a pertinent problem for corporates as most workforces should not but totally geared up to satisfy this skyrocketing demand. For world functionality centres (GCCs) like AT&T, it’s a double-edged sword, presenting each alternatives and challenges in expertise administration and hiring.
In an unique interview with AIM, Santosh Bijur, CEO of AT&T Communication Providers India, recounted the MNC’s journey in India, which started almost 40 years in the past, making historical past as the primary overseas telecom provider to safe Worldwide Lengthy Distance (ILD) and Nationwide Lengthy Distance (NLD) licenses.
Over the previous 10-15 years, the corporate has expanded its footprint, establishing the IDC, a key pillar of AT&T’s world innovation technique. “The staff right here in India has virtually 3,300 staff. Out of that, our GCC, which we name the India Growth Heart, has over 2,000 individuals,” Bijur stated.
Constructing an AI-Prepared Workforce
Having a robust presence in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, AT&T has efficiently tapped right into a wealthy telecom expertise pool. Nevertheless, as AI and automation reshape the business, upskilling has turn out to be a precedence.
Bijur defined that one in all AT&T’s key enablers on this transformation has been its partnerships with main Indian academic establishments.
Lots of the establishments the corporate collaborates with—comparable to Chennai Institute of Know-how and KL College in Hyderabad—have proactively launched AI electives into their curriculum.
“The universities have already included AI into their applications by offering electives to the scholars, so they arrive virtually AI-ready after they be a part of us,” Bijur said.
This, in flip, reduces the educational curve for the staff, permitting them to contribute successfully from day one.For skilled professionals, Bijur defined, AT&T has launched steady studying applications that assist them adapt to AI-driven workflows.
Via its Personalised Studying Setting (PLE) platform, staff can entry a variety of upskilling programs, making studying each accessible and self-driven.
AT&T doesn’t see this as a Herculean process. It believes studying is a shared accountability, the place staff are inspired to take possession of their AI journey.
AI on the Core of AT&T’s Transformation
Bijur stated the corporate’s AI transformation started in early 2024 with the launch of ‘Ask AT&T’.
“We created a non-public tenant for the OpenAI chat app and wrapped it round Ask AT&T, which principally created a safe space for us. We didn’t essentially need to use the general public area, in order that was the start of it,” Bijur stated.
One other key space the place AI is making an affect is software program improvement. Bijur defined that AT&T has adopted GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered coding assistant that helps builders write code extra effectively, automate testing, and cut back defects. Whereas business studies counsel 30-40% effectivity positive aspects from GitHub Copilot, AT&T’s real-world expertise locations this enchancment at a extra lifelike 15-20%.
Past improvement, Bijur defined that AI performs an important function in fraud detection at AT&T. With the rise of on-line cellphone orders and returns, fraud dangers have elevated considerably.
To fight this, AT&T’s AI-powered fraud-detection system repeatedly displays transactions, figuring out and flagging suspicious actions in actual time. Transactions that seem fraudulent are escalated for handbook assessment.
AT&T can also be remodeling buyer expertise with AI-driven chatbots. Its NDVA chatbot, powered by generative AI, has remodeled how clients work together with My AT&T app, enhancing each cell and web-based companies.
AT&T’s Balanced Development Technique Throughout India
In contrast to many GCCs that set up a single command centre, AT&T has adopted a balanced, multi-location technique. “I wouldn’t essentially say Hyderabad is the headquarters. It’s one in all our bigger areas, however Bengaluru and Hyderabad are pretty head-to-head by way of the staff dimension,” Bijur added.
Chennai performs an important function in supporting AT&T’s India operations. This decentralised method ensures that decision-making is distributed, permitting for larger agility and entry to top-tier expertise throughout cities.
Expertise availability—not location—dictates AT&T’s growth technique.
Past Development in India
“When a GCC is established, the main target is on volumes—what number of staff we’re hiring, how briskly is the growth taking place, and so on. However now, we’re coming into a brand new part. It’s now not simply concerning the numbers; it’s concerning the worth every worker brings to AT&T,” Bijur defined.
The corporate’s focus has shifted from merely constructing a workforce to deeply integrating staff into AT&T’s tradition and world operations. Since AT&T’s core enterprise—5G, fibre, and residential companies—is US-centric, it’s important that India-based staff perceive the challenges confronted by American clients.
“For a lot of staff, particularly these coming from IT service suppliers, the mindset is usually service-oriented,” Bijur defined, “However we would like them to assume like they’re a part of AT&T—not simply working for AT&T. That cultural shift takes time, nevertheless it’s essential for long-term success.”
So as to attain that, AT&T has carried out a multi-pronged method that features senior leaders incessantly travelling between India and the US, fostering cross-border collaboration and alignment.
Moreover, digital telemetry permits staff to make use of real-time analytics to trace buyer interactions, app utilization, and internet behaviour, enabling them to know US buyer experiences with out being bodily current.
AT&T additionally introduces staff to its ‘How We Join’ framework, adapting it to the Indian work atmosphere to create a way of belonging and goal.
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