How Muskan cut operational costs by 15% at Comcast and Spectrum while keeping agents focused on customers, not spreadsheets
India's BPO market is expected to reach $45 billion this year, growing faster than traditional IT segments, according to industry estimates cited in recent Union Budget 2026 discussions. Behind this growth sits a practical challenge: companies want better service and lower costs simultaneously. Meeting this challenge requires specialists who understand both technology and human dynamics – exactly what Muskan (who, following her cultural tradition, uses a single name) has proven at two of America's largest telecommunications providers.
An MBA graduate from University of the Potomac who scored in the 98th percentile on the ETS Major Field Test, Muskan has built her expertise in customer experience and operations optimization at the international level. Her track record speaks clearly: at EClerx Services handling Comcast's Xfinity project, she implemented auditing automation that improved reporting accuracy by 20% and cut operational costs by 15%. Her CRM-driven engagement system increased sales by 10% within six months. Now at Spectrum (Charter Communications), she continues applying these methodologies to serve millions of American customers.
Understanding the Problem
Muskan's first step at EClerx was diagnosing exactly where manual work created bottlenecks. Customer service teams handled thousands of interactions daily. Agents finished helping customers but then spent five minutes typing notes and updating systems. During busy hours, this created longer wait queues.
''One mistyped account number could mean a customer gets charged incorrectly,'' Muskan notes.Then they call back angry, the agent needs supervisor approval, and we've turned one interaction into three or four
The data was clear: 40% of agent time went to repetitive tasks computers could handle better. This insight shaped her entire approach.
Automation That Actually Gets Used
Her approach focused on auditing automation tools designed for telecommunications. Instead of replacing agents, the system helps them work better. Automated checks verify account numbers instantly. Address validation happens in real-time. Billing cycles get confirmed automatically.
We're not trying to eliminate jobs, Muskan clarifies. We're eliminating the boring parts that computers can do better, so agents can focus on actually solving problems.
The CRM-driven engagement system made the biggest difference. Previously, agents completed a call and then manually logged everything – what the customer wanted, what actions they took, and what follow-up was needed. The new system captures this information during the call through automated prompts. Natural language processing suggests solutions from the knowledge base. Follow-up tasks are generated automatically.
Results came quickly. Within six months, sales increased 10%. Not from pushing products harder, but from giving agents complete customer history instantly. They could spot real opportunities, a customer paying for outdated internet speeds when faster service costs less, or someone repeatedly calling about TV issues who would benefit from an equipment upgrade.
When Automation Fails
Not every implementation succeeded. An early attempt to automate billing dispute resolution failed badly.
We built a system that was technically perfect but practically useless, Muskan recalls. It couldn't handle the nuance of real customer problems – someone disputing charges because their spouse ordered services without telling them, or billing errors from promotional periods that ended. We had to scale it back and accept that some complexity requires human judgment.
That failure taught a critical lesson: automation works best for rule-based processes with clear parameters. The messier the problem, the more human intelligence matters. Billing disputes involve emotions, relationships, and communication gaps. Things computers can't navigate well. After recognising this, the team refocused automation on straightforward verification tasks while routing complex disputes to experienced agents.
It was humbling, she adds. We wasted three months building something nobody could use. But it taught us to test small, get agent feedback early, and respect the limits of what technology can do.
Building Team Support
Muskan knew technology alone wouldn't succeed without team buy-in. She spent significant time training colleagues at EClerx, addressing their concerns directly.
Many agents worried automation meant their jobs were at risk,; she recalls. I had to show them this actually made their work easier and more interesting. No more repetitive data entry. More time handling the challenging cases that need human judgment.
Teams that embraced automation handled more complex inquiries. The really tough customer problems: billing disputes with unusual circumstances, technical issues requiring creative troubleshooting – these need human expertise. Meanwhile, routine transactions are processed efficiently in the background.
Scaling to Enterprise Operations
Working with Comcast through the Xfinity project taught valuable lessons about scale. Serving millions of customers means tiny improvements multiply dramatically. Cutting 30 seconds from average call handling time might sound small. Across thousands of daily calls, it frees hundreds of hours weekly for training, quality improvement, or handling more customers.
Moving to Spectrum in the U.S. tested whether these methods worked in different environments. American operations face different rules and customer expectations than offshore BPO centres. But core principles remained the same: automate repetitive work, keep humans focused on complex problems, measure everything carefully.
The fundamentals of good process design don't change, Muskan explains. Whether you in Chandigarh or North Carolina, customers want fast, accurate service. The question is how you build systems that deliver it reliably.
What India's BPO Industry Needs Next
Beyond her work at Spectrum, Muskan published articles in the International Journal of Research in Commerce and Management Studies and ULOA Universal Library of Businessand Economics.
There's a gap between what works in practice and what gets documented formally, she notes. Publishing research helps other professionals learn from these implementations without repeating the same trial-and-error process.
Industry data supports this focus on automation. Over 70% of Indian BPO firms now use AI for tasks like analysing customer sentiment. Robotic Process Automation handles 40-50% of repetitive work. Average call handling time dropped from 8 to 6.4 minutes – a 20% improvement through technology.
But technology needs careful implementation. Many companies buy automation tools that sit unused because agents don't understand them. Systems generate reports nobody reads. Money gets wasted on solutions that don't fit actual workflows.
What She Learned
From five years optimizing operations, Muskan developed a clear approach. First, automation should solve real problems. She identifies specific pain points, then designs targeted solutions. Second, include frontline workers in planning. Agents understand workflow realities managers might miss, she notes.
Third, measure outcomes carefully. She tracks accuracy rates, processing times, customer satisfaction, costs.
You can't just implement something and hope it works," Muskan emphasizes. You need data proving it's better than before.
Fourth, invest in continuous training. As automation handles routine tasks, agents need different skills: complex problem-solving, emotional intelligence, adaptability.
Looking Forward
Muskan sees her work continuing as India's BPO sector evolves. As automation reduces labor cost importance, she's focusing on helping teams adapt – building better technology while training people to handle increasingly complex problems.
Her own path reflects this shift. She moved from executing processes to redesigning them, from tactical implementations to strategic thinking backed by MBA-level analysis. Now at Spectrum, she applies the same principles that worked in India: automate repetitive work, keep humans focused on complex problems, measure everything carefully.
For professionals starting careers, Muskan recommends focusing on skills that complement automation: technical literacy, analytical abilities, communication, project management..
