One day in May 2008, Beijing-based China Data Group, which occupies an 80 percent share of China's financial BPO market, got in touch with the Huaqiao Economic Development Zone through the introduction of France-based Capgemini. On that night, China Data Group and the Huaqiao Economic Development Zone held in-depth discussions. The next day, the CEO of China Data Group went to Huaqiao for a field survey. On the third day, the COO of China Data Group also flew from Beijing to Huaqiao. In the end, it had taken only 28 days from their first meeting to the signing of the contract involving China Data Group setting up a branch in Huaqiao. It took China Data Group another 45 days from signing the contract to putting its new branch into operation.

"China Data Group signed the contract with us within 28 days and put its branch into operation within 45 days. This reflected our professionalism and high efficiency in attracting investors. Professionalism and high efficiency are two guarantees to companies and are the two goals that we pursue," said a related official of the Huaqiao Economic Development Zone. As leading BPO companies set up their branches in Huaqiao, including France-based Capgemini, China Data Group and Centrin Data Systems, the service business park's high-quality services have led to numerous miracles in attracting investment.

In recent years, officials of the Huaqiao International Service Business Park have insisted that attracting service companies should be based on studying and understanding companies, sectors and industries. In the beginning, the service business park sent staff to various training programs organized by the Ministry of Commerce, where its investment-attracting staff studied advanced knowhow relating to the service sector and enhanced their professionalism in offering services to companies.

China Data Group's case exhibits another characteristic of Huaqiao's investment-attraction work, high-efficiency. During its negotiation with China Data Group on settling in Huaqiao, Huaqiao simplified its ratification procedures within the government. After the Administration Committee of Huaqiao Economic Development Zone decided on the principles and guidelines, the deputy secretary of the Party's Working Committee and deputy director of the Administration Committee participated in the negotiations and were therefore able to directly confirm provisions that fell within their jurisdictions. Thus, rounds of negotiation were reduced, resulting in higher efficiency in attracting investment. On the day that the contract was signed, China Data Group and the Huaqiao Economic Development Zone each assigned staff to set up two temporary work teams. One team was in charge of the office decoration project, while the other was in charge of the examination and ratification of the newly founded company. The two teams worked together and completed all of the work within 45 days.

With the higher requirements on the administrative services of the service business park under the new situation, Huaqiao proposed implementation of an "overhaul" in June 2008, so as to substantially raise the speed of administrative examination and ratification. The administrative service center of the Huaqiao Economic Development Zone and the city's administrative service center connected their functions of examination and ratification to achieve an "overhaul" of their services.

Tang Naixin, deputy director of the Administration Committee of the Huaqiao Economic Development Zone, told journalists, "The overhaul is aimed at allowing companies to have all their administrative affairs settled in Huaqiao, where they can enjoy our ‘zero-distance' services. Improving efficiency is to raise our development speed. The overhaul has raised service quality by broadening service content, thus accelerating the development of the service business park."

Writer: Yao Xiaoyan    Source: Kunshan Daily Online