Here's how: small offices, home businesses and even individuals are utilizing PPO services everyday through various means such as online tutoring and home & landscape design services. Even invitation cards for weddings and other parties, personal assistant secretarial services like scheduling appointments and maintaining calendars are now being outsourced.
Many of these professionals work from their homes with a broadband connection and given the low overhead, vendors and freelancers can charge fairly low rates.
A few companies, such as Future Net (a subsidiary of the Alaphuza, India-based Future Groups) are also experimenting with providing ancillary and concierge services from low-wage countries.
In their model, the end-client registers on their website and agrees on a price. Future Net then provides property deals for customers or for their family members and friends. Other services would include payments made to utility service agencies, educational or other institutions; and purchase of simple items such as movie tickets, personal computers, and electronics equipment.
Apart from online tutoring, for instance, companies such as Transtutors, Career Launcher, Educomp Datamatics, and Tutor Vista also offer one-on-one "live" homework assistance over the web and provide essay-writing guidance and help with educational content. Most Indian tutors charge between $8 and $40 per hour - a pittance by US standards.
If you thought the PPO market is too small and hence
