Informative mail: All you need to know about a BPO career

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Even in the face of the ongoing US meltdown (see end of article for more

details) the BPO industry provides some of the most lucrative job

opportunities on the market today. But how do you get into this market? And,

once there, what do you need to do to make the big bucks that people keep

promising? We take a look at some of the answers.

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*Entry:*

One of the most attractive things about some processes in the BPO industry

is that they need only a basic 10+2 to enter. No international BPO unit

hires an employee who is less than 18 years old, although domestic BPO

outfits do (this isn't a problem if you have a sneaky

headhunter).<Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

What is definitely required from a candidate is good communication skills

and a willingness to learn. Many BPO companies hire candidates with basic

qualifications and then train them. A company will pay a candidate more if

s/he already possesses the necessary skills. Few companies will only hire

employees who have had some kind of previous work experience.

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*High Attrition Industry:*

Even after years of experience, the HR departments of BPO companies have to

deal with huge attrition levels.<Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

" Despite the fact that we offer starting salaries of Rs 12,000-15,000, much

higher than the market rate for a job demanding the same qualifications,

we're experiencing annual attrition rates of 40-50 per cent, " says Bipin

Chauhan, an HR manager at Pangea3, " It's one of the biggest problems facing

the industry. " <Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

One of the reasons is the fact that many view the BPO industry as a

short-term, lucrative careers option. The odd hours, routine nature of the

work and the stress of constantly dealing with irate customers also take

their toll on the workforce. These aren't the only reasons

though.<Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

" Among those committed to the BPO industry, there are many reasons to leave

a job, " says Lokesh Manu, who worked as a third person collection executive

at 24/7. " A major one is that BPOs frequently poach each other's employees,

so you may get a better -- that is, higher paying -- job elsewhere. Also,

many BPO employees move to Knowledge Process Outsourcing companies, which

pay better and are also more interesting. And of course, some people, who

enter the industry with the intention of staying, leave because they're

turned off by the hard partying lifestyle. "

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*Kinds of Work:*

Other than the well-known call centres (called voice-based processes), there

are many higher-end BPOs which handle value added functions like invoice

processing and research. <Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

Another trend which promises to prove to be huge is the emergence of

Knowledge Process Outsourcing. These are companies that handle high-end back

office transactions like data analysis, planning etc. Legal Process

Outsourcing is an example of this trend. Such companies hire skilled

workers: MBAs, lawyers etc and have attrition rates in single digits. They

also pay much better than BPOs, since they require employees with CAs, PhDs

etc. <Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

*Levels of Work:*

An entry-level employee in a BPO unit is known, among other things, as an

'agent', 'associate' or 'executive'. The entry-level positions exist for

those with under two years of experience. At a voice-based BPO unit, the

salary at entry level is roughly Rs 12,000-20,000 per month, depending on a

person's educational qualifications, experience and whether or not he or she

has had any previous training, relieving the company of the need to train

him or her. <Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

At a non-voice based BPO unit, entry-level salaries vary from Rs

15,000-25,000. KPO units, requiring the high-level talent and qualifications

that they do, pay Rs 18,000-30,000 per

month.<Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

BPO companies tend to have a relatively flat hierarchy. After three or four

years of experience, an agent may be promoted to team leader. " We promote

roughly a quarter of our employees in a given year, " says Bipin " This is

because the industry -- and the company -- are expanding at breakneck speed,

so there is plenty of space for an employee to take on new roles. "

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A team leader in a voice-based BPO makes Rs 24,000-32,000 per month. A team

leader in a non-voice BPO makes Rs 27,000-35,000 per month. A team leader in

a KPO can rake in Rs 40,000+ a

month.<Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

The project manager is the highest level at which one is directly associated

with processes in a company. A project manager at a voice-based BPO company

makes between Rs 45,000-50,000 per month. A project manger at a non-voice

BPO unit earns Rs 48,000-52,000 per month and a project manager at a KPO

earns Rs 50,000 per month.

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*Training and Cross-Functionality:*

BPO companies, on a scale and with willingness absent in other industries,

encourage their employees to take up training programmes that strengthen

their skills or help them develop new ones. Not only do they grant employees

the leave required to take up these programmes but some even fund them.

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These programmes vary from those that teach agents to communicate more

effectively with customers to MBAs in certain disciplines for managers. The

key to progress in a BPO is to acquire new skills. Since the structure of

the organisation does not change very often, it is easy to evaluate what

skills -- and, by extension, courses -- are needed and what impact they will

have on your career. <Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

BPO units reward a person who has the ability -- and will -- to acquire new

skills. A crucial component of one's career is internal job rotation:

swapping job roles within the company itself, thus building a skillset that

cuts across functions. <Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

" This is very important as it sends out a very strong signal about the

person and his work ethic. " says Lokesh, " Companies want someone who can

take on new challenges. I've had many friends who have been re-hired -- at

good salaries -- by companies they've left who want to use the skills that

the employees have gained while working for another

company. " <Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

Employees will receive performance reviews every six months -- in some

company's, every three -- which serve to gauge an employees' progress. At

this point, new roles are assigned and training programmes recommended. This

mobility is the key to success in the BPO sector, where talent is always

short and good, enterprising employees are the most sought after commodity

on the market. <Hum-Our-Tum/join>

 

Recession?:

With the US economy sagging and appearing ready to go into recession, BPO

units are set to take a hit. However " It's still a very high growth

industry, " says Lokesh, " The cost-saving power of outsourcing is so powerful

-- and potential so vast -- the industry will continue to grow even through

hard times. The growth will be slowed down, and raises and promotions

severely hit, but it's still one of the best options available to a young

professional. " <Hum-Our-Tum/join>

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*Syed Hassan Ali <Hum-Our-Tum/join>* *Senior

Support Operations (Team Lead)

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