Career as BPO Associate
Today, India is going through an outsourcing revolution and has created many jobs in BPOs. Companies around the world are favouring India due to its talented and well-educated workforce. This is why BPO jobs are booming these days. BPO jobs are all about delivering core business services either through voice or non-voice process. These services may involve customer service interaction, tele calling, transaction processing, technical support and many or analyzing customer-specific data. BPO services may also involve some back-end jobs like claim processing or processing of finance and accounts. Recently many changes have been placed in this career and therefore they are supposed to give the best and bright career exposure to young aged graduates. If you are in your graduation finals or have completed it and are waiting for the call from your dream company, then you can join a BPO. In the coming and past years, this industry has employed several graduates.
- About BPO Associate :
- Job Profile |
- How do I get there?
Job Profile
Being a fast-growing and progressive industry, BPOs are popular
to provide superb compensation packages to their employees. Without
any special and technical qualification but with hard work and
special skills, one can earn a handsome salary. Unlike other
professions, you need not have any extra or additional
qualification. Freshers with average communication skill can easily
join BPOs. The work is entirely office-based. The employees may
have to undergo six-sigma certification for quality
control. BPO professionals do not have to bring any work for
their home.
BPOs keep on running personality development programs at no cost.
Training and parties are also part of international BPOs. Anyone
can join the Voice or Non-Voice process for domestic or
international BPOs, and they shift-based depending on the process.
Usually, a day or night shift can be 9-10 hrs long. The shifts may
be rotational or fixed. Following are some of the job roles that
are popular for BPO jobs:
Voice Processing- The two types of calls that are involved in this process are inbound and outbound. In inbound processes, you will have to handle the calls made by customers, while in the outbound process you may have to make calls to the customers. In outbound processes, you can also get some additional incentives to generate sales or leads. For this position, you must have proper communication skills, average computer skills, and the ability to solve customer’s queries quickly.
Semi-Voice and Non-Voice Process- Semi-Voice Processes are like Voice Processes. In that, they may have to send emails or provide chat support or send faxes to the customers. The requirements for the Semi-Voice Process are quite similar to the voice process.
However, in the Non-Voice Process, you may have to work on a computer system that may not require direct client interaction. You may need excellent computer skills, written skills and communication skills for this job. Back-office jobs are also a part of BPO jobs.
Team Leading- For experienced candidates, the team leader is also a prominent position. They are expected to lead teams or handle a particular department. Some of the positions are team manager, process manager or project manager. Some other jobs are voice accent trainer, quality managers and others. Salary for these job roles in BPO will depend on your position and experience. However, a BPO executive can earn an average salary of Rs 202,379 per year. Once you gain experience your salary may increase.
|
Name of Job/Role |
Average Salary offered (at 2-5 Years of work-ex) |
Top Recruiting Companies |
|
Call Center Representative |
Average Rs 70 / hour |
|
|
Customer Care Specialist |
Average Rs 70/ hour |
|
|
Outbound Call Center Representative |
Average Rs 70/hour |
|
|
Support Associate |
Rs 5 Lakh per annum |
Future Growth Prospects and How to get there faster
Call center jobs keep moving from one place to another. Today the cost of running a Call centre in India is quite less as compared to other countries. India offers great opportunities to the industry that is rising here. In the coming years, the number of Call centres will increase in India as compared to other low-running-cost countries like the Philippines and Eastern Europe. There can be many opportunities in vertical and lateral movements. By gaining cross-functional skills one can move up the career ladder and reach the top managerial position in less time.
Pros and Cons of BPO Associate
Pros:
- Good Salary
- Flexibility and Growth
- On Job Training
- Medical Insurance
- Opportunity to Work Overseas
- Work from Home Option
Cons:
- Odd Working Hours
- Abusive Clients
- Health Issues
- Unbalanced Life
- Age Factor
- No or Less Family Life
How do I get there?
Any candidate who wants to start his career in BPO can begin right after school or college. They can start earning a handsome amount through the industry. The only requirement is that you should be ready to work in shifts. The only challenge in the BPO industry is that you should be extremely professional and fast. You need not have any specific qualification at UG/PG or PPG level. Even after completion of 10th exam, anyone can join BPO.
How much does it cost?
As it is said that you need not have any specific skill for the job role. Still, if you want to join any course before joining BPO then communication skill course can be joined by the candidates. Course fees may range between Rs 5000 to 10,000, depending on your choice of the institute for the course. Some other soft skills required for the job are:
- Good Team Player
- Interpersonal Skill
- English Fluency
- Any Certification
These are some standard skills. You can earn a diploma or degree and then pursue a career as a BPO professional. The overall cost of the course then can be considered as a sum of graduation and certification cost that may be from Rs 5 to 10K in India.
What are the Top Colleges where one should be studying to become a BPO Professional?
Good communication skills are a must for a BPO job. Today there are several mediums and resources to learn English communication for the corporate world. One can join online and offline courses as well through these institutes. If you want to be fluent in English, then you can join the English Speaking course from any of the reputed institutes. Here are some of the top institutes of Delhi to learn English correctly:
|
Rank of College |
Name of College, City |
Programme Fees (in Rs) |
|
1 |
British Council |
Ranges from Rs 10 to 15 Thousand |
|
2 |
Inlingua |
Rs 16000 for 2 Month Course |
|
3 |
British Academy for English Language (BAFEL) |
More than Rs 10,000 |
Books and other Study Material
If you are planning to get employed in the Call center, then few books can help you. They may help you in improving the skills and letting you know the way to handle angry and dissatisfied customers. These are some good-to-read books that are popular and make you're ready for the job:
1. Call Center: A Focus on Customer Service on Kindle, paperback
2. Magic BPO Success Secrets
These books are popular among Call center executives and professionals. You can go through them to get an idea of working methodologies of a Call centers.
What if this career does not work out for me? What are the other options for a person with these credentials?
BPOs train their employees for any domain-specific and communication skills. It may range from several financial to technical products. This could be beneficial for the employees and they can leverage those skills in other sectors in the long run. Employees also learn sales and marketing skills in the BPO industry. Candidates can apply for other jobs in popular sectors like tourism, banking, media, finance, IT, hospitality and many more.
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Content on this page is by Career Expert Mrs. Kum Kum Tandon MA (Psychology), M.Ed, Diploma in Educational Psychology, Vocational Guidance & Counseling (NCERT, Delhi) | View Complete Profile |