Business Process outsourcing (BPO) services can be considered as a kind of outsourcing which involves subletting of specific functions associated with any business to a third party service provider. BPO is usually administered as a cost-saving procedure for functions which an organization needs but does not rely upon to preserve their position in the marketplace. BPO sector is a key employment source in country like India which has a huge youth population.
Importance of BPO Professionals
BPO professionals are an important part of the Business Process Outsourcing business. Their services are hired for facilitating a dialogue or discussion with customers on specific aspects of a product or service for which the BPO Company or organization has entered in a tie up with the service provider. Besides having strong management skills, a BPO professional has specialized expertise in the given field.
Occasionally, the services of a BPO Professional are hired on a regular basis as the BPO firm has long term tie ups with the service provider firms which are usually based in United States of America and United Kingdom.
Tasks and responsibilities of a BPO Professional
Some major tasks and responsibilities of a BPO Professional can be listed as:
- The BPO Professional is expected to discuss important matters relating to their tasks with team leaders so as to carry out their tasks in the most professional manner.
- The BPO Professional is expected to handle queries of customers and satisfy them to their satisfaction.
- In addition to answer queries of customers a BPO Professional is expected to carry and compile business research data so as to effectively reply to queries of customers.
Skills Required
Here are some primary skills which are a must for BPO Professionals:
- Communication Skills
The work of a BPO Professional involves interacting with customers for long hours. This at time leads to mood escalation, thus affecting the productivity levels of the BPO firm as a whole. The communication skill of the BPO Professional comes into play in such situations.
In circumstances when a BPO Professional has to deal with multiple callers, a person having good communication skill can deal with any potential situation. The language skills too need to be good as the customers in all likelihood will be of foreign origin. Those who have good communication skills can talk in a confident manner with the customers and provide services which satisfy the customers.
- Understanding of Accent
BPO services in general deal with third party outsourcing and most of the business comes from United States of America and United Kingdom. There is a lot of difference in accent of English language which is spoken in India as compared to the accent in United States of America and United Kingdom.
To become a successful BPO Professional, one has to have great understanding of the accent so as to talk in a confident manner with the customers and deal with the queries in an effective manner.
If you lag in this imperative skill it is better to take professional training, though BPO firms do give accent training during the induction program.
- Leadership Skills
With time a BPO Professional gets promoted as a team leader. However, you need to show leadership skills to get promotion in the organization. The leadership skills get reflected in the way you deal with a potential situation during an engaging conversation with the customer. Put your best foot forward and you will soon receive an increment.
- Basic Computing Skills
A BPO Professional needs to have basic computing skills. The work of a BPO Professional does not entail use of advanced computing skills but it is of worth if a BPO Professional has basic computing knowledge.
Educational Requirements
The field of Business Process outsourcing (BPO) is wide open to students from various streams. However, it’s not mandatory to hold specific degrees.
Anyone with good English language skills is an ideal candidate for the position of BPO Professional. Ideally, a potential BPO Professional is expected to have passed Senior Secondary Examination under the 10+2 system.
Career Prospects
The outsourcing industry in India has sustained a tremendous growth in last few years. Genpact, TCS, Aegis, Wipro and Infosys are the key players in the BPO industry in India.
A BPO Professional therefore has a bright future considering the present business flow from United States of America, Canada and United Kingdom. A BPO Professional can rise to position of Team Leader and Quality Control Analyst in a period of three to four years.
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