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Should a new graduate venture into the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry or take a chance pursuing a career that may not earn immediate income?
For anyone still unfamiliar with BPOs, they are described as “outside providers for services or business processes.”
Simply put, multinational corporations usually based abroad employ third-party service-providers for their operations be they marketing, sales and customer service.
These third-party service providers are a source of cheap, readily available talent for these multinational corporations. Here we have some inputs from managers and employees who’ve worked in the local BPO sector for some time.
Convergys agent Ray Vincent Canoneo said working in the BPO firm entails more than just answering phones in an air conditioned room.
“It’s more than that. We offer customer support and technical support. People think we read from scripts. In our case, we memorize the opening and closing spiel to establish branding. But other than that, we don’t have a script when talking to customers especially when troubleshooting problems,” he said.
Jennifer Pegarido, who works in the same company, said taking calls every night is like taking exams in college and is far from being easy.
“You have to make sure every call is 100 percent accurate. You always have to make sure you resolve a customer’s concern. Additionally, we also have what we regard as score cards and CSATs (customer satisfaction),” she said.
Ava Gyle Montenegro, recruitment team lead of Career First Institute, said BPO firms hire people with specific skill sets. “That of course, includes customer service/technical support/sales reps in call centers who front line in client interface,” she said.
Venice Cyrille Castill, a Convergys customer service representative for four years, said a BPO employee doesn’t need to be fluent in English. “What’s important is that you’re a critical thinker,” she said.
Mark Yongco, a former telephone-service attendant now practicing nurse, said there are also non-voice accounts. Dulce Octaviano-Tigol, a former BPO marketing and recruitment officer, also said companies need to understand the culture of their market.
“My husband is assigned to work for a United Kingdom account. So it’s necessary for him to know the culture of UK so he knows how to approach their customers and to know basic English,” she said.
Montenegro said BPO firms emphasize trainings to enhance present skills. As far as income is concerned, a lot of BPO employees, like other employees in government and the private sector live on the next paycheck.
“One misconception is that people think we no longer have ‘tingbits’ days. (Tingbits or ting bitay is a local slang referring to an employee who is anticipating the next pay day). Even if we’re paid higher, it’s still a matter of managing your resources. If you keep splurging your money on just about anything, expect to wait on your next paycheck,” Castill said in jest.
Another misconception is that BPO employees party hard and lead hedonistic lifestyles.”For some reason, plenty assume that call center agents, especially girls, are promiscuous,” That’s not true. People here are professional,” Canoneo said.
“Temptation will be present, but it’s always a choice. In my four years of being in this industry, I’ve had friends who smoke, party and drink, but I don’t do that with workmates. It’s avoidable,” Castil said.
“While it may be prevalent among the young workers who comprise the majority of the BPO populace, due to the culture being promoted among young adults these days, promiscuous and irresponsible behavior can be quite common,” Montenegro said.
Concerning employment, a sourcing officer of a major call center who requested anonymity said BPO companies are “equal opportunity employers” who hire both graduates and under graduates.
“As long as they are qualified with our hiring requirements and they pass all recruitment process then they will have the opportunity to work for us. Whether or not you’ve graduated college, if your performance exceeds expectations, you will succeed,” he said,
Montenegro said degree-holders are very much sought after in the BPO industry since they are deemed as “potential high-performers.” “Keep in mind too, that a college diploma allows for more opportunities within your desired field,” she said.