Offline and Online BPO

Offline and online BPO departments are about to come together! That is the picture that is emerging from the call centers across the world. Till very recently, you had the two different sections of the call center working as separate entities. They corresponded only through emails or reports. However, they had little or no cohesion as a team. As a result, there were plenty of loopholes that usually exist when there is lack of coordination between the two teams. The conversion of leads into sales was difficult to achieve because the online lead generation agents faced a sort of disconnect with the offline customer service.

In the new way of doing things, call center agents communicate with each other on a regular basis. This helps them understand what they are doing in the different corners of the BPO. Moreover, the integration of all call center services into a common platform has helped everyone in the team understand how things are going to be. They are now aware of the different functions that each of them has to play. With their individual roles well-etched out, they are more productive in the work that they do. In fact, they are surer of what they are contributing towards the BPO service.

Some Call Center Peeves

There are some call center peeves that haunt the customers even to this day, after all the revamping that was done in the answering service department. Everything seems to boil down to the fact that the phone answering desk isn’t really responsive to the degree needed. There are some pockets of delay, some protocols and lots of redundant practices that need to be eradicated. The inbound call center department has to shed some of the weight that it carries around to make it smooth and agile. Coming into the modern business that is prevalent across the globe, you have to ensure that there are better ways of handling customers than there are today.

Other call center peeves would be the huge lack of accountability in call center services. The inbound call center department is where agents like to pass the calls when they don’t know the answer. While it is perfectly okay to have the call passed to someone who knows the answer, passing it to a peer, who is in as much knowledge level does not make sense. Keying in the personal information every time the BPO agent passes the call around frustrates the customer, even if the number is toll free. That is one pet peeve that the BPO service needs to fix before they can put themselves on the customer care map.

Answering Service: Order Taking

Order taking is one of the more up and coming call center services. It has been around for quite some time, but it’s only recently that it claimed its place under the sun. With the kind of takeaway and fast food networks that are coming up, the concept of ordering for your food on the phone is catching wind. The upwardly mobile want their pizzas and burgers on the dot. They like them with the characteristic idiosyncrasies, like the right kind of topping and flavor. If your business is into the fast food chain, you will quickly feel that the receptionist is not really the ideal person to take your orders. You need a specialized team of phone answering agents to handle your customers and process their orders. That’s when you need to hire a BPO unit.

Handing out the answering service work to the BPO unit will help you get in more customers. Once your professional order taking services hit the market, you will get positive feedback from all the customers you have. They will refer your fast food network before there are too many outlets out there who mess up orders! The call center agents who man your phone can process the orders in a prompt and professional way. They are skilled and trained to ensure that each order reaches the person concerned and there are no mix-ups. Moreover, the BPO service agents can hike up your sales through telemarketing methods like cross selling and up selling.

BPO Jobs Return to American Homes!

In a bizarre turn of events, the outsourced BPO jobs that the Americans wanted back badly is returning to their homes! Yes, that’s the current scenario for the call center industry in USA. The jobs are coming back for sure, but not to the call centers. Answering service agents working from home are being hired to do the work. There are certain advantages of working from home. For example, the agent can work extra hours because they are saving up on the time of commuting. Similarly, they can work without the stress and tension associated with the BPO service work floor. They don’t have the typical peer pressure to tackle as well!

From the perspective of the hiring BPO firms, this is a fairly money-saving deal. They don’t need to set up a call center, with all the infrastructure and office space. They don’t have to pay for the electricity or for the establishment costs. And as for the work, they can always monitor the answering service done through online reports and other statistics. The biggie for the hiring call center services is that they can hire these agents at lesser pays. The state of unemployment is such that laid-off telemarketing agents are willing to work for thinner pay packets than what they used to make before they got the pink slip.

Growth Fueled by Complete Call Center Services

BPO experts predict exciting times for the industry in the recent future. Much of the euphoria is based on the hope that the use of all the call center services will be the pivot for the growth. In the previous times, it was just the voice calls that were being used for telemarketing and lead generation. Nowadays, business firms are using other non-voice methods as well. Help desk services and web marketing services are coming up thick and fast in the BPO service segment. This has prompted much of the growth in the earnings of the call centers. And it is on this growth prospect that the experts are hopeful of a considerable growth percentage in the years leading up to 2014.

The call center industry is bolstered by the emergence of BPO service in the form of better lead generation methods. Up selling and cross selling is being redefined to make way for better telemarketing growths for the clients. If the clients are happy with the call center services that they are receiving, there will be more lucrative projects for the call centers. The experts predict that there will be a 31.1% growth in the business process outsourcing revenue and the mark will touch $1.6 billion by the year 2014. With the economy slowly emerging from the throes of the recession, the growth will definitely be something that the industry can look forward to.

Politicians Akin to Telemarketing Agents!

In a bizarre turn of events, the frustration that citizens have in receiving unwanted telemarketing calls is now being turned on to the politicians. As the country heads for mid-term elections in November, US citizens are being bulldozed with robotic calls made from the outbound call center desk of the politicians. The masses are angry and the fact that even the Do Not Call list cannot protect them makes the whole process frustrating. Citizens are feeling helpless against this tirade of almost lead generation calls by the call centers manned by politicians. These telephone calls have been part of the American electoral process for decades and each time they bring the demons with them: the breach of privacy. As the citizens toil under this barrage of calls, BPO service agents can allow themselves a smile!

And why won’t they? The American telecom watchdogs have practically made it impossible for telemarketing firms to operate in the country. The shrinking telemarketing services sector needed the support of the government. Instead, political and executive laws have strangled the call center industry. While the projects continue to dry up, more people are losing their jobs at the call centers. Apathetic to the cause of privacy which they are using in this case, politicians continue to violate the same laws because the law itself allows them the right! The citizens are looking for someone who will deliver them from this evil.

BPO Use Social Media for CRM

Social media networks are fulfilling the needs of the BPO in more ways than one. Firms are increasingly using Facebook and Twitter for lead generation. Call center agents have used these platforms to promote products and services. Now, there is another function that social media is being used for: Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Answering service agents are not exactly passé, but BPO service agents are creating profiles to interact and maintain proper relationships with their customers through social media, blogs and websites. It’s a conscious effort on the part of the call center services to reach out and make some personal connections with the consumer base.

This is an age of abrupt change of loyalties. Consumers may change over to subscribe with a rival firm any point in time. The call center firm has to prevent that or their lead generation efforts would amount to nothing. Eroding databases can be fixed through effective CRM. On the social media networks, BPO agents engage in a one on one tête-à-tête with the consumers. It’s a wonderful trend to touch base with people who are the building blocks of a business. The consumers can also get their queries sorted out and they like interacting with an insider. This BPO service effort builds up user loyalty and also builds a formidable brand image.

More Power to Answering Service

The way ahead for answering service agents is one that is laced with excitement and greater responsibility. Several call centers across the world are trying out a new model that has been initiated by giants like the American Express. This makes BPO employees at the inbound call center desk take more responsibility in dealing with customers. The call center agents at the phone answering desk generally stick to a script, one that has a start and end protocol. However, the time has come for them to enrich the experience of the callers. And for that to happen, it’s important that they break away from the mould that has not taken the customer care department ahead like the other call center services.



BPO firms are allowing the answering service agents to take things in their stride. Agents find themselves with the power to bypass certain protocols to make things easier for the customers. A dynamic phone answering team is all that call centers need at this point in time. When the experimentations at the inbound call center team passes the acid test, others in the business process outsourcing world would join in too. BPO service agents in the units of American Express often hold conference calls to clear things out between the caller and the technicians. That’s a much better idea that just transferring the call to the tech team.

BPO Sector Needs Investment in Youth

The topic of discussion at several BPO seminars is the dip in the quality of call center services. Representatives from different countries talk about it, so you can safely conclude that the situation is pretty similar in almost all the call centers across the world. The talks that these experts often have to do with how they can uplift the standard of call center services and make them more suitable for the competitive business environment in the future. The conclusion that they have is that the business process outsourcing sector needs to invest strongly in the youth. Training institutes must be set up so that the young guns can be trained for the work floor.



Several countries need an active, revenue-churning call center industry. The prominence of the BPO sector means more foreign currencies for the developing countries. The government must pay attention to investing in the young people of the country. Take a leaf out of the Philippines government. They have set up training school to offer free call center services to the youth of the country. They want the younger people of the country to get themselves trained in BPO service. They have realized that this sector is their big chance of hitting a stable economy and they have grabbed it with both hands.

FTC Still Struggles with Telemarketing

The Federal Trade Commission admitted that despite their best efforts, viral emails asking consumers to register their cell phone numbers with the Do Not Call list is still doing the rounds! Calling the emails that has been circulating since 2005 an “urban myth”, the authorities clarified that the government does not intend to give out cell phone numbers to telemarketing companies. According to the rules, call center agents cannot call cell phones to offer telemarketing services. The numbers of the DNC list are out of limits for any outbound call center agent, but it’s more so for cell phone users. There is a law against BPO agents calling cell phones, they need not sign up with the DNC to get themselves off the hook.



The viral emails also mention that the government has put up a time limit by which they can register on the DNC list. The truth is, to get rid of telemarketing calls you need not hurry because there is no time frame. As it is, call center units are not going that alley anymore! There has been quite some financial loss in the violation of the rules and telemarketing services were fined heavily. There is no point in the outbound call center agents tapping the unwilling consumers anyway. The telecom authority also mentioned in their disclaimer that the call center services have no access to their numbers and it does not intend to make the cell phone numbers public at any point in time.

Answering Service Challenged by Help Desk!

The answering service of call center units has an unlikely adversary in its own backyard! Yes, help desk services has thrown its hat into the ring and is gearing up for a tough challenge to beat phone answering service as the main revenue earner for the BPO unit. That’s the trend that is coming to light in the recent past. The trend is stronger for the rural BPO services where the local agents are not conversant with the English language and therefore unsuitable for the inbound call center work. However, they are more than making up for it through their help desk work. Help desk work comprises of call center services like billing and product information and web marketing services.

At a skeletal level, the non-voice part of the call center is coming up strongly to make their presence felt. Even for something like lead generation, BPO agents are not relying on voice calls anymore. They are making better use of emails and websites to drive up the sales lead generation efforts. The aim is to ensure that the BPO service puts forward a multi-prong attack to get what they want: consumers or users or subscribers. Answering service stands threatened as the primary revenue earner for the call centers. Though help desk services still have a long way to go, the start has already been made.

Telemarketing Defines Life!

The working hours in the telemarketing sector have redefined the life led by the call center agents. The awkward shifts of work have put them in a situation where they have no choice but to adjust to the ways of the call centers. But they have not made a bad job of it. They have adapted to the BPO way of life in their own way. The body clock may have gone for a toss! The health hazards may have increased. But a good day at the telemarketing services desk is all it takes to put them firmly back in place. The call center services agents have decided to take the not-so-comfortable timings in their stride as some demand of their professional life.

















It’s not just at the individual level that the BPO firms have changed perceptions. In various developing countries, the concept of working nights was very foreign and alien. The coming of call centers has changed that. The people and the society at large are more comfortable with the graveyard shifts of the telemarketing services than they were a couple of years back. This means a lot to the telemarketing sector employees who had to face quite some resistance at home and in the social fabric. And it’s also changed the way you hang out with friends who are not part of the business process outsourcing industry. You cannot be with your friends during the day (sleeping) or night (working)!

Telemarketing Quality Necessary

Call center experts are arriving at a unanimous decision on this. The telemarketing team needs to concentrate more on the quality rather than on the quantity. BPO insiders feel that too many sales calls do not yield results because the agents have a designated number of calls to hit every day. This makes them rush through their calls and reach that target. In a frantic effort to meet a deadline that is actually secondary, the outbound call center agents are losing their main focus: working towards quality lead generation.

The business model for the call center units have changed track. Now dozens of vague leads doesn’t hold much ground against one single qualified lead. There is a major shift in the approach of BPO agents as well. Telemarketing quality has always been a pet peeve for the business outsourcing firms. Conferences and seminars are conducted all over the place to try to fix that.

Despite all the efforts of the call center services, you have customers complaining on every possible forum about the practices of agents trying to sell stuff. The outbound call center agents, in a mad rush to hit the home-run, often resort to pressure tactics to convince people. That does more damage to the brand image of the client company than they can think of. It’s time to change, folks!

B2B Lead Generation Target Demographics

I was observing the social media lead generation campaigns of a BPO firm with interest. They had company profiles on Facebook and Twitter. They had deployed call center agents to put up regular posts on these platforms. They were adding friends and followers. They were doing everything that an individual would do on social media. And that is where they were going wrong. They were not doing what a company profile should be doing. Any B2B company would be wasting their time if they went around tapping the common people! Come on, the only chance of your hitting the right note on this one is, if you come across a major mover and shaker who can get his/her company to hire your answering service firm. Otherwise, you are just wasting valuable resources on a mindless social media campaign.

The trick here is to tap other business networks for your BPO firms. What do you intend to do with the huge number of friends and followers on Facebook if they don’t contribute to your lead generation? You need business. For that you will have to tap business houses and CEOs. You need a tight, professional social media plan. Your call center agents have to be well-versed in the tenets of business communication. These agents will be representing your call center services to the prospective clients. This is like a red alert for all those B2B companies who are conducting social media campaigns. It’s better if you plan the metrics and methods that your business needs rather than do something that others are doing. Look closely. They are more likely to be B2C!

India Continues To Lead The BPO Market

According to the reports by Market Vista: Q2 2009 on global outsourcing, the outsourcing transaction volume increased by 10 percent globally in the second quarter as compared to the first quarter this year. These reports were issued after the contracts being signed by the financial services and manufacturing firms.

Everest Research Institute, the global outsourcing and offshoring activity serves as a central source of independent and objective strategic intelligence and actionable insight for leading corporations, technology providers, suppliers and investors in the global outsourcing and offshoring market place.

During the second quarter of the fiscal year, out of 30, 13 offshore call centres were established in Asia. In the same period, the transaction volume in Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Latin America increased by 25 percent Nikhil Rajpal, Principal, Global Services said that, there has been significant increase in market as compared to Q1 2009 in terms of transaction signings and captive set ups.

HCL BPO To Set Up A Training Institute

The BPO wing of HCL Technologies, one of the ITes service providers, is planning to set up training institute. The institute is likely to come up in Chennai in a year’s time. It will create a pool of quality resources that will be useful for HCL itself as quoted by A. P Rao, the senior vice –president (human resources).
Due to recession many professionals have got into BPO services. HCL has created an innovative method to increase the quality of working conditions in order to retain the existing talent. This new programme is called “Aspire”; under this programme the company will offer training programmes to professionally qualified professionals.
This training programme will enable professionals to move HCL’s IT services. If a BPO employee undertakes this training programme he will have to work for four days and on the fifth day he will have to attend the training programme. This training programme will jointly conducted by NIIT.
So far, HCL has already enrolled 400 employees after taking the test from BPO services to IT services. This year so far 500 employees are getting trained. Though the training is imparted at HCL organization, the company charges a course fee of Rs.50,000. However the company would pay back the course fee in two years.
Mr. Rao said that due to downturn, it has become necessary for any organization to improve efficiency through innovative ideas and most of the organization is reducing the attrition rate and quality of working conditions.
Mr. Rao added that, the existing head count in HCL BPO services was 10,000 and it hoped to grow by 25 percent next year.

BPO Industry Faces Tough Phase

The Indian BPO companies that grew at a blistering rate of 30-32 percent for many years have almost halved to growth rate of 16.3 percent in the financial year 2008-09. They are likely to plummet further to 4-7 percent in this financial year due to economic slowdown.
The software exports revenue is projected to grow at a mere 4-7 percent to reach $48-50 billion in the year 2009-10 as said by the industry association Nasscom.
Earlier in February, Nasscom had reduced the growth target for IT exports to 16 percent from its forecast of 22-24 percent that was made in the mid of 2008 for the financial year 2008-09.
The major reasons for decline in BPO industry is technology spending by global major, pricing pressures, delay in demand pick up and overall bleak economic outlook.
India’s largest software exporters Infosys and TCS have predicted tough business environment this year. Domestic IT- BPO revenue grew by 21 percent to touch Rs 12.5 billion in the financial year 09. The total industry revenue for domestic and exports was $58.8billion in the financial year 2008-09.
According to Nasscom findings, the domestic revenue is expected to grow by 15-18 percent in 2009-10. The BPO sector has reached $58.8 billion in 2009-10 from $52 billion in 2007-08.