The key skills that young professionals in the BPO domain acquire

1. The key skills that young professionals in the BPO domain acquire Data collected by Dileep Kumar, BE, PGDM Secretary, Association of Knowledge Workers, Lucknow, dkbhatnagar@gawab.com, www.knowledgeworkerslko.org Source: www.infotech.indiatimes.com BPOs take care of your career too[ MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2006 12:00:17 PM]

2. Communication Skills • The ability to communicate effectively with global customers is critical. Accent neutralisation, cultural awareness, empathy and judgement also play a vital role in ensuring smooth and seamless communication with global customers. • After rigorous training in neutralising accent, voice modulation, moderating the rate of speech, intonation and so on, call centre associates step into their new personas. That’s where an Alok transforms into an Alex. • BPOs focus on the following competencies.

3. Communication Skills, contd.. • Language : Employees are trained on speech orientation, which includes basic training on grammar, vocabulary, speech and pronunciation • Comprehension : Employees are trained on understanding the customer’s query and being able to provide an appropriate solution/ information. They are also trained on understanding different accents which exist within the US. Their ability to comprehend the customer is paramount in enhancing the quality of the customer experience • Soft skills : The most important attribute in the course of a conversation between a customer and an agent is the ability to build rapport by using appropriate tone, claiming ownership of the issue and listening attentively. This allows the employees to build positive relationships with the customer and provide a human touch to the discussion.

4. Other Skills Development • Project-Specific Skills: This training is customised to the project that an employee is going to be associated with. It could range from learning about several financial products to technical skills. This enables the employees to build domain-specific skill sets which could be leveraged across sectors in the long run. Employees also learn sales and customer service skills during this phase that could come in handy for jobs in the service industry at a later stage • Educational Support : Companies sponsor executive education for employees e.g. MBA/ MCA/ CCNA etc • Multi Dimensional/Cross-Training : Employees are cross trained on multiple domains and are provided opportunities to work in various departments. Individual action plans are put in place based on the employee’s aspirations and strengths. OD interventions are also arranged for on a need basis.

5. Other Skills Development • Feedback/Coaching Mechanisms: BPO have developed a unique one-on-one feedback and coaching framework which most companies subscribe to. This helps employees to reflect on themselves and strive for improvement. • Promotional/Lateral Opportunities :The industry offers a wide variety of jobs to young professionals in areas like IT, customer support, human resources, training and logistics. The industry actively encourages employees to move up the ladder or gain cross-functional skill sets. Most companies fill their front-end leadership roles from the talent pool available within the organisation. • The industry hopes to change its perception of being considered a transitional stop-gap arrangement to that of a long-term career option.