Careers in BPO

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is one of the fastest growing industries in the present scenario. BPO refers to outsourcing in all the major fields of business. In India, various organizations have set up call centers wherein outsourcing of business process is done. One can find call centers (for customer care services) of every other organization, right from telecommunication companies to banks. Call centers are concentrated in the major cities of India, including Delhi/NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Due to the fact that BPOs are paying decent five-figure salaries and incentives, a career in this field has become a hit amongst youngsters aged between 18 and 30 years. According to the latest NASSCOM statistics, more than 1.1 million people in India are working in the BPO industry, which is expected to increase to 2-3 million by 2012. Convenient transport facilities, attractive lifestyles, flexibility in work timings, and whopping salary packages have led to this boom. As a result, many institutes have started imparting training to develop special skills required for the job, such as proficiency in spoken English, speech, accent and voice modulation, negotiation with clients, marketing skills, and communication skills, through short-term diploma or certificate courses.

Course Details
Generally, BPO companies hire freshers, predominantly graduates. Hence, one can work with BPO with a graduation degree in any stream. While domestic call centers recruit students who have completed 10+2 or are undergraduates, international call centers, on the other hand, insist on graduation or work experience in the relevant field. One can choose from several courses available for BPOs, such as BPAP Certificate Course on BPO Management, BPO Training Certificate Course, Introduction to BPO/Call Centre Career Program, Diploma Course in Finance and Accounting, Diploma Degree in BPO Management, ACPG-Call Centre Specialization, Graduate Degree in Business Process Outsourcing, MBA in BPO Management, PGP (BPO Operations Management), etc. Apart from academic qualifications, one has to be proficient in English language (both written and spoken) and should possess good customer service, call handling, and communication skills.

Career Prospects
BPO has become an exciting career option among the youth of India. It not only provides monetary benefits, but also gives a chance to grow. After completing graduation, job seekers can join any BPO specialists, such as Transactional BPO, Comprehensive BPO, Niche BPO, etc. Ample job opportunities are available in customer support services, telemarketing services, technical support services, employee IT help-desk services, insurance services, data entry services, data conversion services, and online marketing, in this field.

Top Colleges Offering UG/PG/Other Courses
Some major institutions in India that conduct different level of courses for the skills required in BPOs include Aptech (with ACPG courses in all major cities of India), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi; Lason India, Chennai; Brainware (in all major cities of India); Excellionn, New Delhi; Hero Mindmine Institute Ltd., Bangalore; K10 Technologies, Mumbai; Sikkim Manipal University (SMU), Sikkim; Acumen Education Group, Chennai; Nittany Institute of BPO Management, Chennai; BPO certification Institute, Orissa; NEXT at Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, and Visakhapatnam; Bangalore Institute of Call Center Training, Bangalore; ITES Grads at Gurgaon and Bangalore; and Chennai Business School, Chennai.

Remuneration
At the beginner level, one can earn between Rs. 8000 and Rs. 10,000 per month. After 2-3 years of experience, BPO professionals can easily generate around Rs. 12,000-15,000 per month. With subsequent work experience, remuneration can increase up to Rs 20,000 or even more, per month.