There are lot of myths about working in the Business Process Services industry (aka as BPO / ITeS industry)
For the BPS industry has been a story of rapid growth in India having grown from less than a Billion US Dollars in revenues around 2001 to about 20 times that revenue by 2013. Truly with the forecast for 2020 being 50 Billion US Dollars the industry is in a sweet spot.
Some popular myths about this industry:
Myth 1: It is an industry where work is low end and run of the mill.
Reality: BPS industry is a very diverse spread of work ranging from F&A, Supply Chain Management, Analytics & Insights spread across several industry verticals ranging from Pharma, Manufacturing, Banking, Insurance etc. Also the industry offerings include managing various business processes of client organizations e.g. reorder in a store or manufacturing facility; or improving the cash flow management in a business and so on. Remember Cash flow is a major problem faced in many industries and several organizations are willing to put their money where the mouth is.
Myth 2: Educational Qualification, Degree's not very important. Anyone can join.
Reality: This is one of the most diverse industries in terms of skill and educational background. Employees come with background ranging from Graduate to Post Graduate to Advanced Doctoral Studies ranging from Commerce, Finance, Marketing, Pharma, Economics, Statistics, Business Management, Arts, Literature, Medicine, Law and So on. The industry has a very good ratio on gender diversity also. While many companies may have about 30 to 40% women employees overall the industry has over 40% women working. Every industry will have jobs where qualification is not very important and you just need to have a school or pre-college certificate. This industry is no different. So Remember: Opportunity in Diversity is what this industry is all about.
Myth 3: Not safe place to work; Not good for women
Reality: Absolutely misplaced understanding. The industry has over 40% women as part of the workforce. Companies in this industry serve to work for customers in different time zones and so we have employees working in various time slots. So almost every one gets a pick up and drop facility to their homes, there is enough emphasis on safe commute with companies playing a very active role in security provided to employees both at work and to and from home to work. Also being an industry which works on client data there is a highly secure and safe environment with very little scope for unsafe conditions. Women employees being a big constituent companies have given lot of emphasis on policies that are women friendly and have made it a matter of ease, comfort and convenience for empowering women.
Myth 4: Industry will not survive long.
Reality: The industry which grew rapidly from about < 1 Billion USD in 2001 has now clocked nearly 20 Billion USD in revenues and slated to grow to over 50 Billion USD by 2013. Moreover every country, every industry and every business needs to have better, smarter and newer ways of managing their processes and this industry will find opportunities even in the times of down turn. Remember when growth was stunted across industries in recent years BPS grew in double digits.
Myth 5: Low Growth, Low Attractiveness
Reality: The industry has enormous opportunities, serving clients across two dozen or more industry verticals. Given the forecast and nature of work this industry can only expand with more and more industries seeking opportunities for bettering their processes. With rapid growth comes opportunities. The industry has a matrix of opportunities in a combination of domains and functional areas which span from sales, marketing, operations, transitions, quality, customer engagement, risk and compliance and a host of other business enabler functions
Myth 6: Bad for Health due to Night Shifts
Reality: The difference is no more than for e.g. what Bangalore was in the 1980's and early 1990's. Most of the large companies in Bangalore, Mumbai (textiles) , Chennai etc worked round the clock and a host of people worked in the night shifts and rotating shifts. A range of industries like hospitality, medical care, transport, airline, telecom, petrochemicals and other manufacturing all had night shifts and a whole lot of people working in different shifts. The problem is not about night shift or rotating shifts making you fall ill, rather it is the change in lifestyle in general today that has made people prone to some of the hazards of low sleep levels, poor diet and exercise regimes, lack of revival through breaks and holidays, etc not because they work in shifts but because the world in general has become fast paced. Imagine you want to do your work, spend hours on Facebook, Hangout in chat rooms, celebrate at eateries, coffee shops and do all this in 24 hours -- the victim is sleep. This is a problem all round not just for those in shifts but a society's challenge.
Myth 7: Strange people, Work There
Reality: Thanks to Chetan Bhagat's novel One Night At A Call Center which is a story woven around lives of a few strange people working in a call center and their complex ways and lives, this perception was created. Reality is that the people in this industry are from diverse segments, diverse backgrounds and are as good or as bad as people in any other industry. It's the lens you wear that counts.
finally
Myth 8: It is a call center. / Telemarketing space
Reality: The spread of work done by BPS companies ranges from transaction processing to analytics and insights to legal process services to providing inputs on pricing decisions to global retail companies, to helping companies improve their cash flow, to allowing pharma companies launch drugs, vaccines faster and so on. Today the BPS industry also involves call centers but that is one aspect of the industry and surely one where people enjoy varied opportunities.
You may also like to read.
For the BPS industry has been a story of rapid growth in India having grown from less than a Billion US Dollars in revenues around 2001 to about 20 times that revenue by 2013. Truly with the forecast for 2020 being 50 Billion US Dollars the industry is in a sweet spot.
Some popular myths about this industry:
Myth 1: It is an industry where work is low end and run of the mill.
Reality: BPS industry is a very diverse spread of work ranging from F&A, Supply Chain Management, Analytics & Insights spread across several industry verticals ranging from Pharma, Manufacturing, Banking, Insurance etc. Also the industry offerings include managing various business processes of client organizations e.g. reorder in a store or manufacturing facility; or improving the cash flow management in a business and so on. Remember Cash flow is a major problem faced in many industries and several organizations are willing to put their money where the mouth is.
Myth 2: Educational Qualification, Degree's not very important. Anyone can join.
Reality: This is one of the most diverse industries in terms of skill and educational background. Employees come with background ranging from Graduate to Post Graduate to Advanced Doctoral Studies ranging from Commerce, Finance, Marketing, Pharma, Economics, Statistics, Business Management, Arts, Literature, Medicine, Law and So on. The industry has a very good ratio on gender diversity also. While many companies may have about 30 to 40% women employees overall the industry has over 40% women working. Every industry will have jobs where qualification is not very important and you just need to have a school or pre-college certificate. This industry is no different. So Remember: Opportunity in Diversity is what this industry is all about.
Myth 3: Not safe place to work; Not good for women
Reality: Absolutely misplaced understanding. The industry has over 40% women as part of the workforce. Companies in this industry serve to work for customers in different time zones and so we have employees working in various time slots. So almost every one gets a pick up and drop facility to their homes, there is enough emphasis on safe commute with companies playing a very active role in security provided to employees both at work and to and from home to work. Also being an industry which works on client data there is a highly secure and safe environment with very little scope for unsafe conditions. Women employees being a big constituent companies have given lot of emphasis on policies that are women friendly and have made it a matter of ease, comfort and convenience for empowering women.
Myth 4: Industry will not survive long.
Reality: The industry which grew rapidly from about < 1 Billion USD in 2001 has now clocked nearly 20 Billion USD in revenues and slated to grow to over 50 Billion USD by 2013. Moreover every country, every industry and every business needs to have better, smarter and newer ways of managing their processes and this industry will find opportunities even in the times of down turn. Remember when growth was stunted across industries in recent years BPS grew in double digits.
Myth 5: Low Growth, Low Attractiveness
Reality: The industry has enormous opportunities, serving clients across two dozen or more industry verticals. Given the forecast and nature of work this industry can only expand with more and more industries seeking opportunities for bettering their processes. With rapid growth comes opportunities. The industry has a matrix of opportunities in a combination of domains and functional areas which span from sales, marketing, operations, transitions, quality, customer engagement, risk and compliance and a host of other business enabler functions
Myth 6: Bad for Health due to Night Shifts
Reality: The difference is no more than for e.g. what Bangalore was in the 1980's and early 1990's. Most of the large companies in Bangalore, Mumbai (textiles) , Chennai etc worked round the clock and a host of people worked in the night shifts and rotating shifts. A range of industries like hospitality, medical care, transport, airline, telecom, petrochemicals and other manufacturing all had night shifts and a whole lot of people working in different shifts. The problem is not about night shift or rotating shifts making you fall ill, rather it is the change in lifestyle in general today that has made people prone to some of the hazards of low sleep levels, poor diet and exercise regimes, lack of revival through breaks and holidays, etc not because they work in shifts but because the world in general has become fast paced. Imagine you want to do your work, spend hours on Facebook, Hangout in chat rooms, celebrate at eateries, coffee shops and do all this in 24 hours -- the victim is sleep. This is a problem all round not just for those in shifts but a society's challenge.
Myth 7: Strange people, Work There
Reality: Thanks to Chetan Bhagat's novel One Night At A Call Center which is a story woven around lives of a few strange people working in a call center and their complex ways and lives, this perception was created. Reality is that the people in this industry are from diverse segments, diverse backgrounds and are as good or as bad as people in any other industry. It's the lens you wear that counts.
finally
Myth 8: It is a call center. / Telemarketing space
Reality: The spread of work done by BPS companies ranges from transaction processing to analytics and insights to legal process services to providing inputs on pricing decisions to global retail companies, to helping companies improve their cash flow, to allowing pharma companies launch drugs, vaccines faster and so on. Today the BPS industry also involves call centers but that is one aspect of the industry and surely one where people enjoy varied opportunities.
You may also like to read.
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