You're looking to get into Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). What skills do you need to succeed?

Listening is the most underrated skill here. Unless you get that right, client satisfaction will always be a chimera. So communications is more listening than talking.

There are so many diverse opportunities in the BPO space that one must be able to thrive in transition. Many of today's processes will be Intelligent fully automated processes in the near future. The BPO clients will look to them as the business process experts that will drive the AI and Technology transformation. It would make sense to understand how the Process enhancement and Intelligent Automation works. If one understands and is proficient in how to best embed process mapping to AI or development efforts, then they will be in an incredible position to ride the AI transformation wave.

Openness to learn something new everyday is the key. You may start at an associate level but can grow up to high levels if you continue to upgrade yourself as per the change in market demand for professionals.

These are some great points and great comments from others. One skill perhaps overlooked is the need to understand and empathize with the customer. Customers trust BPOs to run their operations which is their lifeline!

I also think it’s creating a balance between speaking and listening and understanding people’s perspective, empathizing with him, helping them with solutions

The most important skill at this date is understanding the power of data, Analytics and AI in whichever function one is associated with. For example, you have to understand that you can do sentiment analysis on your customer communications to have a predictive NPS score.

Everybody goes with expertise nowadays. Outsourcing a process could mean that a company is facing, if not some, major issues. And typically, they already know their pain points when they look for solutions. “WHEN YOUR TOOTH IS ACHING, YOU GO TO A DENTIST. WHEN YOU HAVE SKIN RASHES, YOU GO TO A DERMATOLOGIST.” This is the best analogy I could give. Focus on your domain and continuously improve it for that matter.

Whichever type of BPO service, the end goal is about delivering outcomes to clients. cash conversion cycle (DSO/DPO/DIO), working cap optimization, and superior customer experience (NPS/CSAT). Therefore understanding technology and its impact on business outcomes will drive success in a BPO role.

Habilidades técnicas são essenciais para o sucesso em qualquer função de BPO. O domínio de ferramentas, softwares e sistemas específicos para cada área garante a eficiência e a qualidade do trabalho prestado.

In my experience, i've seen even a person who stammers work in the BPO industry & deliver good solid technical support for Dell customers. Now one might think of it as an exception but, i guess it all boils down to a person's attitude & his technical skills. So, if he can resolve a customer's issue albeit with a few hiccups - it's more than accepted.

Adaptability is not just a characteristic for BPO industry but, for every aspect of our lives. While the BPO work-life might require a higher degree of adaptability for working in shifts, weekends et. - it certainly helps people build confidence in an individual. It helps outshine others in the team by a great margin & can accelerate or decelerate a person's career growth.

BPO is not only about business processes. It touches people, processes, and technology therefore adaptability is key in driving future state target operating models including benefits of efficiency, effectiveness, and economics for clients. Today BPO touches not only the back office but also the front office of an organization such as clinical ops, MICC, claims, R&D, supply chain, digital trust and safety, financial compliance, marketing, etc.

Adaptabilidade é uma habilidade crucial para o sucesso em qualquer função de BPO. O ambiente dinâmico e acelerado do setor exige profissionais que sejam capazes de se ajustar rapidamente a mudanças e novos desafios.

Examples of adaptability include flexibility, learning new skills, problem-solving, effective communication, embracing change, and multitasking. Adaptable employees are more productive, efficient, and effective in their roles

Careful executive alignment throughout will ensure a smooth setup and transition. Ongoing meticulous governance will ensure a smooth steady state

BPO is a team sport. Nothing eventful will happen in BPO without it. Continuous improvement is the cornerstone of BPO and can only be delivered by teamwork. The BPO industry also traditionally has one of the highest attrition rates with the entire team being rotated every 3 years. It therefore becomes critical to capture and disseminate knowledge, enhance productivity through Idea Max, and foster a positive work culture. Team empowerment is achieved when the BPO team considers themselves to be an extension of the client team - imbibes their culture, ways of working, performance attributes creating truly a "One enterprise"

Trabalho em equipe é um pilar fundamental para o sucesso em qualquer função de BPO. A natureza colaborativa do setor exige que os profissionais sejam capazes de trabalhar em conjunto de forma eficaz para alcançar objetivos comuns.

Atendimento ao cliente é a pedra angular do BPO. As empresas que terceirizam seus serviços de BPO o fazem com a expectativa de que seus clientes recebam um atendimento excepcional.

CX is the heart of BPO, and in today's environment, Generative AI technology impacts CX the most. Generative AI improves agent satisfaction, uplifts the service they provide, and can make sense of unstructured data to drive interactions with customers. Needless to say, it has to be used responsibly and governed properly for it not to hallucinate. We see the dreams of Generative AI and not the hallucination. Data modeling, guardrails, LLM selection, self-learning, article extraction, and inference modeling become key in successful Gen AI pilots.

The above points are valid, however when we interact with people at such large scale i.e. handling >10 people daily at office, handling >100 calls/clients daily, its critical to hone your soft skills too like patience (very important), creativity & problem solving skills (clients or leaders look for this trait as unstated need), flexibility and going that extra mile during pressure situations. I have always suggested freshers or early starters to spend some time in BPO to gain such soft and hard skills. Its prepares you well for a great career ahead.

Working with suppliers means it can be tempting to continually push them for ever better results - but remember, your contractual goals always need to be achievable. If you want to go beyond, you need to take responsibility for your ownership of the product/process/cost.

Stewardship - Unless we have the mindset to put customers first, its really tough to survive the market full of competitors. Understand what is required rather than what can u deliver

Business analysis skills are mandatory. You need to understand the business needs in order to come with new solutions. Find the problems, identify the blockers, spot the resources that you may use and come up with a new strategy.

It is critical to have analytical skills as well . This will help understand and interpret the voice of the customer . To deep dive and close loop every query that comes in is very important. Just being nice to being effective is the key !