Route2Success | RTS

Pakistan Business Processing Outsourcing industry has experienced a significant increase in recent years. Many international companies have set their foot in Pakistan procuring customer service, sales, business development, IT, and other solutions.

International clients are starting to trust more Pakistanis with work accomplishments. People in Pakistan have the potentials to excel within the industry.

In the past few years, many Business Processing Outsourcing companies came into existence creating jobs and opportunities for countless unemployed.

However, I came across many BPO companies which initiated the process but could not make an impact in the market. Reason for failure, unable to manage or train people.

Statistics of BPO industry around the globe

With emerging opportunities around the Globe for the BPO industry, Pakistan has been contributing very little towards retaining the trust of International companies and clients. There are 40 countries that hold the most BPO industry around the Globe with Pakistan ranked 28th. With India being first amongst all according to the 2016 A.T. Kearney Global Services Location Index and continued to hold the position in the year 2020 according to Concert8. I am really not sure where Pakistan is ranked today but let’s proceed with the index according to A.T. Kearney Global Services and use it as motivation.

I came across few loopholes

According to surveys and research I conducted, Business Processing Outsourcing companies importantly rely on management and its people. Training & development plays a vital role in any BPO company becoming successful.

I walked into a BPO (name kept confidential) found in Rawalpindi for conducting a brief survey. I had this opportunity to speak with Human Resources Manager who at first hesitated to discuss problems. After a brief discussion, I realize the company does not work for its people. The first impression is always the last impression and one of their banner mentioned ‘WALKING FOR INTERVIEW’. This made me realize the number of improvements required and the potential this call center must have.

According to the HR Manager, they were doing well achieving desired performance, but they are unable to understand what potentially they can achieve amending few changes. What they practice is having candidates working for 5-6 days initially and if any trainee does not meet the target firing them outright.

Reason of Pakistan BPO industry ranked 28^th

Talent is present in Pakistan and if properly trained and mentored people can achieve outstanding results. BPO sector of Pakistan requires an extreme number of changes with its practices to emerge and eventually achieve more. Working on its people is one of the major tasks. I am working in the industry for the past 7 years and what I have learned from my current workplace; no stress or pressure can make anyone perform at their full potential. There are major loopholes within the BPO sector of Pakistan. If not rectified, we will not be able to grow either as an individual entity or the BPO industry as a whole.

Top 20 countries leading the BPO industry

Pakistan has the potentials to grow in the BPO Industry worldwide. Pakistan has talent and there are lots of investors opportunities available as well. People looking for business opportunities are present in Pakistan. Investment should not be a problem. Yes, management, training the people right, and most importantly how you treat your people, especially in this industry have significance. Managers, leaders, and overall management must understand the difference between managing a robot and a human with emotions.

I had a chance meeting the M.D of INNOVA

One of the major concerns in this industry is despite having many experienced people being unknown to basic training practices. Experienced people are selling right but unaware of the rule how and why. If one knows, they can start training fresh and struggling candidates eventually improving and succeeding within the selling campaigns. I asked the M.D to pronounce ‘VITAL’ and he did pronounce it right but how totally unaware. Obviously, experienced personnel selling on the phone develops the habit of pronouncing as according to USA accent with time. Imagine if one is known to rule behind pronouncing right, how actually one can groom his / her overall team towards success. Communicating is the key to success in sales. If you are selling in the USA and Canada, it is important to know the rules minimum to sell right. Short story long, if your prospect will be able to understand, only then one will be able to sell else prospect always being Not Interested, busy, or a hang-up straight away.

Objections, one of the major concerns

It is a whole long topic of discussion. I will be brief ‘if you are not having objections from your prospects’ then my friend you or your teammates are not even in the process of selling. Selling is not just going through the whole script with pre-defined rebuttals and closing the call by forcing the prospect to listen to your disclaimer.

Sorry, but that is literally not selling. Selling is thinking and if you are not thinking while in the process of selling that is not selling.

Selling is improvisation and if you fail to improvise as according to objections raised by prospects that’s not selling either.

Problem is that many call center employees have been trained to avoid prospects with concerns and out of 100-150 calls only identifying those without concerns and who would just say yes to all. Identifying 7-8 prospects out of 100-150 calls is not an achievement but achievement is when out of 100-150 calls you or your employee converts only one Not Interested prospect with those 7-8 prospects included. Do the Maths as I’m not that good with Mathematics.

Scariest practice for any call center

Your people losing confidence in you can lead to your company’s failure.

• Motivation is certainly not stressing your people to sell.
• Motivation is not having your people asking to take a break for 5-10 minutes extra.
• Motivation is not stressing your people overcoming in late 5-10 minutes.
• Motivation is not being on top of your people at all times.
• Motivation is certainly not talking about their failure every single day.
• Motivation is not stressing someone for pausing their dialers on the floor.
• Motivation is, to be honest not having your employee not talking on the floor.
• Motivation is seriously not locking in your people’s phone while they surrender themselves to you every working day.

Come on, guys what are we running a district work school or a business where people can relax and feel at home. Your people spend 9 hours every working day at office premises with a hope to learn and grow. But restrictions, negativity, pressure, stress, and if information misrepresented the system will fail catastrophically. I am not a tutor not an owner of an organization. I am a simple team lead operating a team of around 10 individuals and I dial with my team together for retaining businesses for my employer at present. Again, I dial together with my team and lead.

Motivation is when your team knows what they goes through.

• Motivation is when your team hasn’t been introducing with targets and just the vision and mission of the overall company.

• Motivation is when your team is introduced with incentives rather than targets.

• Motivation is having your team members setting their own targets.

• Motivation is when not talking to your team members about work on a daily basis.

• Motivation is when you indulge your team members with growth opportunities.

• Motivation is when you allow your team members to experiment.

• Motivation is when your team members are comfortable with your existence.

• Motivation is when your team members are introduced with proven strategies to grow to allow them to learn and train right.

Motivation is when you stand behind your team assuring dealing with problems and finding a solution together. THAT’S MOTIVATION.

I urge towards sharing of knowledge

I am seriously not a pedagogue. I am just a simple team lead working with my employer and urge towards sharing of knowledge. There are loopholes in practices that many BPO companies follow in Pakistan. The management and training process requires a little attention and rectifying can excel toward growth 10X more.

I contacted a few companies that manage to let me in for 30 minutes talking to their people whom they think have potential but struggling to perform. The response I had if I provide trained professionals and others. They asking me this question made me think of them not being confident in their own training & development practices. Secondly, they never allowed me in stating we have a training department taking care of training & development. Come on, who you are trying to pacify me or yourself?

Information is knowledge. Knowledge is futile if not shared.

I am not a millionaire not even close neither I am on the renowned list of sales personnel of Pakistan. I am stepping up today as I work in the industry and want to see Pakistan leading the BPO Industry around the globe.

Let’s all have a vision & contribute

I will mention again Information is Knowledge. Knowledge is futile if not shared. There are 40 countries majorly operating within BPO Sector Worldwide with Pakistan being ranked 28^th. Let’s all work together and I am stepping up with my contribution to have Pakistan being recognized amongst the top 5 Countries operating within BPO Industry worldwide. It can be achieved only if we allow sharing of Knowledge and compete with other countries and not ourselves.

If you need my assistance with talking to your representatives and practices I follow, please feel free to contact me on WhatsApp: +92-332-5734760 or email me at zubair@rts.com.pk