BPO/call centre experience:

[vinit456]

Originally Posted by harshg

Understand this and free your mind(hate to sound like Morpheus)........your avg Employee of the Month is not a Seva Medal....... top performer tags, stack ranks, champions , star of the months etc etc are all "pat-on-the-back" fixtures which is yet another motivation tool ; furthermore any of the "pats-on the back" if mentioned in an interview would need to be substantiated with a dreamer routine (" i have
Again, think what the board would be happier with...something like " i have been able to leverage my product knowledge to help train my staff to service my client's customers better" or " I am responsible for the careers of 20 young and ambitious and capable people who report to me and look upto me for guidance and direction... my achievement is that I have been constantly able to meet their expectations"



Lateral movement across analogous functions ... from Calling ( voice based customer service) to MIS (Reporting) or Business Ops Planning ( Business Analytics) is growth again and a good work experience booster goes to prove that you have a more wholesome knowledge of BPO...... a domain jump if not in synch with a career rythem is not advisable You will simply have to explain too much to the board.

well i guess that's well said. Started off my working career in a call center(now shifted to backoffice adjustment process), procees based specific knowledge can take u no where. Its more of what else u do and learn on the job and all the goes into the working of a call center/BPO that are more noteworthy experiences dare say more than star of the month kinda awards.

and again here i am not sure how useful voice based tasks end up being. Its gr8 to win star of the month and motivate team memebers but the fact is a call center work ex or environment is very different from a regular backoffice procees or a normal day job like in a bank. I think its the exposure to various process and the skill sets that one develops in a specific domain is what matters, something like derivatives, equity and insurance claims processes for that matter.

So i guess for that dream call, more than just BPO experince related its what kind of exposure in various functions that one has had , else for ex: wha's the point of doing a MBA when TL'S have moved up to even ops positions without one. Why then an MBA?
Again there its the possible movement bet various functions and accpetability accros various sectors. Call center voice based task r very limited or resticted in my view for moving accross different sectors or atleast dont end up being that easy.
I be glad to know if someone worked in a call center and his experience there ended up being very useful in lets say getting that dream job in consultancy post mba which kinda sums up what i wanna say

[BaBu]

thanx every one for updating thread specially harshg and hitesh. The biggest problem as pointed out by BPO guy is growth problem.One billion dollar question- After 2 /3 yrs how to continue calling ? I am doing calling for last 2 yrs and no solution exist.For 2 positions in quality department management launch an IJP and recieves 1800 applications. Out of 1800,surely 100 candidates have all the talent to make it but unfortunately only 2 gets selected and rest are ditched. No solution.go back to calling and calling is nothing but suffering !

Hitesh, Were you working as TL in nipuna ? Did you got a call through CAT 05

[thestyleguy]

Originally Posted by thestyleguy

Hey all,

I have worked with a leading BPO for 14 months.

And I hope to get some weightage for it at my PI's for MBA coz I was working in an Insurance Back-Office (maturity claims) UK process as a CCE.

Was a fairly complex process (rated L3) dealing with maturity of life insurance policies. And apart from the normal work, I have been involved in a couple of Six Sigma Black Belt projects. The projects were aimed at reducing the overall TAT (Turn Around Time) of the process I was working for. And because of the inputs I (alongwith with 2 colleagues) gave, the TAT had actually come down from 7 days to 5 days.

Also assisted my TL's in preparing various MIS reports.

Was also awarded for `Exceptional Performance in Quality of Work'.

Left the job in September, to prepare well for CAT and other exams. And it has paid off !! Have got calls from SIBM, SCMHRD and NMIMS. Expecting some more calls.

Now, just wanted to know what are your views regarding my profile (work-ex) .

And more importantly, if some of you have faced any MBA GD/PI last year, please let me know, what was the response like, and to what extent can BPO experience be capitalized upon, as far as MBA interviews are concerned ?

Regards,

styleguy

Need some comments from the experts in the BPO domain. Thanks in advance.

[choc_guy21]

hi guys i have 2 yrs of work ex in bpo's in kolkata....wipro and presently hsbc hdpi....

well i definatey think tht a bpo experience is very useful-its the way u put it across tht matters...just think of it we guys are so flexible,teachable,have retention power(the entire process knowledge!!!),have quality of patience,are confident and exposed to global businesess.....

make whatevr u have into ur positives---its all in how u potray

[bombay_blue]

hey guys.......i m an engineering dropout......and am interested in doing call centre for 6 months...so tht i can go bak to engineering after 6 months.............i have given 3-4 interviews but did not get it bcoz they suspect i wont be continuing for long.......if i say them.....i m not gonna study further.......they ask for my 12th marksheet......which is in my college........can ne1 give me the solution for this?

[harshg]

Originally Posted by thestyleguy

Originally Posted by thestyleguy

I have worked with a leading BPO for 14 months.

And I hope to get some weightage for it at my PI's for MBA coz I was working in an Insurance Back-Office (maturity claims) UK process as a CCE.

Don't think the Insurance BO Maturing Claims would cut more ice with the adcom and the Interview board than say.. a outbound sales process or any other humdrum BPO process.
Unless you can claim and prove that you have a very well heeled knowledge of the UK Insurance Market (especially your product line's core market eg if you were with the XYZ bank's Life insurance product then you need to know why was it sold in along with a ULIP) and the Insurance industry as a whole.

Originally Posted by thestyleguy

Originally Posted by thestyleguy

Was a fairly complex process (rated L3) dealing with maturity of life insurance policies.

process complexity is now a shallow term; mostly it is just a way of defining the level of importance given to your LOB by your company... it can be a function of the higher billing rates or given to a process which is slated to ramp up hence a potential revenue booster or because the risk of failure of your process is more to your employers' clients .
However, if you have been involved in the evolution of your process down the learning curve and from say L1 to a L3 ( i hope i have used the correct terms) you would still be able to quote it and get away with murder in your interview board.

Originally Posted by thestyleguy

And apart from the normal work, I have been involved in a couple of Six Sigma Black Belt projects. The projects were aimed at reducing the overall TAT (Turn Around Time) of the process I was working for. And because of the inputs I (alongwith with 2 colleagues) gave, the TAT had actually come down from 7 days to 5 days.
Also assisted my TL's in preparing various MIS reports.
Was also awarded for `Exceptional Performance in Quality of Work'.

wheeeew some quick insights here ... if you have taken part in the SSBB project as a functional expert then you do not get a lot of credit anywhere... the dude who was your SSBB project's GB or the BB would usualy be the more honoured one.
Both assisting the TL and running the MIS are exposure to another functional area. Not very heavy.

The calls you have recieved are on the bases of your CAT scores and are for the tier 2 courses which means that the people who would be your competition would be applicants who have scored in the same percent range as you have (the top quartile would typically join other colleges)..... ...... have you tried looking at the predecessor batch's profile in terms of years of workex and functional experience??

Typical Indian MBA student is either a fresher (workex<6mnths ) or entry level ( 6months<workex<18 months)...this my opinion.

I think you would need to use your workex as a differentiator in your apping ( if your course has a significant application process )and interview ( the only substancial interphase with the faculty or adcom) not the GD (GD is more to see your behaviour in a group dynamic and usual BPO huddles behaviour kicks in whenever there is a topic in discussion, you will do well in a GD)

Lastly, ( this the most difficult part) I think you need to relook at the way you have described your workex before you answer the interview.

Let me know if I can help.

H.

[harshg]

Originally Posted by choc_guy21

hi guys i have 2 yrs of work ex in bpo's in kolkata....wipro and presently hsbc hdpi....

well i definatey think tht a bpo experience is very useful-its the way u put it across tht matters...just think of it we guys are so flexible,teachable,have retention power(the entire process knowledge!!!),have quality of patience,are confident and exposed to global businesess.....

make whatevr u have into ur positives---its all in how u potray

I agree with what Choc_guy says here ... but can we also have some specific potrayals/scenarios in this discussion.

Say eg... " if you have been in the BPO it implies that you have let go of your academic tangent ( you are a Hotel Management Grad then why did you take a job in the BPOs)" how would you answer this question ??

also read the below this is something I had put up in a thread dedicated to the discussion regarding MBA for people with workex

Originally Posted by harshg

........ the Board would definitely try and gauge how do I as an MBA aspirant plan to use the MBA for my future....but another tangent shoots from my question vis a vis the BPO v/s software workex, namely: looking at the workex from the Board's prespective and biases, when you look at the work ex as a measure of how good the candidate is, would the BPO work ex stand up to the Board's scrutiny.

Questions could be:
1) do you think you would be able to keep pace with the high academic standards of the MBA program (while thinking :: he is from a call centre, he's a arts graduate, he works in one of the least academically inclined professions, and he has to talk continously on the phone, he is bound to be dumb but a smooth talker...what he is saying in the interview is a glib sales pitch ..hmmmmmm.)

2) why do you think we should pick you up over Ms exIIT-light-to-the-world character ( thinking ::: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...dekh dekh kahega she is good but i am good as well... dekhna haan!!!)

3) why did you pick working in BPOs as your career and why do you want to do an MBA when the BPOs promise you growth with or without the MBA ( thinking ::: he'll have to say that the MBA would be able to help him move across functions or industries, which would prove that his workex and by extension he himself is actually dumb quet eto dimonstrandum.. or worse he is doing it due to peer pressure his family and friends are well educated he is from the BPO....hmmmmmmm)
4) why did you move to the BPOs when you studied for Hotel Management (thinking :: i hope the next candidate is better looking....)

Somehow if I have an interview today I feel I would have to take a militant line to prove my point which is avoidable if you are planning to close your first interview with an offer and a scholarship.

And post your responses.

thanks all.

H.

[harshg]

Originally Posted by Crash_test_dummy

1. s/w coding is simply glorified BPO work. we know it, and they know it too. it isn`t held in as much prestige in US as it is held here in india ("everyone`s a software engineer in india" -- overheard from a random giggling adcomm lady at the MBA tour, 2005).

Originally Posted by confused_soul

well, I don't really agree on this one, it might have been true a couple of years ago, but cutting edge work is being done in India today if you know how to find it.....
The problem is, the general perception is what you describe above, hence the problem of differentiation.....

Originally Posted by chandler

High End work does not always mean "consulting"...sometimes "plain vanilla coding" is also high end work...just like you, I have no high regards for "translating UML to Java" kind of work...to me, "High End" work would be high tech work as in telecomm networking, stack development, firmware for optical networks...definitely chip design areas...or high end applications development...

All the above taken from http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/b-scho...tml#post361106 (Wharton MBA Admit Taking Questions)

Seems we have the same high end low end debate going everywhere..


And another wise one from the Oxford thread

Originally Posted by Vipin_Singh

Hey Harsh,

I also have a BPO background and have not come across too many aspirants for the top MBAs on this forum and elsewhere from BPOs. The reasons could be many but one of them could be that BPO is a relatively newer phenomena as compared to IT outsourcing. Just like someone else pointed out on another thread your profile could add a lot of diversity to every B-school, however you would have to pick your stories carefully. I feel a lot of the BPO community makes the mistake of underselling itself by categorizing itself in a more commoditized fashion.

Although, I haven't heard of LSE having its own MBA I guess you should certainly aim at getting into the very best B-schools. Although you might get dissuaded by a few people I would suggest you to never aim lower than the sweet spot. Once you have your GMAT and other data points in hand, compare your profile with the class profiles of top B-schools and then start working on your application pieces like essays, recos, interview prep etc. I hope you have already started thinking of what you would like to get out of an MBA as post MBA goals play a key role in the essays. You should spend a lot of time on researching for information on different schools as very few people would be able to give you stuff you might dig( It is a very personal thing - some people are happy with the ranks, some want to know if their specific elective is going to be taught at their target school or not and what is learning/teaching style etc.)

Sometime the application process can be longer than you might plan for as in my case however you would learn a lot by actually taking calculated steps as soon as YOU feel you are ready.

All the best !

I tend to agree with what Vipin says above !

Comments solicited!!!!!

[Vasundhara_S]

Fine thread and very interesting posts
I've worked with Epicenter Technologies(part time, 6 months) Mumbai and Intelenet Global services Barclays(3 months)
I was working with the pilot batch at Barclays and I had the opportunity to interact and be trained by the clients from the UK , it was a fun experience and cuz of the "senior" cse tag I earned well and I had awesome exposure(I shook hands with and spoke to the CEO of Barlcays Bank PLC,UK and he "buddied" with me for an hour and 40 mins...a remarkable experience in my humble life,lol!)
Although I quit Barclays cuz I couldnt handle the "shift"s n stuff I really miss my days at work...I had the best time of my life working at both the centers...and my deepest regards and respect to all the TLs here and also the CSEs...
I was afraid to add this as experience cuz its under 6 months but in terms of exposure and learning its been a deeply enriching experience....looking forward to sharing some more....and learning more too...
cheers to all

[harshg]

Another something from one of my previous posts and extremely relevant

Originally Posted by sgmat

Originally Posted by sgmat
Well right now I think I am the most depressed person on this earth..Well I have finally decided to take GMAT and apply to top 10 US Bschools..

My GMAT score is 720.

Presently,I am working with AMERICAN EXPRESS as a CUSTOMER CARE ASSOCIATE for the past 2 years.Well I came to know this is not a great work exp. that is it is not sufficient to get into top 10 school..Please help me whether it is a decent work exp or not... I am very depressed and very confused as to what should be done in this particular case..I am also planning to apply to ISB this year.....


Help this helpless soul on this earth...Please show me the correct path all you PG guys out there....

Waiting eagerly for your response.....

Originally Posted by harshg

H"lo SGMAT .

Great score man... fear not about the workex the 2 years in Amex are good enough as long as you exhibit the Chutzpah which your HR person did when she hired an Engineer to the badlands of ACD and CS.

I would suggest the following to buffer your workex :

A) Approach 1 ( making the best from what is there)
1) I am sure you have a resume ready, amend / customise it to emphasize your Acadmic Ex more than your Work ex,
2) Describe your work quoting from the std Amex JD for a Band 28/29 .. it is so souped up that most of the reviewers acknowledge it.
3) in your essay / application quote freely from the NASSCOM and APJ where the BPOs are billed as the Sunshine industry.
4) Take a look at the BD / Quality Control / HR Practices / Motivation Pitches and pick up leads which you can use in your own Applicaiton.

B) Approach 2 ( if you have some more time to spare)
1) move internally to the Data Teams in the Amex GIO ( Eg, Fraud and Credit Analysis sound meatier than the plain jane Call Centre CS)
2) if you are an Engineer with 2 years in Amex and are over 25 yrs of age I would suggest that before you apply move out of Amex into a people manager profile in a BPO if so be the need. ( people managers are higher on the snob value chain when looked at from the outside)


Now, what happened to the CAT this year?? And did you end up applying after all?

H.


PS If you still need a booster shot look at the application profiles of people who have made it to your target college ... you would be surprised.