Business process outsourcing, commonly known as BPO, refers to the method of utilizing external providers to manage selected processes that are based on defined and measurable performance metrics.
Now, you might have these questions in mind:
- Is there career growth in BPO?
- Is there a future in BPO?
For years and years now, BPO companies thrived as more and more businesses and organizations continue to outsource different types of business processes. In turn, the demand for professionals to help meet these growing needs is undeniably on the rise.
So, if you’re planning to start searching for entry-level BPO jobs or want to take your career in BPO to the next level, make sure to heed these steps on how you can plan your career path in this lucrative industry.
1. Hone your soft skills
Regardless of the industry you’re in or considering joining, soft skills are transferable and can help put you up to success. Sure, being technically adept on the accounts you handle lets you become more knowledgeable and competent as you build your career in BPO. However, if your soft skills are not improving, it can affect your career growth.
With that, here are just some of the top soft skills you need to work on:
- People management – Aside from client handling, you also need to work with others (colleagues, leaders, and other stakeholders).
- Customer service – Beyond memorizing the best customer service phrases you need on the job, this skill also entails being a courteous and professional “face” for the company you’re representing.
- Communication – Being a good listener is at the heart of effective communication, most especially when you’re dealing with customers and clients.
- Problem-solving – Like in any industry, you must be an effective employee by doing everything in your power to produce favorable results.
- Critical thinking – This skill allows you to form logical and informed decisions to the best of your ability.
If you’re passionate about these skills and think of making a living out of them, then you can consider turning your passion into a career in BPO.
2. Train well
There’s no harm in acknowledging that there’s always a lot left to learn. As much as you can, leverage leadership and skills training carried out by your employer and team leader. Use these opportunities to learn or relearn things that can help you make your goals clearer and map out your future plans as well.
On the other hand, your dedication to improving your craft can also help set the right expectations for your trainers and team leader. As a result, they will be more hands-on in setting you up for success.
During your free time, you can also opt to upskill yourself. You can start by taking free online courses, attending boot camps, and finding a mentor.
3. Prepare
It also helps that your mindset and well-being are ready since working in the BPO industry can be overwhelming. This is because having to deal with the monotony of long shifts, interacting with irate customers, and being on call for at least eight hours or more can cause burnouts.
Early on, knowing what to expect and setting the right expectations in this kind of career are crucial steps for you to take. Work-life balance can be achieved, as long as you’re on the right track.
4. Take advantage of benefits
As mentioned earlier, make use of the various training programs offered by your employer. Besides, these initiatives are in place to assist you in bettering yourself as a professional.
If you’re job hunting, you can also consider BPO companies that offer flexible working setups. Into remote working? Some BPOs let their employees work anywhere! This makes a career in BPO one of the most attractive remote jobs that professionals can consider.
Further, many jobs with signing bonuses are related to BPO, such as customer service representative, technical support representative, and voice & chat support. You might want to check out more job openings listed in Bossjob!
5. Track your career path
Usually, employers prepare and endorse Key Result Areas or KRAs for each employee on a yearly basis. Further, these are monitored monthly. Apart from being able to fast-track employees’ career growth opportunities, these metrics are crucial in determining their performance-based bonuses, stock options, and other variable pay components.
Now, where do you come in? As you become aware of these metrics, you can then take charge of your BPO career by tracking these metrics and monitoring your progress. Establish your own system of logging your most crucial tasks, your value-add, and your most notable accomplishments.
It will also be a big help if you get your supervisor or team leader on board. This way, you can ensure that you’re hitting your monthly goals and that you’re on the right track toward the promotion you aim to achieve, for example. Besides, being able to translate your tasks and contributions at work into quantifiable results is important when it’s already time for you to ask for your target promotion.
6. Think long-term
In most BPO companies, you can join them by being a call center agent or chat support specialist. Through the years, your career growth will be realized as your first role serves as your entryway to get access to other roles you can consider. In fact, yearly job growth is possible as long as you’re hitting your target goals based on your inputs and performance. Though ideally, you can get promoted to team leader in 2 to 3 years and to project head or manager in 4 to 5 years.
Have a general sense of how you want your career to pan out in 5 to 10 years’ time. With this, you can fill in the specifics as you plan for your short-term career goals along the way.
Take Charge of Your Career in BPO
At the end of the day, establishing your own system of tracking your career goals and how you will map them out to form a holistic career plan will serve as a solid foundation in planning your career in BPO.
So, whether you’re an entry-level professional wanting to find new opportunities to build your career, a career shifter looking to enter the world of BPO, a mid-level specialist trying to search for better roles, or someone looking for managerial positions, check these BPO jobs you can consider applying for. Can’t decide where to start? Check out some of the top BPO companies and the types of jobs they offer across Philippines.
