HIRING TIPS FOR THE BPO EMPLOYER
How to hire and keep that BPO worker.
As the world's BPO City, Bangalore is never short of BPO candidates. Giants like WIPRO, TCS and Infosys often provide lucrative offers to candidates to jump ship leading to a notorious poaching culture which is sometimes replicated at the lower level. As a small or medium sized BPO company with less financial muscle, here's what you need to do to hire great BPO candidates.
Plan to Hire
Being a fickle industry, a lot of hiring managers deal with unexpected walk outs depending on who is hiring that week. Unfortunately, most employers deal with this issue by placing banners outside their companies requesting for walk in candidates who may not have the right requirements.
Instead of doing this, employers need to prepare adequately by mapping out their hiring needs based on the trends. If you expect employee turnover in two months, then start the hiring process within the same time range. Companies like Babajob.com also have different types of hiring plans like the unlimited plan which allows you to hire throughout the year.
Give a great salary
Most employers make the mistake of always going for fresher's because they are cheap and readily available. This is wrong because of two main reasons. Anyone with a PUC degree will apply just for the sake of earning money so they are not necessarily qualified nor are they motivated to stay. Secondly, they will likely hop to the next employer who offers a higher salary meaning higher hiring costs. Companies should offer a competitive salary within the market range, this way you will get applications from highly qualified candidates who are attracted to the salary. Once you have a rich talent pool applying for the job, weed out a few more by asking them questions about their aspirations and why they are really applying for the job. While it means passing up a few qualified candidates, you end up with the crme de la crme who will not be easily lured.
Provide great working conditions
Since the BPO market is very cut throat, most employers treat their employees with disregard, after all they will leave in six months, they say. Job seekers note this mistreatment resulting into further resentment for the job with them eventually leaving. To avoid this, employer should always think of the value they will provide to an employee. Simple things like free lunch or transport for the evening shift can be great motivators. A conducive working-environment where an employer freely engages with employees also helps employees to give feedback on any issues they may be facing. Eventually you may find that workers are staying on not because of the salary but because they enjoy working there.
Look out for great communication skills
While some BPO tasks deal with back end duties like typing, some require the candidate to actually communicate with the client. Ensure that the candidates you interview have excellent communication and English language skills. As the face of the company, candidates will also need to have great client servicing skills. To deal with this, some BPO companies offer language and customer service classes that not only improve the quality of work provided by the company, but also increase employee loyalty as workers view this as a learning opportunity.
Assess the typing skills
Some BPO-Data entry jobs are considered a no brainer, meaning any 12th Standard graduate can do it, but that does not mean you should let them do it. Workers who have horrible typing skills may cost you in the long run as clients flee your of shoddy work. Ensure that when hiring, you have written tests where a candidates typing skills are accessed. While due diligence takes a whole lot of time and money, it will be worth it in the end when you present high quality work to clients.
Offer growth opportunities
One of the main reasons employees leave the BPO industry is because of the flat operational structure. With no career growth opportunities, ambitious employees leave to further climb the career ladder. To avoid this, create HR structures that allow room for aspiration. For example if an employee has served diligently for three years think of ways to promote the person to a senior level with a salary perk added to it. This acts as an example to younger employees who see that there is a possibility of moving from one level to the next which then drives them to stick with you longer.
Good Luck!
Maya Chandrasekaran
As the world's BPO City, Bangalore is never short of BPO candidates. Giants like WIPRO, TCS and Infosys often provide lucrative offers to candidates to jump ship leading to a notorious poaching culture which is sometimes replicated at the lower level. As a small or medium sized BPO company with less financial muscle, here's what you need to do to hire great BPO candidates.
Plan to Hire
Being a fickle industry, a lot of hiring managers deal with unexpected walk outs depending on who is hiring that week. Unfortunately, most employers deal with this issue by placing banners outside their companies requesting for walk in candidates who may not have the right requirements.
Instead of doing this, employers need to prepare adequately by mapping out their hiring needs based on the trends. If you expect employee turnover in two months, then start the hiring process within the same time range. Companies like Babajob.com also have different types of hiring plans like the unlimited plan which allows you to hire throughout the year.
Give a great salary
Most employers make the mistake of always going for fresher's because they are cheap and readily available. This is wrong because of two main reasons. Anyone with a PUC degree will apply just for the sake of earning money so they are not necessarily qualified nor are they motivated to stay. Secondly, they will likely hop to the next employer who offers a higher salary meaning higher hiring costs. Companies should offer a competitive salary within the market range, this way you will get applications from highly qualified candidates who are attracted to the salary. Once you have a rich talent pool applying for the job, weed out a few more by asking them questions about their aspirations and why they are really applying for the job. While it means passing up a few qualified candidates, you end up with the crme de la crme who will not be easily lured.
Provide great working conditions
Since the BPO market is very cut throat, most employers treat their employees with disregard, after all they will leave in six months, they say. Job seekers note this mistreatment resulting into further resentment for the job with them eventually leaving. To avoid this, employer should always think of the value they will provide to an employee. Simple things like free lunch or transport for the evening shift can be great motivators. A conducive working-environment where an employer freely engages with employees also helps employees to give feedback on any issues they may be facing. Eventually you may find that workers are staying on not because of the salary but because they enjoy working there.
Look out for great communication skills
While some BPO tasks deal with back end duties like typing, some require the candidate to actually communicate with the client. Ensure that the candidates you interview have excellent communication and English language skills. As the face of the company, candidates will also need to have great client servicing skills. To deal with this, some BPO companies offer language and customer service classes that not only improve the quality of work provided by the company, but also increase employee loyalty as workers view this as a learning opportunity.
Assess the typing skills
Some BPO-Data entry jobs are considered a no brainer, meaning any 12th Standard graduate can do it, but that does not mean you should let them do it. Workers who have horrible typing skills may cost you in the long run as clients flee your of shoddy work. Ensure that when hiring, you have written tests where a candidates typing skills are accessed. While due diligence takes a whole lot of time and money, it will be worth it in the end when you present high quality work to clients.
Offer growth opportunities
One of the main reasons employees leave the BPO industry is because of the flat operational structure. With no career growth opportunities, ambitious employees leave to further climb the career ladder. To avoid this, create HR structures that allow room for aspiration. For example if an employee has served diligently for three years think of ways to promote the person to a senior level with a salary perk added to it. This acts as an example to younger employees who see that there is a possibility of moving from one level to the next which then drives them to stick with you longer.
Good Luck!
Maya Chandrasekaran
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