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When you consider all the businesses in the world, none gets overlooked more than the business process outsourcing industry. Hearing the job title, most people would discard it as the lesser career path, despite the many opportunities it offers for valuable job experience for practical business ventures.
Call centers have been a long-standing representation of the BPO sector, with many people believing that the whole industry only exists in third-world countries and would not suffice in a competing US market.
This article will debunk common myths and generalizations people have made about the BPO industry, with accommodating insight into our reality to shed light on where the sector stands today.
Myth #1: The BPO Industry is Limited to Telecommunication Services
The term ‘outsourcing’ has always been synonymous with call centers and telecommunication services. It is hard to pinpoint when this misconception started, leaving people to infer that the increasing need for customer service and interpretations from television and other forms of media constructed the image.
There might have been a time when telecommunication was in high demand for several businesses connecting with potential customers through phone lines, but with the recent advancements in technology, phone services can no longer compete with the high-speed delivery methods provided by online services.
However, the BPO industry has made incredible strides to meet everyday business demands, including data entry, administrative, and IT services. Today’s BPO providers are more inclined to improve their resources and talent pool to stay relevant in the eyes of consumers.
Myth #2: Only Large Firms and Corporations can Afford BPO Services
For some reason, people think that BPO services are expensive and can only help large corporations. This general idea is that a company’s operation should be big enough to require BPO aid, resulting in a hefty price for quality service.
However, the truth is that BPO providers offer scalability options to small and large businesses alike. Compared to in-house projects, partnering with a BPO provider leads to cost-effective solutions, rich equipment and resources, and a team of highly trained professionals.
The BPO industry specializes in taking over small tasks and administrative duties that burden the workload most startup businesses struggle with at first. Instead of housing different departments, entrepreneurs can optimize BPO services to the most needed areas and spend their working hours focused on core operations.
Myth #3: The BPO Industry Has Little Concern for Security
Some people believe that BPO sectors do not have the proper security measures to manage sensitive data and documentation. Acting as an affordable choice, consumers believe that the business process involves cutting corners to reach expectations and deadlines and have no concern for policies.
While some BPO facilities jump on the bandwagon and supply the bare minimum of service, the industry upholds its reputation through trust and confidentiality, the majority would not risk business by mishandling data security. In most cases, BPO companies have security systems more rigid than those deployed in-house.
The delivered data also falls under the responsibility of the company looking to outsource business. Before agreeing to a contractual partnership, the client should undergo risk management strategies to understand the BPO company’s security protocols. As the BPO providers update their approach to data security, the client should also watch the partner and keep routine checks to ensure the security measures are intact.
Myth #4: Lack of Communication Between Client and BPO Provider
Handing off your front or back-office services to a BPO company runs the risk of miscommunication about quality and production speed. The client might feel like they will not have any control over the projects once they are in the hands of the BPO workers.
Like the myth focused on data security, the BPO industry implements practices that improve its reputation, and most companies will uphold top-quality services to all their clients. One of the standard policies includes staying in touch with the client’s requests and offering relevant suggestions and changes.
Technology has made it easier for clients and third-party services to keep control through existing communication methods. By choosing an outsourcing partner committed to transparency and accountability, the client would not feel so distant from the project and can watch the workflow without any issues.
Myth #5: Partnerships with Third World BPO Companies are Difficult to Maintain
There is no question that the best BPO option to reduce labor costs and raise efficiency is through offshore third-world services. However, most US entrepreneurs would avoid this opportunity because of the belief that cultural differences can prove problematic eventually.
Cultural diversity plays a role when building BPO partnerships since the language barrier and traditional values cause extreme evaluation over the contractual agreement. However, in the shape of today’s world, remote teams are as prominent as ever, and most companies have found solutions to tackle these worries.
Some BPO companies come to prepare with a translator of the associated country to support foreign affairs and work to get the two parties acquainted through a meet-and-greet session via Zoom or FaceTime. Right away, the client and offshore company should address the company culture on both sides before discussing the core reason for business.
Conclusion
There may have been a time when the BPO industry’s reputation lingered on the image of call centers and cheap, low-quality service, but this sector has made improvements over the years to become a respectable business investment.
Business process outsourcing has gathered many ideas and falsehoods based on a lack of understanding, but the reality is that the industry has transformed to accommodate several types of business. BPO providers have modernized their technology, practices, and security measures to stay relevant with competing services and continue to evolve with the tides forming from the emerging digital era we live in today.
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