Career Options in BPO Industry

Call centers in India are providing great career options to fresh graduates, industry experts, managers, as well as subject matter experts. The number of call centers in all major cities in India such as Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai is rising and many new call centers are opening up branches in level two cities also. This has made it possible for all types of candidates to experience working in a call center.

Qualifications required for joining a call center
The eligibility criteria in a simple inbound customer care call center are quite simple. All you need to have is 10+2 qualification, good command over spoken English and an attitude to learn and serve customers. Most call centers provide extensive in-house training to candidates new to this field. You may also join a call center training institute to make your chances of getting selected in a better call center easier.

Call centers catering to technical or professional domains might require candidates with past experience or qualification in those areas. For instance, some call centers only take candidates with MCSE, CCNA, CCNP, BCA, MCA, etc. certifications or degrees.

Outbound call centers that do telemarketing might take in candidates with previous sales or marketing experience.

Career prospects and growth in a call center
Call centers serve many business sectors, including: customer service, banking, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, catalogue sales, technical support, help desk, collections, travel reservations, market research and surveys, and a lot more. Before picking up a field you must consider your qualifications and interests and join a call center that meets them. By doing this, you will get an in-depth understanding of:
- The global market and players in that domain
- Thorough operational knowledge of that field
- Major customer queries and their resolution

All these experiences will help you in getting even greater opportunities in your area of expertise. You will join a call center as a customer care executive or an agent and as your experience and performance improves, you will move on to the next levels. These include: team lead, project lead, project manager, process manager, trainer, training manager, and so on. A candidate with suitable attributes and two years of call handling experience can become a team leader.

Pay scales in call centers
Call centers pay much higher salaries even to fresh candidates as compared to other industries and that is why many graduates choose call centers to start their careers. To start with, a beginner customer care representative is paid anywhere between Rs.8,000 to Rs.15,000 per month. Team leads get up to 26,000 per month. Managers and heads can get salaries ranging from 5 lacs per annum to 12 lacs per annum. Experienced professionals and subject matter experts are paid even higher. And there's always a performance-based incentive attached to the salary.

The biggest call centers in India
Genpact, WNS Global, Wipro, HCL, Daksh, Progeon, Aegis, EXL, and 24/7 Customer are some of the biggest call centers in India with as many as 7,000 to 20,000 employees. You should pick your call center based on the work environment you like and the process that suits your qualifications.