The Indian Call Center Journey

INDIAN CALL CENTERS – MYTHS AND REALITIES contd...

The work was highly stressful and monotonous with frequent night shifts. A typical call center agent could be described as being ‘overworked, underpaid, stressed-out and thoroughly bored.'The agents were frequently reported to develop an identity crisis because of the ‘dual personality'they had to adopt.

The scope for growth was very limited. For instance, in a 426-seat center, there were 400 agents, 20 team leaders, four service delivery leaders, one head of department and one head of business. Thus, going up the hierarchy was almost impossible for the agents.

Analysts remarked that the fault was mainly in the recruitment, training, and career progression policies of the call centers. Organizations that first set up call centers in India were able to pick and choose the best talent available.

The entry norms established at this point were - a maximum age limit of 25 years, a minimum qualification of a university degree, English medium school basic education and a preference to candidates belonging to westernized and well-off upper middle class families. The companies hence did not have to spend too much time and effort in training the new recruits on the two important aspects of a good level of spoken and written English and a good exposure to western culture and traditions.

However, companies soon realized that people with such backgrounds generally had much higher aspirations in life. While they were initially excited to work in the excellent working environment of a multinational company for a few months, they were not willing to make a career in the call center industry. They generally got fed up and left within a few months when the excitement waned.

A consistently high attrition rate affected not only a center's profits but also customer service and satisfaction. This was because a new agent normally took a few months before becoming as proficient as an experienced one. This meant that opportunities for providing higher levels of customer service were lost on account of high staff turnover^[8].

^[8] Some sources claimed that a high turnover at a call center was actually not that bad. In his report, John Carver, Call center manager, Bank of Montreal, MasterCard Division, mentioned that in the call center business, turnover is ‘celebrated'. He said, “The higher, the better. It's part of our Culture. When we hire into our call center we hire people looking for a career, not just in the call center, but anywhere in our bank. We recognize that many have higher ambitions, and that they are applying for a call center agent position because they see it as a door opener. I talk with each new hire class and let them know we are OK with that, and that we are here to give them a start, an entry into the Bank of Montreal. We give them a fantastic grounding in sales and service in the card business, where they master negotiation and communication skills, and then send them on their way.” He added that new agents brought positive attitudes to the center and posed fresh challenges for the training group.

2010, ICMR (IBS Center for Management Research).All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic or mechanical, without permission.

To order copies, call +91- 8417- 236667 or write to ICMR,
Survey No. 156/157, Dontanapalli Village, Shankerpalli Mandal,
Ranga Reddy District,
Hyderabad-501504. Andhra Pradesh, INDIA. Ph: +91- 8417- 236667,
Fax: +91- 8417- 236668
E-mail: info@icmrindia.org
Website: www.icmrindia.org