What is Teammate?
What is a Teammate?A teammate, or agent, in the call center industry, is a customer service representative who interacts with the customers on behalf of the organization. They answer queries, resolve customer issues, handle complaints, walk customers through basic troubleshooting, and provide information about products and services.
A CSR teammate works under the management and supervision of a team leader, who is in charge of handling their team members, resolving interpersonal conflicts, providing additional necessary training and coachings, and reporting their team’s progress.
Call center teammatesIn the Philippines, a call center agent/teammate can earn somewhere between $500 to $600 per month. In a typical call center environment, they are expected to work at least eight hours a day, for five days a week.
Every day, teammates must interact with a huge number of clients – some of whom may be aggressive or confrontational with challenging concerns.
Being a teammate is a role that needs strong people skills, problem-solving abilities, and attention to detail. It’s a quality that most employers would agree is essential in many corporate environments and job roles.
Further, how you deal with consumers can show the outcome of your business, and these teammates are on the front lines, providing a crucial component of the overall customer experience.
Team player qualities and characteristicsIndividuals with various common soft skills are excellent teammates. Soft skills are more difficult to master than technical abilities, but they may be improved with time and effort.
Here are some characteristics you can work on to improve:
Understand your role in the companyAs a teammate, you are aware of your responsibilities and aim to fulfill them to the best of your abilities. Even if you provide assistance or solutions to other team members, you should not the limits of your role and respect others.
Accept group collaborationWorking in a group assumes you'll encounter various viewpoints and ideas. Even if you consider your concept is the greatest, you should listen to all other suggestions before implementing your own.
If your work is rejected, you can seek out alternatives and stay courteous, this makes you an amazing teammate.
Hold yourself responsible for your actionsTake full responsibility for your mistakes as a colleague and seek solutions. As a teammate, you should recognize the influence of your actions that can affect the group.
You shall learn from your mistakes and get greater respect from your team if you’ll be responsible for your actions.
Be flexible and learn moreYou should willingly accept any responsibilities that your manager assigns to you. Your role's flexibility gives an opportunity to learn more as an individual and as part of the team.
Have a positive attitudeMaintaining a positive attitude at challenging times allows the rest of your team to work through the situation without becoming discouraged. Your good attitude as a teammate will improve the mood of the group.
Commit to the teamAs a teammate, you should be totally committed to the company. If you can demonstrate to others that you believe in the group, the process, and the goals of the company, you will be an exceptional teammate. This kind of optimism may boost morale and productivity dramatically.
What is What is business process outsourcing?
What is Business Process Outsourcing BPO?Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is the delegation of business processes to an external service provider to a nearby or farther location. BPO uses various technology-enabled services to optimize the delivery of services.
Some of the usual outsourced business functions are the following.
Payroll
Accounting
Human resources
Customer service
Sales
MarketingIn the case of content providers, these could mean hiring writers, remote editors, or virtual assistants.
BPO speeds up processes and enhances efficiency. Companies that outsource some of their business processes use their time on core services and competencies.
With this shift in focus, companies improve their current processes which may result in improved customer satisfaction. BPO helps companies divert their resources to more critical business strategies.
Often, companies find it impractical to hire a full-time position in-house because of the cost associated with doing so. Outsourcing services can also help them save costs and resources in hiring suitable employees.
How does Business Process Outsourcing work?Business process outsourcing happens when a business taps a third-party service provider to operate some of its internal processes. Such ‘processes’ include customer service, accounting and finance, or sales.
It is different from hiring an agency to do specific tasks, as the outsourcing provider (BPO) is more concerned with the ongoing production of labour-intensive tasks, instead of the higher-level strategy and guidance.
Now, business process outsourcing has broadened and is more akin to staff augmentation, or staff leasing.
What are the benefits of business process outsourcing?There are many benefits to outsourcing, as well as some downsides and risks. The common benefits include:
Cost savingsCompanies can enjoy savings of up to 70% by leveraging the salaries and costs in countries such as the Philippines and India.
Global marketBusinesses get to access a bigger pool of talent that can fit their requirements. They can have better options in hiring employees since they are not limited to what is available in their home countries.
Global presenceAt the same time, business process outsourcing opens clients to global trade opportunities. They can establish their global presence and expand more easily to other locations since they already have operations in the area.
Flexible workforceBPO reduces internal local compliance obligations including providing additional office spaces to employees. Instead, organizations can hold their business operations on a remote setup, most usually having their teams in an office provided by the BPO firm.
Leverage skillCompanies cannot always do everything on their own. BPO enables them to leverage the skills of other specialist companies on more complex tasks such as accounting and IT.
FocusLastly, BPO enables organizations to focus on their core business functions. This is since most of their non-core business operations are done with the help of a reliable service provider.
Business process outsourcing examplesThe business process outsourcing sector is a vast industry, generating over $200bn annually, and employing millions of people worldwide.
BPO can be seen in different forms and contexts, from hiring single staff to getting an offshore team. Some examples of BPO include:
Big enterpriseFacebook and Uber outsource many of their operational functions, including content moderation for Facebook, and customer service for Uber
Medium-size businessesA medium business with 50-500 staff might outsource the labour-intensive accounting and finance functions to a team in the Philippines.
Small business and entrepreneurIt is common for small business owners to have a Virtual Assistant (VA) working for them full time and remotely from the Philippines.
What are the different types of BPO?The type of business process outsourcing can be characterised by their specialisation, location, and size.
Generalist or specialist BPOsBusiness process outsourcing is in the human resources and professional services sector. However, their services extend across all industries. The majority of BPOs are generalists, in that they offer a full range of professional services.
Meanwhile, some specialise in certain verticals such as the following.
Legal process outsourcingLegal process outsourcing deals more with delegating legal processes and compliances to legal firms in another area.
Knowledge process outsourcing
Meanwhile, knowledge process outsourcing enables companies to outsource knowledge-related work including research and development, innovation, and creatives.
LocationBusiness process outsourcing typically operates from developing nations such as the Philippines, India, and Colombia. They typically have cheaper cost-of-living and bigger populations. Different locations offer different advantages.
Size of BPOThe bigger BPOs employ more than 250,000 people. They are huge, global operations. Medium-sized BPOs range from 500-5,000 staff and offer a full range of services. The smaller BPOs might have 1-500 people.
Functions of business process outsourcingCollectively, business process outsourcing provides any kind of staffing solution. Common functions of BPO include:
Finance and accountingOutsourced finance and accounting services help businesses manage their books, monitor cash flow, and keep up with corporate income tax compliances without fuss.
HealthcareHealthcare outsourcing, meanwhile, organizes various back- and front-end functions done for the healthcare and insurance industries.
Creative and contentCreative services outsourcing covers everything from post-production of Hollywood movies to newspaper and website content.
Tech, IT and developmentIT outsourcing involves delegating network management, web and app development, and cybersecurity protection to IT firms in different countries.
Sales & customer supportSome BPO providers specialize in sales and customer support for pre- and post-sales transactions. This helps companies meet the expectations and demands of their customers, keeping them satisfied even after their purchase.
MarketingBPOs and marketing firms can help in ongoing marketing, communication and branding activities for their clients. This helps them attract more suitable leads in a cost-efficient way.
Talent and HRBusinesses can delegate HR, recruitment and compliance to professional employer organizations to maximize recruitment and workforce management.
AdministrationGeneralist BPOs help organizations accomplish general business administration and operational activities. This includes data entry, appointment setting, and other related functions.
Supply chain managementLastly, e-commerce stores benefit from outsourcing supply chain management to manage warehouse and delivery processes.
Top BPO companies in the world’s top outsourcing hubsA wide range of business process outsourcing companies in different parts of the world provide utmost services to their Western and local clients. Many of them even earned recognition by award-giving bodies due to their performance in both their roles and their level of care for the employees.
Check out the top BPO companies in several outsourcing destinations below.
Top BPO companies in the Philippines Top Indian BPO companies Top South African BPO companies Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) servicesWith the rise of new offshore outsourcing locations, companies can have better options in terms of location and services they can delegate. However, finding a suitable BPO company can be a daunting task to be done on their own.
Good thing advisory services such as Outsource Accelerator is there to help them.
Outsource Accelerator is the most trusted source for independent information & advisory for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). We have over 5,000 articles, 350+ podcast episodes, and a comprehensive directory with 2,500+ BPOs from different locations.
Outsource Accelerator's offerings make it easier for clients to learn about, and engage with, business process outsourcing companies worldwide.
Want to learn more about outsourcing? Check out the Inside Outsourcing book as well as the Inside Outsourcing book review today!
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