The BPO sector has been in limelight over the last decade and continues to occupy a large space in the Indian services industry. The $14 bn industry has added great value in the global context by reducing costs and also in the domestic context by providing large scale employment. Off late the BPO industry has been suffering because of rising costs, attrition and competition from other low cost destinations thus forcing these companies to look for lower cost options within India. In a recent  WSJ article, Raju Bhatnagar,  vice president in charge of BPOs and government relations at Nasscom says "There is tremendous opportunity for non-urban BPOs in domestic voice [i.e., call centers] and non-voice businesses, and international non-voice work." 

Non-urban / rural BPOs can once again help India on to be the preferred destination for BPOs. There are several reasons for this

·         Lower cost

·         Aspirations of people in the hinterlands

·         Greater loyalty (esp women)

But with these benefits, there are many challenges that are yet to be resolved

• Infrastructure
• Community acceptance
• Getting the right people, the biggest challenge
• Training required is more

As noted above, BPOs are people intensive units and that’s where the biggest challenge for rural BPOs. This challenge can be addressed by using science based selection processes that help improve the quality of hire.

Predictive Index helps you determine the drives necessary for higher productivity and helps select candidates accordingly. It also helps to correlate performance, tenure and gender to behaviors that in turn helps organizations to manage their people.

In a study conducted for 97 Customer Service Associates, Predictive Index was able to clearly distinguish between the drives demonstrated by high performers and low performers. The top-performing customer service associates work at a quicker, faster-than-average pace, and with a sense of urgency and intensity.  They are restless and impatient, especially with repetitive and routine work. There is an orientation toward action, being ambitious, pro-active and self-motivated.  There is a relative quickness and ease with respect to connecting socially and interpersonally with others, and an enthusiastic, fluent communication style.

The findings from these studies can then be used during recruitment to ensure the right people are on-board and add significant value. Similar studies have been conducted to benchmark different roles in a BPO.