Corporate India has shed jobs in 2001 like never before. Professionals working with reputed organizations have had to face layoffs, which they would not have dreamt of a couple of years back. Despite the current gloom in most sectors, daily newspapers announce openings in various new sectors like Healthcare, Retail, Telecom and the most talked about, the Call centre. Naukri.com, a leading portal, states that by 2005, IT enabled services will provide over half a million jobs every year in India. A Business World issue dated February 11, states that currently there are over one lakh openings in the IT enabled services.

Most job seekers today face the indomitable task of differentiating between Reality and Hype. One sector that definitely looks attractive, however, is the Call Center Industry.

This article aims to analyze the myths of a call centre career and explains the advantages, especially the flexibility of a career in a call centre.

Call centre is a short term job option but not a career option
This is both true and false. Work at an International call centre can be very demanding due to night shifts and work stress. So it is but obvious that many

professionals will prefer it to be a stop gap arrangement, before getting a more comfortable job. But what is also true is that due to the high growth rates in the Call Centre industry, and the manpower intensive nature of the business, Call Centre career offers growth options, which are not only lucrative monetarily but are also equally interesting and creative.

1. Customer Service Executive (CSE) can be operating in one or many delivery channels namely Voice, Email, Web, WAP.
2. Team Leaders along with their teams will be grouped on the basis of either Client / Delivery Channel/ Vertical / Shift of operation.
3. Training and recruitment, as a block, is outsourced in some call centres.

It is clear from the Organogram that new job functions get created in call centres. As the industry is very young, prior experience in a call centre is not mandatory to apply for these middle management jobs. Another advantage of the young industry is that employee performance scores over employee age. Thus young professionals who join the call centre at an early age can quickly climb the corporate ladder.

Call centre operation is a highly skilled job and requires elaborate pre - qualifications/training
Whereas a certain amount of skills, attitudes and personality are basic essentials, the minimum required training can be acquired by a short duration (2-3 weeks) specialised training program. The more specific and system related training and exposure are provided by the call centres themselves, on recruitment

Study for entrance exams (Management, MS / M.Tech) while working with a call centre
Many students spend an academic year preparing for entrance and/or qualifying examinations like CAD, GRE or GATE. A call centre provides an excellent opportunity for such candidates. As most call centres operate during night, the candidate is free during the day for attending the associated preparatory courses. The operational experience for working in an international call centre also helps in getting assistanceship in American (USA & Canada) colleges. Importance of the money earned with the call centre job during this period can never be over emphasised.

Can you value the Excellent International Exposure ?
Top Management institutes have always given importance to work experience. At the same time it is unfortunate that candidates having jobs do not have time to prepare for the tough entrance exams. Call centre jobs provide a golden solution to this problem, have work experience and also train for entrance exams. A call center job provides invaluable experience in:

• Interacting with international customers
• Increasing reasoning power
• Proficiency in written and oral communication
• Understanding latest telecommunication trends
• Team spirit
• Customer service etiquette

Everybody knows that skills pertaining to handling difficult customers, managing a sales cycle etc. can only be learnt on the job. Considering the globalization of the economy, these skills are worth acquiring today for professionals in any sphere of work. This experience will also be highly useful to candidates during the Group Discussions and Personal Interviews.

Young, Energetic, Fun Filled and Performance Oriented Environment.
A call centre provides a fun filled environment with a very low average age and a typical western working environment. Variable Salary structures prevailing in a call centre are extremely rewarding for the good performers. Call centres boast of open and apolitical environment - ideal to start work career. A short duration specialized training (2 to 3 weeks) would qualify most such young professionals to avail these opportunities.

VRS Candidates - Opportunities to hedge Technical & Domain skills
Quite a few call centres operate in specific verticals like Engineering, Electronics, Telecom etc. Such call centres depend heavily on professionals with prior qualification and/or experience in these verticals. Speed Tracmail, IT &T and Transwork are call centres operating in the field of Technical support. This is an area where experienced professionals, particularly those who have accepted VRS, can look forward to for a job in such call centers, with minimum orientational training

Few International Call Centres

Is Pune missing the bus?
Atleast in terms of the number and the size, Pune has not been able to attract as many call centres as Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad or Bangalore. Lamenting about this fact will benefit nobody.

Some of the current opportunities for Puneaites looking for jobs in the call center industry are:

1. Supertech Solutions Ltd. and Infotek India Ltd are setting up call centres in Kothrud and this will create a right climate for future call centres to come to Pune.
2. Most of the call centers in Mumbai are either in Mahape, Vashi or Powai which are just off the Pune -Mumbai expressway, making these locations extended suburbs for Puneaites. With a 5 day work culture, many young professionals can take the opportunity of working in Mumbai and spending weekends in Pune.
3. Pune enjoys a unique status in the country as far as the educational standards are concerned. Consequently it attracts a stream of students from different states. A recent survey of the call centres in Delhi and Noida revealed that they are looking at targeting North Indian students located in Pune so that they go back and work in Delhi. This is a good opportunity and local Puneaites should also take note of this aspect seriously.
4. Pune is the best centre in India for foreign languages. Few call centres also handle calls in other international languages and that is another opportunity for Pune students which can be explored further.

The author is CEO, Fands Infonet Pvt. Ltd. and can be reached at response@fandsindia.com