Indian Call Center Industry

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callcenterCall Centers are required for large companies to sell their products to the customers, proposing a product or service as well as for the after-sale enquiries made by the customers. Call centers in India are at its peak today. Customized solution through customer interactive programs in the success mantra of numerous corporate firms nowadays. For the strategic business development - that requires acquired skills for customer queries, solutions etc., Indian call-centers are at par with the current marketing demands. Call centers not only handle the task of interacting with customers but also provide a wider base for official tasks of inventories, bill handling, web-solutions and various other business requirement proceedings.

 

Indian Call Center Industry

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Call Center Types

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business success - graph 13mpCall Center may be divided into various types according to their functions and areas of operation. Most commonly call centers are divided into inbound call center and outbound call center. In an inbound call center, agents receive calls from customers who need to obtain information or report a mal function. In an outbound call center, agents initiate a call to a customer mostly to sell a product or a service. Please click on the links to find out more on Call Center Types.

 

User Asked Call Center Interview Question

Category: BPO Interview    |    533    |    1 Comment  |   

 

bpoGet Ahead BPO training expert Nasha Fitter answers your queries.

Do you have a question for Nasha? Write to us !

Here is my question — what kind of questions do they ask in call centre interviews?

- Ketan

They will ask you questions relating to your personality, communication ability, understanding of customer service, teamwork capabilities and how well you deal with pressure.  

I am currently working for the BPO sector in Bangalore as a Data Processing Executive (e-mail).

My job here is completely non-voice and completely based on the Internet. I am here in this company from the passed one and a half years. Now I am trying to shift to another company. I have attended few interviews. I made it to the last rounds but I don’t know what they are expecting. I thought I have communication skills to an extent, but I am not able to get a job in the BPO sector.

I am looking for a non-voice job as I have experience in the same field like in back office and data processing. So, I would like to take some advice from you. I want to correct my mistakes through you.

- Joseph

It is very important when you go to interviews to ask where they think you can improve, as only then will you know what areas to work on.  

How is your rate of speech? Do you pronounce sounds correctly when you speak? Watch English television shows and see if you can speak in a similar manner. 

Your e-mail to me has lots of grammatical errors, so you need to also work on your written communication skills.  

I know that call centres for banks, like ICICI, Citibank, etc, have back-office and data processing positions, so perhaps those would be good places for you to look at. 

I have done my BSc in Biology and, after completing my MA in English, I am re-appearing for it. I have also done DCA (MS Office and Internet), Vb 6.0 and Oracle8. 

My previous experiences are that I have been teaching in the BCA department of a university since a year. As far as speaking English is concerned, I think I am fluent, especially after being to  Sweden for two months for a youth exchange programme.

Now, I want to go for a call centre job. The reason is very simple — I want to earn more. But I was told by my friends that people start facing physical problems just after a couple of months into the job. 

As I belong to Madhya Pradesh, I have to relocate to Delhi or Mumbai so I was also told that I have buy a vehicle, but petrol allowance will not be paid by the company.  

Can you please clarify these two issues with regards to call centres?

- Anurag Samuel

Some call centres pay for transportation or provide it for you. If you move to Mumbai, you do not even need to purchase a car as the city has very good public transportation.  

As for physical problems, there are people who encounter them and people who don’t. You have to sit on a chair for a long period of time (during night hours if it is an international call centre). For many, this causes back problems and sleep disorders. 

But there are lots of jobs you have to sit for long periods of time so it just depends how your body handles it.  

If you relocate to Mumbai, there are lots of jobs available in this sector and you should not have trouble finding one. 
  
I am Nilesh. I have one year of experience in the field of marketing and one year of experience in Support IT for an IT company. I am looking to move to BPO. Please advice me.

- Nilesh

Brush up on your communication skills and then start interviewing at BPO companies!  

You have decent experience and if your communication skills are good and you interview well, I don’t see an issue with you getting a job. 

  
Most of the jobs being done in BPO centres are from foreign countries.

Are there any opportunities for BPO job work from Indian companies?

- Ashok

Yes, there are lots of call centres that do work for domestic Indian companies.  

For instance, ICICI, BPL Mobile and Airtel all have large call centres that do work only for domestic Indian customers. 

 

50 Call Center Interview Question

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bpo311. Tell me about yourself: 
The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up to the present.

 

2. Why did you leave your last job? 
Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons.

 

3. What experience do you have in this field? 
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.

 

4. Do you consider yourself successful? 
You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are on track to achieve the others.

 

5. What do co-workers say about you? 
Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific statement or a paraphrase will work. Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith < Company, always said I was the hardest workers she had ever known. It is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview herself.

 

6. What do you know about this organization? 
This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview. Find out where they have been and where they are going. What are the current issues and who are the major players?

 

7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year? 
Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.

 

8. Are you applying for other jobs
Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is a distraction.

 

9. Why do you want to work for this organization? 
This may take some thought and certainly, should be based on the research you have done on the organization. Sincerity is extremely important here and will easily be sensed. Relate it to your long-term career goals.

 

10. Do you know anyone who works for us? 
Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This can affect your answer even though they asked about friends not relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if they are well thought of.

 

11. What kind of salary do you need? 
A loaded question. A nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, That’s a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.

 

12. Are you a team player? 
You are, of course, a team player. Be sure to have examples ready. Specifics that show you often perform for the good of the team rather than for yourself are good evidence of your team attitude. Do not brag, just say it in a matter-of-fact tone. This is a key point.

 

13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired? Specifics here are not good. Something like this should work: I’d like it to be a long time. Or As long as we both feel I’m doing agood job.

 

14. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that? 
This is serious. Do not make light of it or in any way seem like you like to fire people. At the same time, you will do it when it is the right thing to do. When it comes to the organization versus the individual who has created a harmful situation, you will protect the organization. Remember firing is not the same as layoff or reduction in force.

 

15. What is your philosophy towards work? 
The interviewer is not looking for a long or flowery dissertation here. Do you have strong feelings that the job gets done? Yes. That’s the type of answer that works best here. Short and positive, showing a benefit to the organization.

 

16. If you had enough money to retire right now, would you? 
Answer yes if you would. But since you need to work, this is the type of work you prefer. Do not say yes if you do not mean it.

 

17. Have you ever been asked to leave a position? 
If you have not, say no. If you have, be honest, brief and avoid saying negative things about the people or organization involved.

 

18. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization 
You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.

 

19. Why should we hire you? 
Point out how your assets meet what the organization needs. Do not mention any other candidates to make a comparison.

 

20. Tell me about a suggestion you have made 
Have a good one ready. Be sure and use a suggestion that was accepted and was then considered successful. One related to the type of work applied for is a real plus.

 

21. What irritates you about co-workers? 
This is a trap question. Think real hard but fail to come up with anything that irritates you. A short statement that you seem to get along with folks is great.

 

22. What is your greatest strength? 
Numerous answers are good, just stay positive. A few good examples:

Your ability to prioritize, Your problem-solving skills, Your ability to work under pressure, Your ability to focus on projects, Your professional expertise, Your leadership skills, Your positive attitude

 

23. Tell me about your dream job
Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best is to stay genetic and say something like: A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and can’t wait to get to work.

 

24. Why do you think you would do well at this job? 
Give several reasons and include skills, experience and interest.

 

25. What are you looking for in a job? 
Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best is to stay genetic and say something like: A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and can’t wait to get to work.

 

26. What kind of person would you refuse to work with? 
Do not be trivial. It would take disloyalty to the organization, violence or lawbreaking to get you to object. Minor objections will label you as a whiner.

 

27. What is more important to you: the money or the work? 
Money is always important, but the work is the most important. There is no better answer.

 

28. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is? There are numerous good possibilities: 
Loyalty, Energy, Positive attitude, Leadership, Team player, Expertise, Initiative, Patience, Hard work, Creativity, Problem solver

 

29. Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor 
Biggest trap of all. This is a test to see if you will speak ill of your boss. If you fall for it and tell about a problem with a former boss, you may well below the interview right there. Stay positive and develop a poor memory about any trouble with a supervisor.

 

30. What has disappointed you about a job? 
Don’t get trivial or negative. Safe areas are few but can include: Not enough of a challenge. You were laid off in a reduction Company did not win a contract, which would have given you more responsibility.

 

31. Tell me about your ability to work under pressure. 
You may say that you thrive under certain types of pressure. Give an example that relates to the type of position applied for.

 

32. Do your skills match this job or another job more closely? 
Probably this one. Do not give fuel to the suspicion that you may want another job more than this one.

 

33. What motivates you to do your best on the job? 
This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are: 
Challenge, Achievement, Recognition

 

34. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends? 
This is up to you. Be totally honest.

 

35. How would you know you were successful on this job? 
Several ways are good measures: 
You set high standards for yourself and meet them. Your outcomes are a success.Your boss tell you that you are successful

 

36. Would you be willing to relocate if required? 
You should be clear on this with your family prior to the interview if you think there is a chance it may come up. Do not say yes just to get the job if the real answer is no. This can create a lot of problems later on in your career. Be honest at this point and save yourself future grief.

 

37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead ofyour own? 
This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about the deep ethical and philosophical implications. Just say yes.

 

38. Describe your management style. 
Try to avoid labels. Some of the more common labels, like progressive, salesman or consensus, can have several meanings or descriptions depending on which management expert you listen to. The situational style is safe, because it says you will manage according to the situation, instead of one size fits all.

 

39. What have you learned from mistakes on the job? 
Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make it small, well intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An example would be working too far ahead of colleagues on a project and thus throwing coordination off.

 

40. Do you have any blind spots? 
Trick question. If you know about blind spots, they are no longer blind spots. Do not reveal any personal areas of concern here. Let them do their own discovery on your bad points. Do not hand it to them.

 

41. If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for? 
Be careful to mention traits that are needed and that you have.

 

42. Do you think you are overqualified for this position? 
Regardless of your qualifications, state that you are very well qualified for the position.

 

43. How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience? 
First, if you have experience that the interviewer does not know about, bring that up: Then, point out (if true) that you are a hard working quick learner.

 

44. What qualities do you look for in a boss? 
Be generic and positive. Safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of humor, fair, loyal to subordinates and holder of high standards. All bosses think they have these traits.

 

45. Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute betweenothers. 
Pick a specific incident. Concentrate on your problem solving technique and not the dispute you settled.

 

46. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project? 
Be honest. If you are comfortable in different roles, point that out.

 

47. Describe your work ethic.

Emphasize benefits to the organization. Things like, determination to get the job done and work hard but enjoy your work are good.

 

48. What has been your biggest professional disappointment? 
Be sure that you refer to something that was beyond your control. Show acceptance and no negative feelings.

 

49. Tell me about the most fun you have had on the job. 
Talk about having fun by accomplishing something for the organization.

 

50. Do you have any questions for me? 
Always have some questions prepared. Questions prepared where you will be an asset to the organization are good. How soon will I be able to be productive? and What type of projects will I be able to assist on?