Challenges Faced by The Call Center Providers in India

Helpline numbers which customers dial at the time of some issue, query or complain are the key factors that determine the fate of a business. The significance of helpline numbers can be seen by the fact that businesses that do not have one of these are not considered by the customers. Everyone wants to be taken care of their brand in the time of distress. So, when a customer dials a helpline number of any respective business in the U.S. or any other European countries, it is been picked up by an agent in India or allied Asian countries.

Does the thought of how the Call Center providers in India work crossed your mind? Probably not. You reach the business at odd hours and find a welcoming voice of a young agent ready to assist you. Do you think the picture is all love and no struggle? Well, it’s not the case. There are some challenges that Indian Call Center industry face.
In this blog, we are going to discuss the major roadblocks faced by the Call Center providers in India. Let’s start:

1) Increasing attrition level

One of the most influencing factors impacting BPO sectors in India is the attrition level. Believe it or not, the attrition rate of Call Center industry hovers between 25 to 40 percent. This is the major hurdle faced by the BPO sector in this nation.Two disadvantages arise with this attrition rate; first that when an agent decides to leave the company, the quality of customer services gets deteriorated to a greater extent as the workforce suffers a loss. Secondly, the space created by the employee who left is filled by hiring a new agent, which has its cost implications.

2) Poor impact on employee’s health

Indian Call Centers have gained a pretty bad reputation in the market owing to the increase in health issues among the employees. Due to stress on agents to acquire their targets at the odd hours of the day and pressure on experts to offer ultimate level of satisfaction to the customers, they cannot work with a positive mindset. The result is that the agents become susceptible to the digestive disorder, panic attacks, insomnia, poor immunity, blurred vision and so on. This, in turn, increases the rate of absenteeism and decreases the overall efficiency.

3) Peak that is outgrown

Although experts suggest that India has matured in last two decades with respect to the BPO sector, but the truth is slightly twisted. The companies that have availed the Call Center services from Indian vendors previously understand the criticalities that exist in this market. Hence, these firms have already outed their way towards nations that offer cheaper services with least bottlenecks. The Philippines is an ideal example for this.

4) Hike in real estate

When Call Centers placed their first foot in India, the commercial real-estate was quite vulnerable and hence attracted a lot of businesses. Low infrastructure cost at that time made India an ideal place to work for. Things have changed quite drastically now. Commercial property prices are hitting the roof and the cost-effective nature of India is gradually losing its charm.

5) International rivalry

Since the explosion of BPOs in last decade, nations such as Malaysia, China, Philippines, Poland, and Brazil are challenging Indian Call Centers. A study has shown that the other nation BPOs are grabbing almost 70% of India’s rising BPO business in last few years.

6) The gap of accents

There is no doubt on the capability of Call Center agents of India. But, there is one thing that always bothers businesses is the accent triggered interaction space. Despite having a good command over English, customers in the U.S. and European nations get frustrated of one specific aspect. It’s the accent. Foreign customers generally feel comfortable when they hear someone speaking the same accent and not finding so may create a situation of distress. This can result in destroying the business’s brand image to the core. For the same reason, the business owners are looking up towards the nations such as the Philippines that have more of western-English speaking experts.

7) No differentiating aspects

Most of the Call Centers in India are focusing on businesses that demand English speaking agents. But, the point these service providers are missing is that a large chunk of businesses has customers that are fluent in other languages such as French, Spanish, and Japanese. And India does not have agents fluent in these dialects so they are anyhow losing a lot of business. A point of differentiation is missing in the Call Centers of India.

Final Takeaway

Call Center industry in India is assumed to be the goldmine of opportunities for the businesses. Companies around the world are looking up to this nation for their outsourcing requirements thinking everything here is hassle-free. But, the above-mentioned points have cleared that’s not true. If you have further aspects to discuss, reach us in the comment section below. Thanks.

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