It was not too many days back that telemarketing was looked upon as a compromise in terms of career choice
. The young call center agents who joined up were either too busy plotting out their career while they did their job, or wanted to learn as much as they could and move on to other industries. They could not be blamed as well. The BPO sector was still in the nascent stages during those days. The young guns of the country could not depend on this sector for their jobs and they felt that sooner or later, they would have to bid bye. The fall of telemarketing projects or the refusal to renew projects were often reasons why the call centers would shut down, leaving the employees in the lurch. Such setbacks did nothing to bolster the image of the BPO service sector as a stable career option.
The recession was the litmus test for the BPO sector. While the other industries died premature deaths, the telemarketing sector grew in stature. The employees who were lucky to be working for call centers found that they were not losing their jobs while their peers and friends in other sectors were being handed pink slips by the thousands. The fresh grads were not so sure about trashing the business process outsourcing sector as a compromise. They were willing to work hard for a job at the telemarketing services. There was dedication, commitment and a strong sense of purpose. The fresh grads wanted to join up for something that would be a good step for their career. What could be a better one than having a job when the others around were queuing up for unemployment benefits?
The emergence of the telemarketing sector as an important career choice also opened up the quality of call center services. There is always a strong difference between the way things are done by an unwilling person, as compared to someone who wants to have a go at it with full determination. Since the youngsters joining up for BPO service knew in their hearts that they would not settle down here, they were not really focused in their work. They picked up just enough to save their jobs. They were not interested in knowing more than they strictly required. But when they found out that they will be making a mistake if they took their job lightly, they were more forthright about the task allotted to them. There were eager to make a mark and push up the ladder. This benefited telemarketing services and the quality of work that was being done.
There is a lot of shift in the focus now. Students are actually training themselves in answering service and customer care. They want to join the industry and they want to be prepared to face the stiff competition. The rise in the demand has made the managers of the call centers choosy about the kind of talent that they want to hire. This makes the jobs more valuable and worth working for.