Call Center Industry - Boon / Bane ??

[kartik]

Call Center Industry in India.

While many have agreed that Call center industry has provided jobs to the young generation and a handsome salary as well, there have been voices of protest for the call center industry with regards to many problems like psychological disorder , stress and the etcetras .

Let us debate on the various aspects of the call center industry which are a boon and a bane to India.

This is the big fight section. Go nuts and be agressive, but also maintain the decorum of the forum.

[gaurav200x]

Well BPO has brought a massive number of jobs to India. With the process of offshoring, all the companies have service-oriented sectors which are either managed by their subsidiary company or by another private company. These companies are paying fat pay checks but the demand of the work is pretty severe and the people working in BPOs have to undergo a lot including mental trauma, humiliation and extreme working conditions.

But before jumping to any conclusion, let us take into fact that almost everybody joining any BPO these knows about the in-depth of BPOs and when he signs the bond, it is mainly due to the money factor as he knows all that he would have to undergo in a call centre. With the influence of the media and the outcry against the working conditions of the BPO, call centres have come up with better working facilities and improved security measures, following some incidents. I believe that harsh working conditions are a part of any company and esp IT because of the amount of competition they have to deal with. Hence, the call centres companies can't be blamed here, but it is the individual's choice whether he is fit to be able to cope with his work.

[kartik]

Others please post in your views :)

[chaitalithakker]

good discussion!!!

well i am in favour of call centre from one side. as coin has two side similar is the case of benefits and curse of it.. but the call centre is benefit from the point of view of earning money there are many people whom i know who are not financially sound and needs money so for them its a benefit and easy way to earn out of it..:bump:

there could be a level and even at the age of SSC appeared u can earn easily 7000 in a day shift.. thats a good deal atleast at ssc student can earn

so a boon for them and also one more advantage now a days teenagers do not know the way to speak to elders and by such job their voice changes and being in agood MNc call centre it is urely benefit in persoanlity..


so lets continue the topic....


come on give ur views whatever it may be i want to know it..



waiting


bye

[A.J.]

so a boon for them and also one more advantage now a days teenagers do not know the way to speak to elders and by such job their voice changes and being in agood MNc call centre it is urely benefit in persoanlity..

That's pure hogwash.

So you're trying to tell me that call-centres make guys 'respectful towards elders'?? :aj1:

Classic!!! :aj1: :aj1: :aj:

[chaitalithakker]

That's pure hogwash.

So you're trying to tell me that call-centres make guys 'respectful towards elders'?? :aj1:

Classic!!! :aj1: :aj1: :aj:

yes anupam... i mean it.. there are many guys who dont know the manners atleast for them who always want to fight with every1 for them ..
getting responsibilities on them makes them aware of themselves and self dependent and also one thing..

i have seen practically the guys who work in call centre who didnt know to respect today atleast their harsh voice is turned softer and i mean it for tht.. it changes in call centre..

[A.J.]

I think it's preposterous to suggest that call-centres make some respectful. The inherent personality of an individual cannot be changed just by their choice of profession.

All in all, a completely ludicrous and derisory observation, I'd say :aj:

[kartik]

Althought I dont agree totally to chaitali.. I do second her upto a certain extent...

Having said that, her view is not specific to just the call center industry. It applies to every job. A person who joins a company has to be benignant, failing which he has his job on stake.

Its definately obvious but not ludicrous in my opinion.

[gaurav200x]

so a boon for them and also one more advantage now a days teenagers do not know the way to speak to elders and by such job their voice changes and being in agood MNc call centre it is urely benefit in persoanlity..

Pretty valid points chaitali, except for this one... People working in call centres make their voices really pathetic... esp with accent neutralisation, or foreign accent. I once met a lady whose voice seemed more like a computer signal. So it would be incorrect to say that working in a call centre would make ur voice better... in fact ur voice can become like this that ur relatives will find it hard to digest that this is ur voice? :D

Regards
Gaurav

[chaitalithakker]

I think it's preposterous to suggest that call-centres make some respectful. The inherent personality of an individual cannot be changed just by their choice of profession.

All in all, a completely ludicrous and derisory observation, I'd say :aj:


who r u to decide my views??:blah:

i think and i have seen practically and mind u this is discusion whr i have posted my views and who r u to decide my views??

i can prove it ok

[kartik]

Aaha..the discussion is gettin heated ... This is the BIG FIGHT section..

Let the verbal violence begin :aj:

[gaurav200x]

Aha! kartik, looks like God has been very merciful on me that he granted my request sooner than i expected :D ;)

Well chaitali, the basic thing is that job does make a person responsible because he is loaded with work and hence he gets to manage them properly but it is with all jobs and hence isnt particular for call centres...

Secondly, call centres have nothing to do with respect... In fact, my cousin works in a call centre and i know the inside story of the people working there who are subjected to humiliation and disrespect. Respect is created by a person, HIMSELF and has nothing to do with his/her job.

[kartik]

Aah Gaurav.. I wouldnt agree to you if you are emphasizing that the voice of a person becomes coarse or nullifies the accent.

I know a few friends frm the call center industry and I can confidently say that the way they used to speak english before and they way they talk now is way better.

Mayb its due to practice 12/7 which made them more fluent or have a command over their language.

As for Chaitali's opinion related to respect, Jobs do make you responsible and you have to be respectful with your superiors.

Although the "I dont care a damn attitude" , doping and passive smoking is one of the drawback of call center jobs.

[chaitalithakker]

YA.. GAURAV.. VOICE IS CHANGED BUT THE PERSON WHOM I M TALKING HAS CHANGED HIS LIFE IN SUCH WORLD TOO..


NOT ONE PERSON BUT MANY HAVE ATLEAST EARNED OUT OF IT..

I M IN FAVOUR OF CALL CENTRE FOR GUYS BUT I M AGAINST STRICTLY FOR FEMALES..

[gaurav200x]

Well kartik, my point is that when u are working in the call centre u have to adapt to the language they want u to be fluent in. Eg if it is US english or UK english.. then a person with an indian mother tongue speaks his mother tongue even with the same accent (that's what i mean).... So the complete thing becomes one hoch-poch and when u are talking to ur elders u should as though some big shot NRI :) Offcourse, i can't say that this thing is mandatory for one and all, bcoz my cousin with 6 years of call centre exp, still speaks hindi the way it should be spoken. i wasn't talking about english, but about the mother tongue!

Well chaitali, as i said, job is responsible to some extent, but it is the person, by far, who is responsible for that transformation, per se. and what do u mean u are against females? Please elaborate.

[kartik]

Well kartik, my point is that when u are working in the call centre u have to adapt to the language they want u to be fluent in. Eg if it is US english or UK english.. then a person with an indian mother tongue speaks his mother tongue even with the same accent (that's what i mean)....

You may know a few people but that sample size does not apply for the whole lot. I know people who have improved their style of speaking, which I cant generalise.

Well chaitali, as i said, job is responsible to some extent, but it is the person, by far, who is responsible for that transformation

Ofcouse its the person who is responsible, but his work environment, work culture and his corporate networks do affect his persons attitude.

The "stress" factor which is prevalant in most orgainsations has led to formation of peer groups who smoke, dope and party together because their call center job has leeched the human aspect of socialising due to night shifts.

[gaurav200x]

Well Kartik,
i am really talking of the general pattern. Its hard to give any statistics, but it is well understood that a person who spends 12 hrs in an office (where his breaks are extremely limited) and then, again has very little time for social life, is bound to keep talking in the accent his work demands.... This does affects his accent and hence the way he talks, in general. If u are considering accent in the speaking style, then it does get affected.

Obviously, a person's work environment affects a person, but still its upto him on well he can handle pressure. Whether he gets subdued by it or takes it as a challenge.

[kartik]

I never denied that the accent changes, I only added that it changes for good as far as i have seen. You might have a different experience and as we do not have any facts to prove it, its best not to generalise :) /

Obviously, a person's work environment affects a person, but still its upto him on well he can handle pressure. Whether he gets subdued by it or takes it as a challenge.
It sounds ludicrous, especially when it comes from you. Not ever flower can survive in mud ponds and bloom into something as beautiful as the lotus. A good environment is one of the essential parameters for joining workforce and having a workforce where you have to struggle for a work culture that goes with your ethics, with will only increase stress.

[gaurav200x]

I never denied that the accent changes, I only added that it changes for good as far as i have seen. You might have a different experience and as we do not have any facts to prove it, its best not to generalise :) /
My friend, u can't generalise it and say that accent becomes good. On the contrary it becomes horrilble. Imagine a person trying to speak Hindi with an English accent...

It sounds ludicrous, especially when it comes from you. Not ever flower can survive in mud ponds and bloom into something as beautiful as the lotus. A good environment is one of the essential parameters for joining workforce and having a workforce where you have to struggle for a work culture that goes with your ethics, with will only increase stress. C'mon kartik,
its true that a good work environment is essential, but more importantly the person should have the calibre to cope up. I have seen people failing even in a good working environment. Secondly, i have also seen people prospering even while working in a bad environment. So u have to learn how to turn the cards in ur favour rather than cursing the environment, because work environment fact is true not only for a call centre but even for any industry.

p.s. Things are about to go wild! :D

[kartik]

My friend, u can't generalise it and say that accent becomes good. On the contrary it becomes horrilble. Imagine a person trying to speak Hindi with an English accent
Key word, you cant generalise, my point exactly mentioned above. A hindi speaking persons accent wouldnt change when he is speaking hindi. There is no accent nullification comming in the picture.

its true that a good work environment is essential, but more importantly the person should have the calibre to cope up.
Ofcourse a good work environment is essential. As for coping up, it depends on the extent to which you got to be flexible.
Imagine this, the work force is of hard core rockers and dopers and you join in as a sober guy. The call center demands night shifts. So the only people you can socialise with is these rockers.

Now, there are 3 options :

1)You try to live in isolation as you do not prefer hard music n dope.
2)You " Cope up " and socialise with them. Join in their madness
3)Leave the job.

Option 1 and 2 are synonymous with your statement of coping up.
Option 3 is the option where quit for a better work organisation with suitable work environment.


PS: I love it when things go wild gaurav :)

[gaurav200x]

There is no accent nullification comming in the picture. Yes, my friend we can't generalise it because this thing may not hold good for every person. But when u talk of nullification, lemme tell u that whenever u join a voice-based BPO, the first step is accent neutralisation which means that they make u practice to give up ur native accent (hindi, bengali or tamil) and pick up the english accent (USor UK, etc) and then make up speak for 12 hrs or more in the same accent. So the person gets so habitual of this accent that even when he tries to speak his native language (as chaitali has pointed that he is speaking to his elders, etc), he speaks it in that english accent rather than his desi accent. Now this fact may or may not have any serious impact on his life, but its just a matter of our discussion.

Ofcourse a good work environment is essential. As for coping up, it depends on the extent to which you got to be flexible.
Imagine this, the work force is of hard core rockers and dopers and you join in as a sober guy. The call center demands night shifts. So the only people you can socialise with is these rockers.

Now, there are 3 options :

1)You try to live in isolation as you do not prefer hard music n dope.
2)You " Cope up " and socialise with them. Join in their madness
3)Leave the job.

Option 1 and 2 are synonymous with your statement of coping up.
Option 3 is the option where quit for a better work organisation with suitable work environment.

Lemme tell u buddy, when u talk of call centres 80-90% of them are more or less hell, bcoz u can't find the comforts like ain an IT company ..... A person who is joining a call centre knows about the harsh working conditions there and hence has to be mentally perpared.. and i tell u that no work environment will be 100% negative or 100% positive.... u will find some people with whom u can cope up and some people with whom u can't. So it is upto u how well u are able to deal with it. So if u feel that the environment is beyond what u can take, then quit it. But the fact still remains that since the environment would be more or less the same in all the jobs, u would have to try and fit into it.

PS: I love it when things go wild gaurav
Amen! sire ;) :big_grin:

[kartik]

Yes, my friend we can't generalise it because this thing may not hold good for every person. But when u talk of nullification, lemme tell u that whenever u join a voice-based BPO, the first step is accent neutralisation which means that they make u practice to give up ur native accent (hindi, bengali or tamil) and pick up the english (http://www.managementparadise.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1828&page=3#) accent (USor UK, etc) and then make up speak for 12 hrs or more in the same accent. So the person gets so habitual of this accent that even when he tries to speak his native language (as chaitali has pointed that he is speaking to his elders, etc), he speaks it in that english accent rather than his desi accent. Now this fact may or may not have any serious impact on his life, but its just a matter of our discussion.

She says patato, he says patato.. Blah Blah.. We just agreed that it cannot be generalised :p

Lemme tell u buddy, when u talk of call centres (http://www.managementparadise.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1828&page=3#) 80-90% of them are more or less hell,

But the fact still remains that since the environment would be more or less the same in all the jobs

Your first statement negates the second.

[gaurav200x]

My friend u can't eat my words like that.... :) u never discussed about accent neutralisation and other things i talked about.

Secondly, u didn't even talk about the 2nd half of my discussion in that post... None of my statement negates anything. What i said was that even though work environment is essential, yet a person has to learn to cope up because everywhere he will find almost the same atmosphere...

So when did he say potato, when she said potato? :big_grin::big_grin:

hmm... the discussion is becoming a lil monotonous with only two of us smashing our brains, it would be gr8 if we can have a more wholesome participation.

[its_kul]

gaurav u started the same job here.
eating out the whole forum.

[gaurav200x]

gaurav u started the same job here.
eating out the whole forum.
dude! u r confused.... So don't mix up PG and MP...

Here there are no restrictions like PG... take chill!! :)

Big Fight is meant for pouring ur hearts out, so whether i take the whole thread or a part of it, doesn't matter... Just talk on the topic!!

Period! :)

[bhavin_3]

gaurav u started the same job here.
eating out the whole forum.

Dude eating out the whole forum..!! Dah were did that come frm..?? Well the BIG FIGHT thread is on general debates but relevant to topic.. So pour in the comments on call center industry, it would be much appreciated..!!:big_grin:

[priya udyawar]

heyyy yaaaa... cud u pls help me out wid this topic....- call cntres a boon or a bane for the youths in mumbai'

got to do a project on this...plsssss help....
need...to go for survey... findings...n den giv conclusions.....

[techno]

well i think it's a total bane...its just luring young minds with pocket full of money ..but end of the day he is gaining nothing...a young school passs out though a very intelligent otherwise who can make a mark in studies after getting hooked to call centre environmmnt ruins his future prospects ....

[deepakraam]

Hi,
I wud say Call center is a boon.There is a solution to the work pressure.Tink abt working from Home(under the assumption that we have the infrastructure in place.) I wud say work frm home will ease the work pressure to sme extent.

People have benefitted from the call centre culture.It has given India a place in Outsourcing arena.

It has increased the average consumer spending.

People have been exposed to global happenings.

I won't say that there are no Negative to the call center.Yes,there are.Bt we can sort it out and we can try to negotiate it.

I wud completely disagree to the fact tht call center culture has made youngeters nt to show respect to the elders.Treating the elders depends on an individual and call center has no role to play there.


-Deepak.

[puneet3210]

Hi everyone

I just jumped into this website. Its good to see the discussions over here

Well, coming to the point straightaway. I have been an employee of Mphasis BPO for 5 months. I joined Mphasis after 12th. However, I quit the job as my parents asked me to go ahead with my studies

The call centre industry is like a rose. Every rose is beautiful but for the thorn it has. There is an easier money flow compared to other industries. However, this money reaches the hands of young people like us who end up partying and doing all sorts of mischiefs.
Nextly, CCs offer a good work experience, but this comes at the cost of education
Nextly, getting into work without education may save our parents some thousands of rupees. We may also make them happy with our earnings and progress. But, the question is, will the nation be happy? Another 6 to 8 years down the line, what will the situation be? Hope everyone read the article- US now, needs teachers and not software engineers
Nextly, everyone learns good english, manners, good behaviour. However, the chances of cultural erosions are high
However, even after considering all these pros and cons, I wish to conclude that the CC industry is all set to do good for us. Its in our hands to make good use of it. For example, a CC is a good option for a high school dropout. However, a person good in academics must not change his path due to the money factor (either due to attraction of money from work or due to lack of money for further studies)
The work hours being in night shifts causes tremendous influences on the behavioural attitudes of the workforce. So, the shifts must be planned in such a way that a person is not at the CC all night.
With the nation booming in IT n ITES, CCs are a boon and we need to effectively this industry with due attention to the nation's human resources ensuring that we DEVELOP and not just grow

Regards...
Puneet

[samar]

Some of the young people do lose their balance on getting good pay
[ relative to other fields ] and do somethings which should not have
been committed.

Also a no. of burn out cases happen and a no. also
lose the desire to study further looking at the short term gains.

[jijo.thomas]

It is necessary to understand the importnace of the Call center intrustry in our nations GDP. The Call center industry is expanding and Off shoring in India is common. Outsourcing the jobs in India means greater revenue to the Europian and the American countries, but the Question is that does our country realy have the Potential or is it that because of the call centers we are loosing the GEM people because today we do have many management trainees who join on the CRA or the CRE level they do have talent but they are not making the Optimum use of it.As per the Guidelines of NASCOM to hire a Team Leader or an Asst Manager it is neccessary for one to have worked in a Call center and must have the experience of handling a team. We do have fresh graduates from the Business school can't they Join a call center a Team Leader if they have potential in them infact any individual who have the Aptitude and the potential must be given an appropriate Oppurtunity.

[pooja.teku]

The call centre culture has always been shrouded in controversy.
but if u got to c call centres are a boon for the Indian economy. More than three percent of India's Gross Domestic Product comes from the BPO sector.
I do agree that a call centre might not be the best choice as a career, however I still say that call centres have helped many of the ppl to get to our dream jobs.n yea last but not the lset it does also help u to improve ur communication skillz

[priyanka2787]

Hello,
Directly coming to the point,usually in the call centres we find the youths aged 18-20 employed with a handsome pay say around 15000-20000 but how long will they survive with this life stlye 1years,2years at the maximum 3years after that??????? This is the question to be answered and now just think why will they continue their studies when they are getting such a high pay with just 10+2 education so this clearly shows that its an educational harassement were in the today's youth are struck at 12th & also restricting to make use of one's own talent & potentialilities & coming in the way of growth of the youth.So call centres are bane according to me.

Priyanka Bhille

[radhika1286]

one of my cousin joined a bpo n she suffered from behavioural probs...she used2 bcum irritated n agitated easily, dat was bcoz of irregular sleep pattern, n there wer other physical changes2, like she became very weak, n developed dark circles around her eyes.

however i basically loath the idea of youngsters joining bpo's right after their 12th classes. they feel its a very easy & convenient way2 earn fast bucks, without doing real hardwork. it discourages them from studing further. it encourages mediocracy among youngsters

[simran_bhatia]

i think it is helping the young generation in earning money...
so it is helpful for the country... as there is lot of employment generated from it...

[sachinkothari00707]

I will say it is both Boon as well as Curse

[amit_studies]

I think its boon because:
Employment oppurtunity
Forex earnings
Improving lifestlyes


Curse because:

1. Now ever a 12th pass can earn 15000 a month, so value of education is goin down, ppl leave education for earnign and dont return back..

2. Even a 19 yr old is earning 15000, so they are loosing the value of money, for them money can be earned so easily.

3.From company's point of view, other companies/ industries for that matter, have to raise their slalries, is order to attract and retain talent.

4. The employees of call centers leave their jobs when they get a better package, so job hopping is becoming a habit for them. Which in long term would diminish the value of job loyalty and commitment.


Amit.

[DRISHYA]

call centres do provide good training in voice modulation to an extent and also imparts good listening skills. BUt health problem is always der. Ppl r going der wit complete awarenessa bt such problems like stress, bad sleep.etc etc but r tempted to grab d mullah at a young age. It wont b a serious problem as we think as its nt a permanent job for most ppl. They work 4 few months or yrs n after the completion of der edu de opt out of it to other bettr option for work.

[RC1327]

i think everything comes with some pros and cons and so bpo and call centre as such are not an exception to this.
well india has the largest pool of english speaking graduates so thats why there has been such a boom, still the salary is comparatively low in uk an avergae call centre worker earns 10000pounds thats 8lakhs pa indian rupees