Business process outsourcing is one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative industries in the country today. As one of the two legs of the Philippine economy, BPOs have consistently provided job opportunities to millions of Filipinos. As of 2019, it is estimated that 1.3 million Filipinos work in more than 1000 BPO companies. The sector has reflected a compounded annual growth rate of 8-10% every year.
As the industry continues to grow, there is no more of a perfect time to explore a career in BPO than now. If you are planning to join the BPO industry, you might be wondering what career awaits you in the outsourcing field. Here we list down 10 possible career opportunities in BPO you can apply for.
Career Opportunities in BPO
Call Center Services
- Customer Service
- Technical Support
- Sales
Healthcare/Medical
- Medical Biller/Coder
- Claims Processor
Back Office/Knowledge Process Outsourcing
- Administrative Assistant
- Accounting/Bookkeeping
- Data Entry
- Data Transcription
Let’s get started.
9 Career Opportunities in BPO
As one of the biggest contributors to the Philippine economy, BPOs have been at the forefront of generating jobs for Filipinos. Working in a BPO can be lucrative because of the income potential it offers as well as the benefits. Here are the possible positions that you can fill in a BPO company:
Call Center Services
Call center agents comprise the bulk of BPO employees in the Philippines. As of 2020, call center jobs in BPOs make up 83.2% of the total workforce. Call center jobs also generated the most income at P261 billion or 73.4%. These jobs are responsible for handling inbound and outbound calls for the purpose of sales, customer service, or technical support. From the call center services stem three related functions: customer service, sales representatives, and IT support.
1. Customer Service
Customer service roles are charged with answering customer concerns related to products and services. In most cases, they provide customers with information about products and services. Customer service people may also be tasked to process orders, and modifications, or escalate complaints to the proper department.
Customer service serves as the front line of support for clients and customers. Their end goal is to ensure that customers are satisfied. Some customer service duties may include selling products and services and processing payments. In addition, they may be tasked to walk customers through basic troubleshooting or setup processes.
2. Technical Support
Technical support is also a customer service function but they have a different role. They are focused on resolving a technical issue or problem in the fastest and most cost-effective way. In performing their role, a technical support representative aims to:
- Determine what is not functioning properly
- Maintain a friendly and supportive vibe
- Resolve the issue as quickly as possible
There are times when the role involves diagnosing software or hardware issues either over the phone or in person. These incidents are either perceived or actual deficiencies with the service or product the customer is seeking support for.
3. Sales
The role of a sales representative is to sell products or services over the phone or face-to-face. Sales representatives manage relationships with customers acting as the main point of contact from lead generation to purchasing. Their career advancement is driven by their performance. This means that their earnings will be based on how much they are able to sell. The more products you sell, the higher the income.
In sales, your primary role is to first generate a lead for your business. Once you have enough leads, you will start contacting them to identify their needs and provide them with a customized solution. As a sales representative, you need to possess skills like empathy, communication, and others. You also need to understand the customer’s needs and wants. Finally, you should have the skills to be able to manage the sales process.
Healthcare/Medical Outsourcing
One of the industries that have seen an increase in the last few years is healthcare/medical. Data reveals that international healthcare outsourcing is expected to hit almost $470 billion by 2026 from just $296 billion in 2021 with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 9.6%.
As reported by Indian market research firm Markets and Markets, the healthcare industry is fueled by the increasing need to control the growing cost of healthcare and the enforcement of the Patient Protection and Affordable Act (PPACA) or Obama Care. As part of their efforts to reduce operational costs, healthcare providers needed to outsource their business processes to countries that have affordable labor markets like the Philippines.
4. Medical Billing and Coding
Hospitals and healthcare professionals handle hundreds of medical records on a daily basis. Compared to other industries where coding and billing is relatively simple, this is not the case with medical coding and billing. Hospitals are now more focused on catering to the needs of patients so adding the coding and billing tasks can become overwhelming for them.
Medical billing and coding need to be handled by the right person because any wrong information may subject the hospital or healthcare provider to legal ramifications. Without the right knowledge, there could be significant delays and errors in the processing of a patient’s medical records.
5. Claims Processing
Processing patient claims is an important activity in the healthcare industry. It can be overwhelming for a provider to maintain the accuracy of medical records if they will process hundreds of claims every day while tending to the medical needs of the patient. Inaccuracies in a patient’s medical record can result in the denial of a claim.
Many healthcare providers opt to outsource claims processing to ensure that claims are accurately processed. The outsourced team will only be focusing on the task so you have nothing to worry about inaccuracies in the claims. As a result, there would not be any delays in the release of the proceeds of the claims.
Back Office or Knowledge Process Outsourcing
Back office functions refer to tasks that are non-client facing. If your office were a Hollywood movie, the back office are the people behind the scenes. They provide support to the actors and actresses (front office). It is worth noting that back office functions, while not client-facing, still play an important role in the success of a business.
Knowledge process outsourcing, on the other hand, refers to the delegation of knowledge-intensive tasks that require niche expertise, analytical skills and judgment, and decision-making capabilities. In BPOs, knowledge process outsourcing is also known as shared services.
6. Administrative Assistant
The role of an administrative assistant provides support to managers, other employees, or office visitors. They handle various tasks to ensure that there is a smooth and productive interaction between the organization and others. Administrative assistants answer phone calls, send emails, make reservations or travel arrangements, or perform other tasks like filing, and generating reports or presentations.
Administrative assistants need to be adept with computers as they may perform general office tasks from time to time. They should excel at both verbal and written communication. In addition, they need to be resourceful, detail-oriented and should possess good typing skills. They should demonstrate proficiency in navigating Google Drive and Google Sheets.
7. Accounting/Bookkeeping
Another possible career in BPO is in the accounting/bookkeeping sector. Preparing financial reports, trial balances, income statements, and other financial documents is necessary for businesses, But crunching numbers can be time-consuming and overwhelming for your team. You can free yourself from the stress of dealing with numbers by outsourcing your accounting functions.
If you have an accounting background, you can try your luck at a BPO company. You can try applying as an accounts receivable specialist, payroll analyst, general accountant, or as a Comptroller. There are plenty of accounting positions that you can try applying for in an outsourcing firm.
8. Data Entry
A data entry position is a good entry-level career in BPO. The role of a data entry clerk is to input data into a database. One of the requirements for a data entry clerk is a keen eye for detail. In addition, they should also have excellent typing skills and must have the ability to work under pressure.
Although businesses are moving towards digitalization, some companies are still recruiting data entry clerks. Companies are moving towards converting their hard copies into digital versions. The task of a data entry clerk is to input data into a computer using specialized software.
9. Transcriptionist
The role of a data transcriptionist is to listen to audio recordings and convert them into text. Data transcription is quite common in the medical and legal fields. Once transcribed and typed out into a word processing program or stenotype machine, the transcriptionist ensures that incorrect grammar is cleaned up and corrected before it is submitted into a written draft.
The primary qualification for a data transcriptionist is excellent listening skills. In addition, they should also have superb reading and editing skills and demonstrated ability to focus for an extended period of time.
The outsourcing industry has been one of the biggest contributors to the Philippine economy over the years. They have provided millions of people with jobs. Business process outsourcing has allowed businesses to focus on their core business.
Why Should You Outsource Your Business Needs with airisX?
Outsourcing allows you, as a business, to focus on your main competencies and operations and forget the hassle of sharp learning curves when the task falls outside your company’s core area of business.
airisX provides outsourced services via our professional service centers and dedicated staff at our centers globally. You get the peace of mind that airisX has already vetted, tested, trained, and verified the capabilities of our experienced staff. Get in touch with us at contact@airisx.com to get a customized solution tailored to your needs.