In this age of technological advancement and globalization, many industries have entered into the fray. Some of them are the ones that we already know, however, there are also some which are completely new. As time has passed, some of those industries might have been completely left out while others are booming with profound success and utmost value.
People when asked about the call center industry whether in Pakistan or any other country would have this statement at first if they are still up and running, this is because as the world has seen so much advancement in technology and socialization, that type of industry might have just died out. People would be thinking that why a customer would still opt for customer care representatives after being held up for so long but that is what they exactly prefer. No one would actually wait that long for an email to arrive or indulge in live chat, which is why they always favor call centers.
According to several key types of research made, it has come to the conclusion that there would be an aforementioned growth of around 36%-40% in the call center industry, this will allow several organizations both national and international to cater to the new customers and venture into a different kind of market. Although this just shows that call centers would be a really good business venture for organizations but is it a viable option for a career opportunity. Let us venture further into the details and how this industry is shaping up in Pakistan.
What Call Centers Are And The Functions They Perform
Call centers although may vary from organization to organization the main concept is the same, these are office spaces dedicated to catering to the needs of customers, this is mainly done by receiving and making calls. These call centers are operated by dedicated representatives who would be making the calls and keeping track of the various transactions being made simultaneously. For these strategies to work accordingly, call centers have unique software installed in their systems which helps them sort out the various functions they perform.
Speaking about customer service in specific, call centers of various organizations can have different stances, either they can reach out to customers independently or they can cater to their needs. The majority of the organizations have taken a proactive stance when it comes to their operations that means they would be building and maintaining strong relationships with their customers.
If you would be thinking that this kind of support and the way of handling customers has become outdated and won’t be that successful then according to reports made by Microsoft, in the USA alone more than 44% of the people prefer phone support rather than anything else. Email and live chat come around 21%-25%, this shows that how much successful and effective this service is and could become.
Working in a call center would make you perform different types of tasks and undertake varied responsibilities. One thing which will be common is that you would be helping out the customers in all kinds of mediums and fields, interaction with the customers would have to be in all the platforms, social media, chats, email or even in person if the need arises.
If a problem persists then you would be contacted with the customers, when this happens then you would have to come up with unique and thorough solutions. You have to think from the customer’s point of view, thinking from another type of aspect may lead to negative experiences.
Call Center Industry In Pakistan
Seeing the technological advancement around the world, Pakistan too has fostered this industry and entered into the call center business, although it was slow, they still have penetrated this outstanding business field.
We all can agree that seeing this is the generation of millennials, the flow of information technology has been phenomenal. People love to live in the digital world, many of these businesses are even formed online so it would only be logical to set up a customer care business completely dedicated to handling the various clients.
When reports were made by the Pakistan Software Export Board, it came to know that there were more than 120 call centers operating in the country with a count of 2500 customer care representatives. The organizations were different but the industry was the same and their total revenue back in 2006 accumulated to $50-60 million, and when we talk about this huge amount it should also be noted that there are many varied factors that sum up the success of these call centers.
People often ask about some of the success factors of call center industries, one of those very factors would be the topography. Pakistan is a country blessed with a very unique geographical location and for that reason alone, many of the international organizations have outsourced their operations to Pakistan and that is in the shape of call centers all around the country.
The government has been favorable in promoting this industry in Pakistan, one of the many actions the government did here was drastically to reduce the bandwidth cost for call center businesses. International organizations now see Pakistan as a prime location to outsource their business to.
If we talk about employment opportunities in specific then the market here is very fertile. People who love to be flexible work here and are provided with interesting opportunities. They can either work in night or day, according to their preference. This industry has also promoted diversity within the country as they have developed their own women’s network which actively encourages women to work and perform exceptionally.
Conclusion
The call center industry of Pakistan is actually making a difference, they are providing employment opportunities when the market has been saturated and is facing problems. With their support of diversity and innovation, they continue to thrive in the country.