Tosin Onikosi

How Does Zenefits Time Tracking Work? Pros, Cons, and Alternatives If you run a Business Process Outsourcing firm, you already know it’s the best time for the BPO industry. Numerous businesses worldwide are relying on outsourcing companies to access work flexibility and cost-efficiency. However, with the growing demand for Business Process Outsourcing services and the need to provide greater efficiency, outsourcing companies need a proper BPO management toolkit – now more than ever. What’s that? Why’s it important? Don’t worry. We’ll answer all your questions. In this article, we’ll cover what BPO management tools are and dive into some effective management practices for BPO operations. We’ll also look at how the Time Doctor tracking tool helps your company with BPO management. And finally, we’ll uncover the key benefits of successful BPO management and answer a few FAQs. Table of Contents ● ● ● ● What is BPO Management? 9 BPO Management Practices for Effective Operations How Time Doctor Helps with BPO Management 2 Key Advantages of Successful BPO Management What is BPO Management? Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) management tools allow an outsourcing business to manage and supervise the services it delivers to clients. Using BPO management tools, a business process outsourcing company like yours can ensure a seamless workflow between your company and the client’s business. They help a BPO manager quickly see what can be done to enhance the two companies’ processes, communications, and performance. BPO management functions are primarily divided into two categories. Here are the types of BPO: ● Back office: Includes tasks like payment processing, accounting, billing, information technology services, auditing, quality assurance, etc. ● Front office: Includes departments like customer service or customer support, customer experience, marketing, and technical support. The goal of the Business Process Outsourcing Management functions is to ensure that every BPO team is prepared with the correct information and tools needed to execute tasks efficiently. 9 BPO Management Practices for Effective Operations Here are some of the best practices that your Business Process Outsourcing management teams can implement to accomplish tasks with high-level efficiency: 1. Sign a Mutually Agreed Upon Contract The BPO, as the third-party service provider, must draft with their client the service level agreement describing the quality of the BPO services and the metrics for deciding success. The contract will also contain terms and conditions that are agreed between the BPO management and the client organization. A reasonable and workable service level agreement that offers mutual benefits and promotes a healthy business alliance is crucial for efficient BPO operations. Here are the two most important declarations you must include to become a BPO partner: ● The scope of BPO operations decided upon, ● The payments and other monetary responsibilities of both parties. 2. Hire the Right Agents A BPO operations manager not only needs to find the best talent but also work with the client company’s culture, people, and Human Resources. Here are some of the skills you should look for in an ideal candidate: ● ● ● ● Good communication skills Basic technology skills Fluency in the preferred language Knowledge retention The HR and operations manager should devise a strategic plan and spend time on hiring and decision-making. This way, the BPO management, and the client business can enjoy the benefits of a quality team in the long run. 3. Create Seamless Human Resources Processes The role of the Human Resources team doesn’t stop at hiring the right BPO employees. In a BPO, they’re also responsible for providing a new employee with a proper onboarding experience to ensure a good first impression. A good onboarding experience involves explaining your company’s culture and mission to the new recruits, so they get excited about working there. Human Resources must continue to carry out its responsibilities throughout an employee’s stay with the company to ensure employee satisfaction within the BPO work environment and culture. 4. Execute Standardized Processes and Policies Adhering to a strict set of processes and policies will allow your BPO employees to trust your BPO manager and management. For example, the BPO management team should standardize policies on customer support call recordings, dress code, attendance, etc. This will allow employees to work in peace as they’re aware of the clearly stated accountabilities and responsibilities. Moreover, your BPO staff gets to enjoy a workplace that values a culture of clarity and transparency. 5. Provide Continuous Training to Employees BPO operations only succeed when the company has a highly qualified workforce. Training is the most sustainable way to yield the highest efficiency and competitive advantage. You can train your employees in areas like quick resolution of calls, subject matter expertise, and communication skills like empathy, patience, etc. Some of these areas, like product knowledge, company policies, etc., may require the BPO management to keep up with the changing demands of the market. An up-to-date and competent talent pool is critical when BPO operations continue to grow or need to support a more extensive client base. 6. Deploy Workforce Management Tools Workforce management (WFM) is all the processes a BPO undertakes to have the correct number of staff available as and when needed. If you want your clients to be happy and businesses running, you need the right number of human resources at your disposal at all times. The Workforce Management process includes four important aspects that you can accomplish with the help of WFM software: ● Predicting contact volumes. ● Scheduling staff around your predicted contact volumes. ● Managing daily tasks (considering unexpected peaks in contact volumes or absenteeism). ● Creating a Business Continuity Plan (BCP). In other words, proper BPO management includes assigning the right employees with the right skills or specialization to the right business function at the right time — to meet demands. 7. Offer Constructive Feedback Your BPO company can do market research and prepare a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to properly evaluate agents against set indicators and benchmarks. Here are some BPO Key Performance Indicators: ● ● ● ● First call resolution (FCR) Net Promoter Score (NPS) Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Call abandonment rate The management needs to assess the Key Performance Indicators and state realistic, measurable ways to improve. This way, you can let your BPO employees know that their services matter, and they’ll have a clear idea of where they need to work to improve performance. 8. Organize Employee Engagement Initiatives It’s the BPO management’s job to keep their employees engaged in work and develop recreational activities for fun. It will make the BPO employees feel like they belong and understand that the management appreciates them. Here are some employee engagement activity ideas: ● ● ● ● ● Workplace parties. Recognition programs. Team building activities like games and competitions. Invigorating training sessions. And more. Overall, it’s fulfilling for team members to know that their contributions to the agency matter and that the company culture also promotes meaningful breaks from tedious work. Need help with measuring employee engagement? Here’s how to measure employee engagement and ways to improve it. 9. Employ High-quality Technology For successful BPO management, your outsourcing services company should use updated technologies. It keeps the BPO operations well-oiled and equipped to execute tasks and complete deliverables on time. The latest technological tools can include: ● ● ● ● ● Communications platforms Project management software Data analysis software Automation tools Time Tracking software For example, Time Doctor is a time tracking software that lets you record and measure your BPO employees’ work hours, attendance, and productivity levels accurately. Investing in such advanced digital assets also means data security and protection, keeping the client and the management happy. Now let’s check out how Time Doctor can help with business process outsourcing management.