Erratic working hours, assuming false identities, copying foreign accents and changes in social and family life take their toll, according to a report on the study in The Economic Times.
Call centre staff in India operate hotlines for Western banks, credit card and tech companies. Because the bulk of calls originate from the US and Europe, staff often have to change their names from Indian ones to ones that Westerners can relate to, as well as adapt speech patterns through voice coaching.
To answer calls during the Western daylight hours, Indian call centres need to run round-the-clock.
Many well-qualified workers turn to call centres as the salary is attractive and the job is seen as a good starting point towards a management position. When employees find that this is not often the case, they leave, said the report.
The study looked at ways in which human resource professionals could help employees better cope with the increased stress and workload, and how to motivate and retain call centre employees.
While the study found that new workers "have a high level of motivation and excitement", the good feelings fade when the pressures of the job kick in.
One thousand employees across 19 call centres, including GE Capital, HCL eserve, MsourcE, Convergys, 24/7, Citibank and Transworks were surveyed, said the report.
Business process outsourcing (BPO) is becoming one of India's rapidly growing sectors in recent times. The country's revenue from BPO will grow from slightly under $1bn (£620m) in 2002 to $1.2bn in 2003, and will represent 66 percent of the offshore BPO market.
Talkback
"The study looked at ways in which human resource professionals could help employees better cope with the increased stress and workload, and how to motivate and retain call centre employees.
While the study found that new workers have a high level of motivation and excitement, the good feelings fade when the pressures of the job kick in."
This is a classic example of high rates of attrition within the call centre industry showing that it not just call centre's in the UK or the US that have this kind of problem.
There are in fact methods of avoiding this difficult situation by introducing 'real life' simulated competency assessments that mirror on the processes. By being able to assess a prospective candidates skills by giving them an assessment in which they will be receiving call after call after call, not only will it show the recruiter at the pre-employment stage the candidates ability to work in a call centre but it will also give the candidate a chance to see what the job is actually going to be like.
Combined with a psychometric assessment that looks at a prospective employees likely performance measured against the stresses that will be involved in a call centre role, it will enable employers to hold competency and soft skills based interviews to highlight the right candidates at the first time of asking.
Therefor, in the long run, reducing the rate of attrition as well as saving both time and money spent on the recruitment cycle.
"Assuming false identities and copying foreign accents take their toll on Indian call centre workers"
I am dissappointed that in this day and age, with unemployment rates creeping higher and higher, big companies like Citibank, GE and Chase would use outsourcing as opposed to hiring Americans.
"Because the bulk of calls originate from the US and Europe, staff often have to change their names from Indian ones to ones that Westerners can relate to, as well as adapt speech patterns through voice coaching"
Business Coaching:
http://jobsearch.monster.com/getjob.asp?JobID=18788299&AVSDM=2003%2D08%2D12+11%3A49%3A00&CCD=my%2Emonster%2Ecom&JSD=jobsearch%2Emonster%2Ecom&HD=company%2Emonster%2Ecom&Logo=1
This kind of lying is just absurd. I have challenged these callers many times. This practice only hinders the growth of our economy by taking away income from deserving Americans, which would definately turn around and spend their disposable income in America.
It is therefore un-American.
These companies threaten the well being of our nation, and any rationale supporting outsourcing to these countries is just selective reasoning designed to lull us back into our passive, out-of-sight-out-of-mind zombie-culture dreamland.
IT'S TIME TO STAND UP TO CONGLOMERATIONISM!!