Everyone talks about customers being top on priority for any company. Learn from vCustomer why this is not a universal rule. By sachin bharel
Trouble comes in many guises at the workplace. However, the
most potent difficulty arises when one comes across a troublesome client and in such circumstances even your boss is of no help. Leaving you in a lurch, he too runs for cover at the sight of the potential troublesome customer. But you don’t have the option of running for the exit door, for, the day you joined B-School, till date, the only thing you have been taught – Customer is the King. But, for many companies their employees are also considered as kings. The BPO industry, which is perhaps the most human centric industry, has given the vast workforce a new lease of life. From pick-up and drops to providing them career growth opportunities and other facilities, the industry has tread a path, hitherto unknown to other employers and their employees. The industry has shown to the world the real meaning behind ‘Employee is the King.’ In an exclusive interaction with B&E, Navin Joshua, Executive Director, vCustomer, revealed that human resource is an integral part of the company’s core values. “HR is a very basic existence of our company’s DNA,” adds Joshua.
Started in 1999, with a focus on improving customer satisfaction for its client through a combination of technology driven, cost effective outsourcing solutions, vCustomer is now gung-ho to improve its employees’ satisfaction too. Little wonder that vCustomer was ranked at the top in Employee Satisfaction Among Contact Centers in the annual DQ-IDC India BPO ESAT Survey. Today with work strength of 3,500 employees, vCustomer has four support centres in India. vCustomer recognises the importance of each employee’s contribution to the organisation and has created a unique initiative – Employee First. The overall purpose to foster an ‘Employee First’ culture is to create a workplace and environment that fosters performance. Build Confidence, an initiative that’s part of vCustomer’s Employee First culture, empowers managers to instill confidence in their teams and allows them the freedom to enhance productivity within the work environment. And what differentiates vCustomer from others in the industry, is the opportunities it gives to its employees, which can be quantified and measured afterwards. “The key to get the employees perform at different levels is how we deal with these employees at a human level,” avers Joshua.
vCustomer believes in empowering its employees to become tomorrow’s leaders. A culture of training & leadership development automatically builds talent, facilitating both lateral as well as upward movements. Adds Joshua, “Our customised career development programme allows both lateral & vertical growth through accelerated promotion programmes based on performance.” Like every other industry, vCustomer also has its own set of people challenges and the company has its own unique style of dealing with such situations. According to Joshua, “Challenges start from the day we source folks (employees) and I think sourcing is the biggest challenge. It is really turning out to be an art.” He further adds, “With 80% of the workforce in the age group of 20-25, people’s maturity is a big challenge. For instance, people reaching for shifts on time is a big challenge we face at vCustomer.”
Just like any other company, vCustomer too lays great emphasis on learning and training for an employee’s career growth and personal development. To implement this, the BPO company has in place, organisational and individual development programmes, for each and every employee. These programmes have in fact been charted according to the different roles an employee plays in the organisation and to complement his/her career objectives. A team of trained professionals leverage industry best practices & process-specific training programmes to impart customised training solutions. vCustomer’s result-oriented work culture fosters a spirit of individual initiative, teamwork & celebration. The company believes in creating an environment, which is exciting yet filled with fun. To alleviate the work-stress level the company conducts training on well-being and health-related issues. Yoga, meditation and stress management programmes are conducted regularly for the employees. Fun activities too are a regular occurrence at vCustomer. vSports (indoor & outdoor sports club), vEnergy (regular health & fitness camps), vRiders (the vCustomer bikers community) & vCampus (the monthly magazine) are some of the popular activities at the BPO company. What’s more, flexible times & parallel employee engagement programmes such as higher education plans, common interest groups and festival celebrations ensure that there is a healthy work-life balance for all employees. Like a family member, vCustomer also celebrates employees’ ‘Birthday Bash’ every month. It is a rare occurrence when a company understands the demanding life of its employees and creates processes and structures to suit the needs of the workforce. But it is this understanding of the employees’ needs that has set vCustomer apart in the highly demanding and stressful BPO sector.
right on top
Named among Top 10 Contact Centers in Global Services 100 Survey for 2008.
l Ranked No. 1 in Employee Satisfaction Among Contact Centers in the annual DQ-IDC India BPO ESAT Survey, 2007.
l Ranked among the top five BPO-IT companies in the list of 15 “Exciting Companies to Work For” by NASSCOM in 2007.
l Data Quest ranks vCustomer No.15 among ‘Top 20 BPO’s in 2007.
lIn the top 20 list of ‘India’s Top BPOs’ by Everest Research in 2007.
lAmong the Top 10 ‘Hot Players in Offshore Outsourcing World’ by BusinessWeek in 2006.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
Trouble comes in many guises at the workplace. However, the
most potent difficulty arises when one comes across a troublesome client and in such circumstances even your boss is of no help. Leaving you in a lurch, he too runs for cover at the sight of the potential troublesome customer. But you don’t have the option of running for the exit door, for, the day you joined B-School, till date, the only thing you have been taught – Customer is the King. But, for many companies their employees are also considered as kings. The BPO industry, which is perhaps the most human centric industry, has given the vast workforce a new lease of life. From pick-up and drops to providing them career growth opportunities and other facilities, the industry has tread a path, hitherto unknown to other employers and their employees. The industry has shown to the world the real meaning behind ‘Employee is the King.’ In an exclusive interaction with B&E, Navin Joshua, Executive Director, vCustomer, revealed that human resource is an integral part of the company’s core values. “HR is a very basic existence of our company’s DNA,” adds Joshua.Started in 1999, with a focus on improving customer satisfaction for its client through a combination of technology driven, cost effective outsourcing solutions, vCustomer is now gung-ho to improve its employees’ satisfaction too. Little wonder that vCustomer was ranked at the top in Employee Satisfaction Among Contact Centers in the annual DQ-IDC India BPO ESAT Survey. Today with work strength of 3,500 employees, vCustomer has four support centres in India. vCustomer recognises the importance of each employee’s contribution to the organisation and has created a unique initiative – Employee First. The overall purpose to foster an ‘Employee First’ culture is to create a workplace and environment that fosters performance. Build Confidence, an initiative that’s part of vCustomer’s Employee First culture, empowers managers to instill confidence in their teams and allows them the freedom to enhance productivity within the work environment. And what differentiates vCustomer from others in the industry, is the opportunities it gives to its employees, which can be quantified and measured afterwards. “The key to get the employees perform at different levels is how we deal with these employees at a human level,” avers Joshua.
vCustomer believes in empowering its employees to become tomorrow’s leaders. A culture of training & leadership development automatically builds talent, facilitating both lateral as well as upward movements. Adds Joshua, “Our customised career development programme allows both lateral & vertical growth through accelerated promotion programmes based on performance.” Like every other industry, vCustomer also has its own set of people challenges and the company has its own unique style of dealing with such situations. According to Joshua, “Challenges start from the day we source folks (employees) and I think sourcing is the biggest challenge. It is really turning out to be an art.” He further adds, “With 80% of the workforce in the age group of 20-25, people’s maturity is a big challenge. For instance, people reaching for shifts on time is a big challenge we face at vCustomer.”
Just like any other company, vCustomer too lays great emphasis on learning and training for an employee’s career growth and personal development. To implement this, the BPO company has in place, organisational and individual development programmes, for each and every employee. These programmes have in fact been charted according to the different roles an employee plays in the organisation and to complement his/her career objectives. A team of trained professionals leverage industry best practices & process-specific training programmes to impart customised training solutions. vCustomer’s result-oriented work culture fosters a spirit of individual initiative, teamwork & celebration. The company believes in creating an environment, which is exciting yet filled with fun. To alleviate the work-stress level the company conducts training on well-being and health-related issues. Yoga, meditation and stress management programmes are conducted regularly for the employees. Fun activities too are a regular occurrence at vCustomer. vSports (indoor & outdoor sports club), vEnergy (regular health & fitness camps), vRiders (the vCustomer bikers community) & vCampus (the monthly magazine) are some of the popular activities at the BPO company. What’s more, flexible times & parallel employee engagement programmes such as higher education plans, common interest groups and festival celebrations ensure that there is a healthy work-life balance for all employees. Like a family member, vCustomer also celebrates employees’ ‘Birthday Bash’ every month. It is a rare occurrence when a company understands the demanding life of its employees and creates processes and structures to suit the needs of the workforce. But it is this understanding of the employees’ needs that has set vCustomer apart in the highly demanding and stressful BPO sector.
right on top
Named among Top 10 Contact Centers in Global Services 100 Survey for 2008.
l Ranked No. 1 in Employee Satisfaction Among Contact Centers in the annual DQ-IDC India BPO ESAT Survey, 2007.
l Ranked among the top five BPO-IT companies in the list of 15 “Exciting Companies to Work For” by NASSCOM in 2007.
l Data Quest ranks vCustomer No.15 among ‘Top 20 BPO’s in 2007.
lIn the top 20 list of ‘India’s Top BPOs’ by Everest Research in 2007.
lAmong the Top 10 ‘Hot Players in Offshore Outsourcing World’ by BusinessWeek in 2006.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
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