Social Impact Of The Bpo Industry
There are some industries which have changed the face of Earth. The iron and steel industry, the clothing mills and the printing press are some of them. They have defined modern civilization as we know it. However, no single industry has got the social impact generated by the BPO sector. The effect is of greater value when you look at how it changed the social fabric and thought of some of the most conservative areas of the world. Call center units in the third world countries brought graveyard shifts in vogue. The answering service agents redefined the workplace atmosphere from somber and grave to fun and sporty. Working, while studying in a college, was suddenly the in thing.
The BPO industry has changed the spending habits of the working class. Suddenly you had this dynamic group of young call center professionals with liquid cash on their hands that they were willing to spend. Because they were willing to splurge, consumer goods and gadget manufacturers sat up and took notice. They had a steady base of customers that would buy a good product, even if it was steeply priced. Thanks to these call center services industry, other business sectors had more money coming in. These businesses began to flourish only on the strength of the money that came rolling from the employees of the business outsourcing sector.
Another impact on the social framework would be the BPO work timings. Many of these places that are now BPO hubs, used to be very resistant to changes. The workforce had no faith in business ventures that required them to work at night! With the coming of call center units, the scenario changed. Many of the answering service agents were looked down upon initially because they went out to work when the others came home. The ideas changed soon. People began to accept that this was a unique work set-up. They were more comfortable with the idea of working night shifts. Even women were game for graveyard shifts. The dangers that the odd working hours posed to health took a backseat in the minds of these driven professionals.
Consumerism continued to get fuelled by the BPO employees. They had more money on their hands than what the earlier generations could make. The young call center employees were able to buy property and lifestyle objects, things that their parents could obtain only after saving for years. The more important part was that these young call center services employees were game for the challenge. They were not in this for only money anymore. This was another perception which took a beating. Initially many thought of the business outsourcing industry as a stop-gap arrangement before they moved to mainstream professions.
The concept of mainstream changed because BPO firms were able to provide jobs to the unemployed while other reliable industries, like retail and insurance, reeled under the impact of the recession. Many believed that the call center business would take a tumble because of the recession. That didnt happen. Rather, the answering service industry climbed to greater heights with growth percentages that looked astronomical when compared with those of other sectors.