List Of Essential Questions On BPO For Interview Preparation
Q – 1 Tell me would you leave us if another company offers you 2K more than us?
Ans- By asking this question the interviewer tries to analyze if the candidate will leave the job for a couple of thousands. Recruiting a candidate costs money to the company so they would like to hire somebody who has some loyalty towards the company. You can answer this question by saying that though you know the attraction of money every job offers but you would first try to analyze the growth opportunities with both the jobs.
If your present company can offer you the desired growth with the industry trend, you would not switch. You will discuss the issue with your senior and ask his views on your growth in the present job and if you see that there is a potential to grow in the present job, you will stick otherwise you will politely inform him about your decision to move ahead in life. 42.
Q – 2 Tell us what is your expected salary?
Ans- Don’t jump at a figure when asked a question about expected salary. Put the ball back in interviewer’s court by asking them, “What does the company offer for a position like this?” If you are the one who has to speak out the figure first, give a range which is not too broad for. e.g. I expect something in mid thirties or something.
Q – 3 Tell me do you think you can work under pressure?
Ans- Work and pressure are always going to co-exist. It might be the pressure at work or on personal front but you should be able to deal with it. So, the answer to this question should be “Yes” backed up with some example where you worked under pressure.
Q – 4 Tell me why should we hire you?
Ans- To answer this question, you need to prepare well in advance. Read through the requirements of the job properly and match the qualities, skills and experience you have with the requirement. Now offer this as a reason for you to be hired.
Q – 5 Tell me how long would you expect to work for us if given an opportunity?
Ans- This question aims to find out your stability and see if you would jump at the first opportunity offered to you. To answer this question, you can just say that, “I intend to stay as long as I’m learning and growing & both of us are happy with the work.”
Q – 6 Would you like to ask any questions?
Ans- When you are going for a job interview, go prepared. Try to find out the latest information about the company. When you are asked this question, you can ask interesting questions like the opportunities for you to grow in the company, the expansion plans of the company and the chances for you to grow there. If the company has been in news recently, you can ask questions related to that also.
Q – 7 Tell me do you consider yourself as a team player?
Ans- Working for any company these days means being a team player. So, the obvious answer to this is “Yes”. You may quote some examples where you worked as a team.
Q – 8 Tell me do you know anyone who works for us?
Ans- Give a reference if you know anyone inside.
Q – 9 Tell us do you know anything about our company?
Ans- Answer to this question shows your level of interest in the job and company. Make it sure that you read about the company before appearing for an interview.
Q – 10 Tell me are you comfortable in learning new technologies?
Ans- BPOs run on technologies. So, you should be happy to learn them. Say “YES”.
Q – 11 Suppose If you were hiring for this position, what qualities would you look for?
Ans- A person in a particular role needs to have some qualities, skills and expertise. Analyse the ones required by the position and offer them as an answer. For e.g. – if it is a support job –offer analytical skills, problem solving skills, patience and communication skills as an answer.
Q – 12 Tell me how do you rate your listening skills?
Ans- One of the key factors in communication skills and being a good team player lies in your listening skills. If you don’t have them, develop them. Offer above average or good as an answer.
Q – 13 Tell me can you speak for two minutes on one of these topics?
Ans- You will be given some general topics to see you communication skills, on the spot thinking capability etc. So, read a lot and be ready to speak on some general topics.
Q – 14 Tell us how do you rate your communication skills?
Ans- Communication skills play an important role in almost all the jobs you perform. Some need you to communicate internally with your team members, boss or management while others need you to communicate with customers.
Work on you communication skills to rate them as above average.
Q – 15 Explain will you be comfortable with working in shifts? Do you have any health problems?
Ans- Working for a BPO mostly means you will be working for clients outside the country with a different time zone which will require you to work in shifts many times and you have to be prepared for this. If you have any health problems which might cause problem while working in shifts, be clear.
Q – 16 Tell me would relocation be a problem for you?
Ans- Think over this before you appear for the interview. Do not say “Yes” if you mean “No” otherwise you will face problems after you have joined.
Q – 17 Tell me how would you manage your accommodation?
Ans- This question might be thrown at you unexpectedly to see your reaction. To answer this, you can just say that accommodation will not be a problem, you will manage.
Q – 18 Tell me will you be happy to sign a bond?
Ans- Say “Yes”
Q – 19 Tell me can you share with us your experiences from the last job?
Ans- The purpose here is to see what you learnt during last assignments, how you used the opportunities to grow etc. Focus you answer on the challenges you faced, solutions you offered and your achievements.
Avoid talking about any bad experiences.
Q – 20 Tell me why do you want to quit your present job?
Ans- If you are currently working or worked in the past, it is one of the most obvious questions you would face. So, you must go prepared with a good answer for this. The key here is “do not bad mouth your last employer or boss”. Just say that you want to switch for better prospects.
Q – 21 Explain what are your weaknesses?
Ans- You must understand that it is perfectly normal for any human being to have some weaknesses. What is more important is to identify them and work on them.
So, if you are asked this question in the interview – stay calm and admit that you have weaknesses. There are two ways for you to answer this question now.
a.) Offer a totally un-related weakness. For e.g. “Inspite of using the camera for so many years, I still can’t make out if anything wrong goes with it.”
b.) Offer one of your strengths as a weakness. For e.g. “My friends accuse me of being to picky about the grammar and the words in English but I think it is important to speak a language properly”. If you have applied for a position with a call centre, they would immediately buy this.
Q – 22 Explain what are your strengths?
Ans- To answer this question – analyse the requirements of the position you have applied for and make a list of the qualities a person working in that profile should have. Pick up the qualities you have out of them and offer them as an answer. For e.g. some of the qualities people applying for jobs in call centres are: Patience, fluency in English, good hearing skills, problem solving etc.
This is quite an expected question so you must go prepared with an answer for this question well in advance.
Q – 23 Tell me where do you see yourself 3 years from now?
Ans- The purpose of this question is to see if you are ambitious and if you will stay with the company for sometime or not. To answer this question you can say, “In three years from now, I see myself at a more responsible position where my company treats me as an asset and hope to grow with this company.”
Q – 24 Tell me what attracts you towards a BPO?
Ans- When you are asked this question – focus your answer mainly on the growth of the industry and the prospects you see for yourself in the industry. You can also keep some facts and figures about the growth of the industry handy which will help you in providing more weight to your statement.
Q – 25 justify “Customer is always correct “, do you believe?
Ans- The whole industry and businesses are running successfully due to customers. They provide the money needed to run these industries. A demand or request for a customer can be wrong for sometime but it will always be right for him. So our industry is growing due to customers and the services we provide them that is the reason we need to take special care of customers and hence this line is absolutely true.
Q – 26 Tell me Bpo industry has uneven timings and shift, don’t you feel everyone needs break on weekends and working hours should be day?
Ans- These types of questions are asked to check whether you are comfortable with shifts or not so you should answer this question very carefully.
You can say:
“I think 24×7 is the core of service industry and BPO is one among them. I feel that there should be break but not only on Saturday and Sunday. It also brings in challenge and I love challenges. Service industry has 2nd largest contribution in GDP, so it also brings sense of pride.”
Q – 27 Tell me if a customer is trying to make u move round the topic instead of coming direct on the point. How will you make the negotiation comfortable?
Ans- This question is asked to see that how you will deal with clients later, so if they find your answer suitable then only the interviewer will select you.
For such questions you should:
• state all the positive points in a polite manner
• Try to make him realize his profit which can make the negotiation comfortable.
Q – 28 Tell me why you want to do this job when there are other better jobs in the market?
Ans- This question is asked to check what are your views about the company and how much do you value it.
Answer this with points stating
– All the positive points about the company or the industry.
– You have read very good reviews about the company on various sites.
– Never state such statements which signifies, that this is the only option left with you.
Q – 29 Can you please explain the difference between a bpo and a call center?
Ans- The difference between a bpo and a call center is that call centers only performs just one function that is taking calls which can be a part of a business or a company whereas bpo is business process outsourcing unit which outsource the business in various manner. Call center can be a part of a bpo but it is not a bpo.
Q – 30 Tell me how will you respond to a customer who plans to take a legal action?
Ans- I appreciate your point of talking about your attorney; in this case I would like to tell you that our business motto is to resolve our business issues as fast as possible without including customer into the long cycle of legal processes. I will be pleased if you make me clear at the points where you feel that you are not clear or confused. I hope my offers will definitely make you feel easy after knowing the present issue solution.
Q – 31 Do you know clients always prefers person to talk in their own native language or in their own accent, how you are going to respond to such clients to make them talk to you?
Ans- You should say I am extremely sorry for the inconvenience, looking on the current situation there is no one to talk to you in your language. However I am looking forward to make this issue very small for you, take me as your consultant, my offers and thoughts will definitely make you feel easy and give you peace of mind . For that, I need your time and concentration to this, Mr. Customer. It will be resolved by us for sure.
As far as understanding my English is concerned I will speak a bit slowly and more clearly so that my language matches your rate of understanding and if you do not understand anything, please feel free to let me know.
Q – 32 Do you know Bpo experience is valued to bpo industries only. Do you think it should be considered in other industries also seeing the today’s situation of unemployment?
Ans- –Many of the bpo’s in today’s date provide designation of an executive. The experience under this designation is counted if one plans to do MBA and thus is beneficial.
-Also, as bpo’s experience might not count in every field of job similarly other job experiences also do not count universally thus it is not as bad as it is portrayed to be. The industry is growing fast and is recognized universally, there might be a country where resource management is not required but requirement of bpo’s is universal
Q – 33 Tell me should Indian girls be introduced in Indian army at war fronts?
Ans- These kind of questions are asked to check what kind of mind set you keep or how broadly you think, according to your answer they will judge that whether you are suitable to work in their working environment or not.
You can answer this question as:
“Now girls are being introduced in army in various fields. Though our men are strong enough to save the country but if a girl wants her spirit shouldn’t be ignored and she should be allowed to participate. As we all know,we are first to our country then to our sexuality”.
Q – 34 As you know BPO is a growing industry. How do you see yourself growing with it?
Ans- • Never answer negatively to such questions
• Do not say that you are doing this job just to earn money and pass time. You can answer this question as:
“According to my future plans, bpo is good enough for me as I believe in short term targets or goals.”
Q – 35 Tell me what is the difference between a BPO and a call center?
Ans- Call centre is a subset of BPO.
Q – 36 Explain what do you mean by following?
Ans- a.) Inbound call centre – Inbound call centres are the call centres which receive calls on behalf of their client – usually the support or customer service centres fall in this category.
b.) Outbound call centre – Outbound call centres are the call centres which make calls on behalf of their clients – usually the sales calls.
Q – 37 Do you know what is a call center?
Ans- Call centres are voice based BPOs. These are usually used for sales, customer service or support activities..
Q – 38 Explain what is onshore outsourcing?
Ans- When a business process is outsourced from a company in one country to another country in the same country – it is called onshore outsourcing.
Q – 39 Tell me what is near shore outsourcing?
Ans- When a work process is out-sourced to a nearby country, it is called near shore outsourcing. For e.g. If a business process is out-sourced from a company in USA to a company in Mexico or Canada – it is near shore outsourcing.
Q – 40 Explain what is off-shore outsourcing?
Ans- When a work process is out-sourced to a different country which is not nearby – it is called off-shore outsourcing. For e.g. If USA outsources a work process to India- it is off-shore outsourcing.
Q – 41 Explain what you will do if your mother as well as your wife, both are sinking in a river, whom you will save first if you have just one chance?
Ans- These types of questions are asked to check how good you can handle a situation.
So for such questions you should answer very carefully without being emotional.
You can answer this question in the following manner:
“If I would have just one chance then I will give each of my hand to both of them, rest I will leave everything to god, whatever he wishes.”
Q – 42 Tell me do salary packages inspire you while switching the job?
Ans- Such questions are asked to check whether you are really interested in work or money. If your answer signifies that you are really interested in money more than work then in that case if you are offered a better package from some other company then you will leave the job. So to such questions you should answer very carefully and can say:
“It’s not always salary which matters, sometimes it is even work which matters a lot, even on the stake of salary, however I will act as per the situation.”
Q – 43 Tell me what will you say if the interviewer says that he really like you, and asks “would you like to marry him in future”?
Ans- • Such questions are asked to check how emotionally stable you are, and how good you can understand & handle the situation. Interviewer is not actually flirting with you he is just checking your emotional quotient.
• To answer this, you can say something like:
“If everything goes well in future, then I can think about it”. This means that if you get selected, there might be a chance.
Q – 44 Explain what is the prime reason that bpo industry is flourishing in India?
Ans- Due to the following reasons bpo industry is flourishing in India:
• Indians have equivalent communication skills and a fair accent, so they are easily able to speak American as well as British English which is accepted worldwide.
• Secondly Indians are fast learners and good negotiators so they know how to work by making optional arrangements.
• Thirdly Indians are ready to work according to standard time so that is also considered.
• Fourthly Indians are ready to work at fewer wages.
Q – 45 Tell me what services are provided by a bpo?
Ans- Following are the category of services which are provided by a bpo:
• Customer Contact Management
• Finance / Accounting Processes
• Logistics
• Travel Management
• Telemarketing
• Health care
• Utilities
Other then these, Human Resources, Consulting, Insurance, Documentation, telecommunications are some other sectors are also following bpo trend.
Q – 46 Explain what do following abbreviations stand for?
Ans-
a.) BPM – Business Process Management
b.) BTO – Business Transformation Outsourcing
c.) BPO2 – Business Process Optimizing and Outsourcing
d.) KPO – Knowledge Process Outsourcing
e.) MBPO – Medical Business Process Outsourcing
f.) HRO – Human Resource Outsourcing
g.) RPO – Research Process Outsourcing
h.) EPO – Engineering Process Outsourcing
i.) ESO – Engineering Services Outsourcing
j.) Procurement BPO – Outsourcing the procurement activities.
Q – 47 Explain why do companies outsource their work?
Ans- There are mainly four reasons for a company to outsource its work:
a.) Cost saving
b.) Focus on core activities
c.) Access to special enterprise who has expertise in the domain.
d.) Other resource related reasons like relieving resource constraints, reducing IT staff and augmenting IT staff .
Q – 48 Tell us what do you mean by ITES?
Ans- ITES means – IT Enabled services.
Q – 49 What is non-voice based BPOs?
Ans- Non-voice based BPOs are the BPOs which perform the outsourced work for their clients but do not need to interact with the client’s customers. The focus here is on “utilizing knowledge” rather than the “voice”.
BPOs like those performing procurement services or payroll activities or data entry / data processing jobs etc. fall in this category.
Q – 50 Tell me what are voice based BPOS?
Ans- Voice based BPOs are those BPOs where you are required to talk to the customers. It may be for sales or support or service or anything else. The focus of business here is “Voice”.
Q – 51 Can you please explain what you are going to do if you are not able to complete your targets?
Ans- If the interviewer is asking this question then he wants you to give a genuine answer, which you will actually do if something like this happens. So be very realistic while answering this question.
You can say that “it was my mistake that I couldn’t complete my target this time but I’ll make sure that next time I complete my target exactly on time.
Q – 52 Tell me what is the most efficient manner to lead a team?
Ans- A team can be lead in the most efficient way by the following points:
a. Always stand for your team.
b. Always guide them without any personal interests.
c. Correct your team member’s flaws whenever required.
d. Always motivate your team in every aspect.
e. Never be bossy.
Q – 53 Tell me which are the top 10 bpo companies in India?
Ans- Top 10 bpo companies in India are:
a. Genpact
b. WNS global
c. IBM Daksh
d. Aditya Birla Minacs Worldwide
e. TCS BPO
f. Wipro BPO
g. First source
h. Infosys BPO
i. HCl BPO
j. EXL Service Holdings
Q – 54 Can you please explain the difference between nearshoring and offshoring?
Ans- There is not a vast difference between nearshoring and offshoring. Nearshoring is derived from offshoring only, it means shifting or transferring the business in a neighboring country or a nearby region i.e. sometimes across the borders too, so that it can benefit both the parties in different aspects. Nearshoring means that the business has shifted work to a lower cost organization, but within its own region whereas offshoring involves shifting of business to a foreign or distant organization in order to reduce production costs.
Q – 55 What is homeshoring?
Ans- Homeshoring is the synonym of homesourcing. It means that outsourcing the work to from service industry to employees who can work from their home or workplace by appropriate means of telephone and Internet facilities. It refers to hiring independent employees and contractors without any bond. Sometimes it requires training of employees in office from time-to-time.
Q – 56 Explain what are the different types of BPOs?
Ans- BPOs can majorly be divided into following categories based on the jobs they perform:
a.) Administrative Department
b.) Purchase Department
c.) Selling Department
d.) Call Centre
e.) Back Office
Q – 57 Do you know what according to you is a BPO?
Ans- BPO stands for Business Process Outsourcing. When a company decides to outsource some of its non-core work processes to another company with expertise in it, it is called Business Process Outsourcing.
Q – 58 Explain Benefits and limitations of BPO?
Ans- The main advantage of BPO is the way in which it helps increase a company’s flexibility. However, several sources have different ways in which they perceive organizational flexibility. In early 2000s BPO was all about cost efficiency, which allowed a certain level of flexibility at the time. Due to technological advances and changes in the industry (specifically the move to more service-based rather than product-based contracts), companies who choose to outsource their back-office increasingly look for time flexibility and direct quality control.
Q – 59 What is Business process outsourcing (BPO)?
Ans- Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a subset of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of specific business functions (or processes) to a third-party service provider. Originally, this was associated with manufacturing firms, such as Coca Cola that outsourced large segments of its supply chain.