Certification is top on BPO reform menu

PUNE: Indian BPOs in the finance vertical are considering the possibility of introducing industry-relevant international certification. This will ensure both improvement of productivity amongst employees and avert attrition — the biggest challenge being faced by the industry today.

“Certification in accountancy and book keeping such as Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) or the CAT (Chartered Accounting Technician) qualification offered by the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) will go a long way in helping Indian BPOs gain credibility.

Moreover, this will also help them curb attrition as most employees in the longer run will understand that with international certification they can easily move up the ladder faster,” says Vandana Saxena Poria, chairperson, British Business Group, Pune.

Industry players said that the national roll-out of the Nasscom Assessment of Competence (NAC) report by November ’06, where BPO aspirants will be assessed for their employability, will pave the way for reforms in the BPO sector. But there is a fear amongst the industry players that introduction of international certification may be a double edged sword as trained staff will be difficult to retain.

“I think that organisations which have the ability to create confidence among their employees will look at such certification as a retention tool and not worry about losing employees to competition. More often attrition is caused by poor work culture and lack of direction from the top. If the employees feel proud of their organisation the attrition rate is bound to fall.

In such a situation company sponsored international certifications are looked upon as real value additions that only reinforce the relationship between the employees and the company,” says Pradeep Phadke, chief business development officer, iBridge Solutions.

With global firms valuing quality of services over cost savings, there is a need to enhance the quality of training.