What Does a BPO Operations Manager Do?

A Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) operations manager is often responsible for overseeing all commercial operations. In other words, these managers communicate with primary clients to ensure that outsourced processes meet their standards of quality and efficiency. Another important responsibility of a BPO operations manager is to plan for growth over long periods of time. He or she can also be responsible for managing and communicating with suppliers, especially with software vendors.

When a business owner decides that he or she can benefit from hiring a third party to perform business processes, he or she might contract a BPO company. These companies perform functions such as customer service, Information Technology (IT) troubleshooting, and document processing. Client companies benefit from BPO services since they can result in lower costs and infrastructure systems that are less complex.

Individuals who become these kinds of managers often have an academic background in a subject such as management or finance. They also normally have at least five years of experience managing in a BPO company. An operations manager should have excellent leadership skills, advanced communication skills, and an aptitude for strategic thinking.

A BPO operations manager ensures that all processes run smoothly and meet standards. In order to perform these duties, he or she might periodically oversee deliveries from vendors and inspect equipment for quality. An operations manager also might observe general operations for quality assurance.

Aside from ensuring that daily operations run smoothly, a BPO operations manager should also look for opportunities for growth. He or she can work with market analysts to learn about BPO services that are profitable for competitor businesses, as well as about new markets where his or her organization can begin to market services.

Risk management is another important concern for a BPO operations manager. With any step toward expansion, there also is a risk. An operations manager might speak with consultants to determine which economic, social, and political factors can endanger his or her organization's operations. Once a BPO operations manager has received relevant intelligence and a thoughtful analysis, he or she can meet with executives to determine the route that is best for the company.

When steps are taken to expand an organization, a BPO operations manager is responsible for performing change management. Change management is the process of overseeing implementation of new software and practices. He or she might also work with process managers to establish new guidelines and practice standards. Training and assessment of employees also might be primary focuses of an operations manager during a change process.