For the longest time, the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector in the Philippines was almost exclusively associated with call centers and customer service representatives (CSRs). In today’s digital age, however, it has since evolved into a dynamic industry that offers a much broader range of career opportunities.
After its remarkable transformation over the past two decades, you can expect for the current BPO sector to a have a wealth of diversified service offerings available whether you’re looking for onsite or home based BPO jobs. Some of the most exciting career prospects you can look forward to in the BPO sector—especially if you want to do innovative and highly specialized work—are the following:
1. Data Analytics Specialist
Given that businesses now increasingly rely on data-driven decision-making, there’s a pretty high demand for data analytics specialists in the BPO sector. Data analytics specialists are responsible for analyzing large sets of data, and then extracting insights from them. These insights serve as the basis for valuable recommendations that can help client businesses curate their products, services, or processes so that the latter can better attend to the need of their customers.
Data analytics specialists are also known to help organizations make informed decisions about improving the latter’s operational efficiency, thus driving up business growth. It’s common for professionals who excel in this role to swiftly advance to managerial positions, where they can lead data-driven initiatives and contribute to strategic business decisions at a higher level. If you’re good with data and you want to build a career out of deriving insight from it, this may be an excellent career path for you.
2. Digital Marketing Specialist
Having a strong online presence can help businesses reach and grow their target audiences effectively. However, if a business doesn’t know how to formulate a digital marketing strategy that truly aligns with its brand, it might not be able to fully use the World Wide Web’s features to its advantage. This is where the skills of digital marketing specialists come in.
A digital marketing specialist will be responsible for the following tasks for their client companies:
- Creating and implementing digital marketing strategies
- Managing online campaigns
- Optimizing search engine rankings
- Analyzing marketing metrics
With the rising demand for digital marketing expertise, this career offers Filipinos the opportunity to work with global brands and upskill themselves on the latest marketing trends. If you’re a creative and resourceful person who’d love the opportunity to do marketing-related work with brands from across the border, this is a BPO job you should definitely explore.
3. Social Media Manager
Another way businesses can connect with their target markets online is by creating accounts on various social media platforms. Through this method, businesses will have the means to humanize their respective brands. Social media can also help “old-school” brands or brands that had their start in a different generation stay relevant in this digital age.
But again, if businesses can’t take advantage of all the unique features each social media platform provides, they won’t be making the most of their social media presence. That’s why it’s common for BPO clients to tap social media managers for help.
Social media managers have several responsibilities under their belts. They begin by crafting social media strategies that align with the vision and values of their clients. From there, they’re typically in charge of creating engaging content, monitoring online conversations, and find ways to boost brand awareness through different social medial platforms.
Professionals who do well in this role can soon advance to leadership positions and get opportunities to create social media strategies for multinational companies, as well as shape the online identities of different brands. If you want to break into this career, however, you’ll need to consider yourself social media-savvy, have good communication skills, and be willing to think outside the box.
4. AI Chatbot Developer
Now that businesses are striving to enhance their customer service and streamline their operations, many are hiring artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developers. These professionals create and maintain AI-powered chatbots that can interact with customers as well as provide support and increase automation for rote tasks.
Some examples of duties that an AI chatbot developer typically handles are developing conversational interfaces and integrating natural language processing capabilities into the chatbot, all so that the bot can continuously increase in its performance. To flourish in this career, AI chatbot developer aspirants must be proficient at various programming languages and knowledgeable about machine learning algorithms. They must also have a deep understanding of user experience (UX) principles and how best to apply them in a particular business’s context.
5. Virtual Reality (VR) Specialist
Virtual reality specialists are responsible for developing and implementing VR solutions for various industries, such as real estate, tourism, and training simulations. Their skills allow them to create virtual environments and design interactive experiences, providing users with immersive new ways to interact with the VR specialist’s client business.
A VR specialist’s output can help their client companies enhance their training programs or provide their customers with a unique way to explore their products or services. If you’ve graduated from a multimedia arts course or trained in something similar, this could be a lucrative and fulfilling career opportunity for you.
6. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Specialist
Automation is continuously transforming the BPO sector, and robotic process automation (RPA) specialists are playing a pivotal role in this transition. An RPA specialist designs, develops, and deploys software robots that automate repetitive tasks, thus increasing efficiency and reducing errors.
Clients also look to RPA specialists to analyze business processes and identify automation opportunities. From there, a specialist can implement the right robotic solutions. Skills in programming, process analysis, and problem-solving are vital if you want to make it in this type of career.
The Philippines’ BPO industry will continue to evolve, and in the next few years, there will be many more career pathways that cater to a wide variety of skill sets and interests. Many of these new careers will go beyond the traditional call center and CSR roles, thus showcasing the industry’s adaptability and its ability to offer diverse and fulfilling employment options for jobseekers. Consider building your skills and applying for a BPO career like any one of these, and unlock your full potential in the modern professional landscape!