Now, an association to help BPO professionals

Centre for BPO Professionals (CBPOP), a non-profit organisation, is being modelled to be a platform for BPO and call centre professionals to discuss issues, find solutions and help them maintain employability and adaptability in a fiercely competitive market space.

J S R Prasad, director of the association, said: "CBPOP has been created to help professionals in times of emergency and distress."

CBPOP, an affiliate of the Geneva-based Union Network International, was started six months back in Hyderabad, and has opened its second office in Bangalore. It has so far enrolled about 1,000 members in Hyderabad and Bangalore, and will soon have a full-fledged office in Chennai.

S M Govindarajan, director of CBPOP, said: "Though BPO and call centre business is growing in India, other countries like China, Philippines, Malaysia and Canada are also competing with us to grab a share in outsourced business.

"If these countries offer better quality services at cheaper rates, jobs might move to these countries. So, what is the job security for our professionals," he wondered.

"Besides addressing psychological ailments and health problems, CBPOP will focus on helping professionals maintain their employability and adaptability, cope with volatile market requirements and update their skills to meet future requirements," he added.