An executive's view on BPO automation

There has been AirBnB to the accommodation industry, Uber to the public transportation, Itunes to the music lovers, iphone smart phone to mobile phone, or before all other so-called disruptive markets have changed much of the lifestyle of the consumers , there was the giant distribution network, Amazon, which has recently rolled out in Australia albeit in a quiet way. But there's no need to press the panic button for local businesses or for local employment any time soon as disruptive products may probably mean more opportunities with more requirements for higher customer satisfaction.

Source: AAP

A disruptive product is a commodity or service that initially has its roots in simple applications at the bottom of the market but relentlessly moves up market  which eventually displaces established competitors.

If there's another commonality among the disruptive products, they all easily adapted to the fast changing requirements of digital automation that lead to higher customer satisfaction.

Peter Monk, Country General Manager Australia & New Zealand of Concentrix, one of the country's biggest BPOs, thinks that in many industries this will be inevitable and there's now way escaping from it.

He explains  the rise of disruptive products is brought about by automation that helps reduce cost of doing business. However, contrary to popular perceptions, he believes automation will not necessarily displace people.

Instead, he says, there are more reasons to hire more people who need to provide better customer satisfaction.

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Here is the complete interview with Peter Monk, country general manager Australia and New Zealand of Concentrix.

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He says that Business Processing Outsources  (BPOs), whether they are overseas or onshore, will provide similar services, and as such there's nothing to worry in terms of local employment loss if automation is pursued.

He warns though that companies which are not keen on investing in automation will be the first to fall.

However, Peter Monk believes that the government should not intervene to protect the interest of businesses which are closing or which will be affected by the fast transition as a result of automation.

"Nonetheless, the government still needs to play an important role to make the local industry more globally competitive," he quips. "The government needs to be a catalyst rather than an interventionist." He says giving corporate incentives can play a key role.

He believes that both government and industry will help each other in sending  out digital messages across many platforms, especially with the advancements in social media.