http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/09/what-to-obsess-over.html

I find more good things to talk about from Seth’s daily blog then I do anyother place. If you are not following him, you really should be. He is marketing guru, so most of his stuff has that slant to things, but since marketing and analytics are so often tied together, just about everything he blogs about has relevance to what we are doing here at BPO Elite.

In this blog, Seth talks about the importance of not just measuring things, but making sure you do something constructive with the results. I so many managers and leaders looking at reports, but missing some of the most important stories behind the numbers. There are so many analysts jobs where you don’t really analyze anything, you just print our paper and pass it on. And I see a lot of decisions being made based on two few datapoints or the wrong datapoints.

Its so imporant to always ask why am I measuring this? What frame of reference do i have? What is a the baseline? What is an acheiveable target to work towards? If these questions where asked more often, by more people… then BPO Elite wouldn’t exist.

Fortunately for us, measuring things is never as easy or as simple as most people think! 🙂

http://analyticsindiamag.com/interview-dr-dakshinamurthy-v-kolluru-president-at-international-school-of-engineering-hyderabad/?goback=%2Egde_3875000_member_157519861

I just read this very interesting interview about how schools in India are at the forefront of teaching analytics as a subject. And it inspired me to talk about analytics here in the BPO Industry in the Philippines and how BPO Elite is leading the charge to train the next generation of analysts. Here is the transcript.

BPO Elite: We are here with our CEO, Dan Meyer. Dan, can you brief us on the current state of analytics in the BPO Industry here in the Philippines?

Dan: Absolutely. There are some business who have figured out the importance of analytics and are using cutting edge technologies and employee highly skilled people to help drive data-driven decision making. However, at the current time these are the exceptions. A lot of the smaller and medium sized BPOs have not been able to leverage analytics to really give them the business intelligence they need.

BPO Elite: What about colleges and universities? Are they teaching analytics so graduates are prepared to go out and get jobs as analysts?

Dan: Not yet. We see a lot of that type of curriculum in India and its starting to gain momentum in the U.S., but here in the Philippines, adding courses in analytics is still largely in the planning stage. There is a lot of work being done between the schools, the BPO industry and the government, but so far only a few schools have begun to pilot BPO-centric courses that include analytics.

BPO Elite: So that is where your training comes in?

Dan: Yes, we’ve demonstrated that our Introduction to Analytics training can serve as a bridge for fresh grads and young professionals who have natural analytics skills, but lack the experience to land analysts jobs.

BPO Elite: Is it really that simple? Analytics is a pretty broad subject and becoming a good analyst is not something just anyone can do.

Dan: Well, our approach is not so much to train on specific technologies or go deep into a few methodologies. Instead, we focus on what its like to be analyst and talk a lot about the kinds of challenges analysts can face. Half of our training is more on the soft skills side of things. You can be great at writing code and designing data models, but if you can’t answer they why behind the data then you will struggle as an analyst. In addition, we focus on good communication skills and demonstrate how good analysis will lead to data-driven decision making. Most approaches to analytics training I’ve come across focus only on the technical side of things. My experience is that technical skills is actually the easy part.

BPO Elite: That’s interesting, so it goes against the convention wisdom of most analytics solutions? Tell us more about that.

Dan: Sure. You hear a lot about Big Data, and data scientists and complicated solutions. That makes sense for big corporations, but we expect a lot of our trainees will end up in smaller BPOs and call centers. Where they can play key roles in workforce management, recruitment metrics, market strategy… places where you need to know more about how to solve problems and communicate results then you need to write a complex SQL query.

BPO Elite: Well, we are out of time for now. We hope that helps our audience have a greater appreciation for our mission and can see what differentiates us from other training solutions. Thanks Dan for joining us today.

Dan: It’s my pleasure. Now go out and analyze something! LOL!

I just came across a blog post by another BPO company here in the Philippines and it kind of set me off. I assume the intention of the author was to remind us that recent advances in technology have made the BPO industry as we know it now possible. It is not my goal to argue with that intention, but I do feel the need to mention that the post did not mention one actual innovative piece of the technology. After reading the post I found myself asking why they wrote it in the first place.

So in order to walk the talk so to speak, I will share a few of the coolest, most innovative technological solutions I’ve come across that can make the BPO industry even more successful here in the Philippines.

First off there are dozens of business intelligence applications that are low cost and provide fast and actionable insights into all kinds of customer, demographic and competitive data. Just to name a few, check out Tableau, Qlikview or Yellowfin. I’ve trained fresh grads to use Tableau to do some pretty amazing data visualizations in just a few hours. In the hands of an imaginative and tech savvy person, work that used to take entire IT teams weeks can be done in minutes by one person. Now that is innovation.

Second, there are dozens of CRM and ATS applications that are making fundamental and long lasting changes in the recruitment industry. Tools like Bullhorn and Silkroad can take help a recruiting team manage the entire end to end recruitment process easily and with a lot less manpower then was possible only a few years ago. They are also fully integrate social networking via Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook into the recruitment process.

And third, I can think of dozens of new services and mobile apps that add all kinds of value to marketing and sharing your brand. Pintrest and Tout are two that we have begun using recently to help us spread the BPO Elite story by sharing images and videos why we are the elite analytics solution for the BPO industry here in the Philippines.

I will finish up mentioning a couple of people who I admire for taking this new technology and have been significant influences on my life. I’m sure neither Seth Godin or Guy Kawasaki set out with the goal of impacting the direction of the BPO industry in the Philippines, but thanks to their blogs we here at BPO Elite can learn how to not only be on the cutting edge of branding and marketing, but also be completely enchanting at what we do. And then there is TED, which houses a lot of amazing talks by one of my all time favorite data geeks, Dr. Hans Rosling.

So there you go. Not only have I talked about how cool technology is, but I’ve also pointed you to some examples of technology and tech savvy people that are contributing to BPO Elite’s success. I guess that is what this is all about… technology is not just cool because it allows us to go faster, stronger, higher, better… but because it also allows us to do it as part of a global community.

BPO Elite is an analytics outsourcing, consulting ang training firm that specializes in analytical, data driven decision making. We offer a variety of analytics solution tailored to fit the unique needs of our clients. Here are some of the solutions we provide. Pricing is as of August 2012 and subject to change.

• Two Day Introduction to Analytics Training for Fresh Grads and BPO Professionals – This very seminar is designed for individuals looking to start their careers as analysts. Standard price is PHP 1000 per individual.

• Two Day Analytics Training for BPO Teams – This training is designed for teams that are looking to be more data-driven in their processes and decision-making. The training plan is specific to each business and will offer several analytics solutions. Standard price is PHP 7000 per trainee for a batch of 15-25 pax.

• Two Day Analytics Workshop for BPO Management and Leaders – This workshop provides decision-makers with a framework for using data to drive strategy and offers several solutions to achieve this goal. Standard price is PHP 50000 for 20 pax.

• Small and Medium Business Intelligence Assessment – This project will provide business owners and decision makers with market, competitor and customer intelligence to help them achieve tactical and strategic business goals. Standard price is PHP 15000 per project.

• Recruitment Analytics Consulting Solution – This engagement can include an analytics assessment of your current recruitment process, assistance with selection and implementation of an analytics technology solution and/or analytics staff recruitment and training. Standard price is PHP 25000 per engagement.

For more information, please send me an e-mail with a short summary of which BPO Elite Analytics service(s) you are interested in learning more about.

Sincerely,

Dan Meyer
Chief Executive Officer
BPO Elite

danmeyer@bpoelite.com
USA 925-595-4079
PHI 09157759578

BPO Elite – Making Data-Driven Decisions

BPO Elite provides analytics consulting services to small and medium sized BPO companies based in the Philippines. We specialize in providing consulting solutions to help businesses make more data-driven decisions. Our suite of solutions includes the following:
• Recruiting and training analysts to work within the business to enhance the analytics function of the business
• Conducting analytics assessments of the business to identify challenges and opportunities with data management and decision making within the business.
• Providing analytics training for decision makers and influencers specifically designed to fit the needs of the business.
• Developing and deploying analytics solutions using the latest cutting edge analytics technology available

Analytics is the discovery, analysis and communication of meaningful patterns in data. Data is all around us and the amount of data we generate increases every day.

BPO Elite can empower your business with the analytics you need to harness this data and use it to make data-driven decisions. Contact us today to learn more about this exciting opportunity to drive your business forward.

What Does A Startup CEO Actually Do? I saw this headline on a recent Forbes article.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/douglasmerrill/2012/06/29/what-does-a-startup-ceo-actually-do/

So how does my life of a startup CEO compare? The core of the article is that a good CEO should spend 1/3 of his time hiring, 1/3 of his time communicating with employees and 1/3 of his time doing administrative work. And somehow find time to also do things like talking to partners, the Board of Directors, customers, and the press. I guess I am not currently living the life envisioned in the article. LOL!

In a typical week I spend a lot of time meeting with people to share what I do. Some of them maybe future hires, but a lot of them are people who I want to share our mission with. Right now I am our biggest marketing piece, so whenever I can talk about the BPO Elite story to someone who can influence business it’s a good use of my time. Potential trainees, potential interns, potential business partners, potential clients, key industry leaders, industry peers… it’s a pretty long list. As we grow, I expect several of these will turn into hires and given the nature of our business I am always looking for future analysts.

Communicating with employees is very important to me. I try very hard to keep my team up to date on our business plan, on industry trends and looking for ways to expand their knowledge and skills sets. I also make a point of communicating with the wider BPO Elite universe via this blog, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. I am a HUGE believer in the power of social media to spread a brand and have found several key business partners and most of my team via social networking. I also send updates to my partners (the board) 2-3 times a month to keep them up to speed on what issues we are facing internally and externally. So I think this one is covered.

Administrative work is a huge challenge though. I reply to most important e-mails/calls right away and am blessed with an amazing partners who can handle many of the finance and legal issues so I can spend more time training, recruiting and marketing. Still, I have a list of projects a mile long that only gets bigger by the day. Soon I will have to hire an admin to help keep me on track. I’m also hoping an intern or two can relieve some of the administrative/small analytics projects I spend too much time on.

As for the rest… I find the time, but often its because of my 24/7 commitment to BPO Elite. I do block off time for church and make every effort to spend QT with the family several times a week, so keeping some work life balance is achievable. I guess what it boils down to is that I always find a way, this path has just been one blessing after another and as I continue down it, I am loving every minute of it!

So what does a CEO of a startup do to be successful? Like the article concludes… create a culture of competence, confidence and passion that spreads outward to everyone it touches. That is what I do and what I love!

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/35729/9-out-of-10-applicants-fail-to-snag-bpo-job—industry-group

“MANILA – Only one out of every 10 people applying for a job with a business process outsourcing company makes the grade – a situation that, if left unchecked, would result in a shortfall of qualified workers in the next five years, according to the local industry.

“While many Filipinos apply for work in IT-BPO companies, at present the hiring rate is just five percent to 10 percent. Most applicants do not make the cut because they lack the necessary qualifications, skills, and professional expertise,” Benedict Hernandez, president of Business Process Association of the Philippines, said in a statement.

To achieve its $25 billion revenue target by 2016, the industry must address the looming labor shortfall between now and 2016, he said.”

From my perspective there are a number of reasons the % of “hire able” candidates is so low.

I agree with a lot of the observations about both speaking English correctly and with confidence. I see a lot of fresh grads in my business and a huge % of them do not feel comfortable expressing themselves in English. And even ones that are pretty good often lock-up during an interview. Another big challenge is that most college grads have never been in a call center so it’s hard to conceptualize what working in one might be like. I recently trained a batch of 22 fresh grads from schools like PUP and Adamson… and not one of them had ever been in a call center or really new much of what they are like.

So it’s not just confidence, but lack of preparation. And the other big issue of course is that a lot of college grads are coming out of school with degrees that have little training in technology and no understanding of a business environment.

On the other hand I also agree with some of the comments that the assessment and screening process is not as effective as it could be. A huge % of candidates never make it past the initial screen because they don’t have a 4 year degree or do not have any relevant work experience so even with good English, confidence and technical skills they never make it to the interview stage. I’ve seen a couple of amazingly talented and articulate candidates who have been passed over dozens of times because they do not have a 4 year degree and its disheartening to think that now they have such a negative experience when it comes to the BPO industry.

Training programs like BPO Elite’s in one answer as we identify, recruit, train and help place fresh grads with the talent and aptitude to be analysts in the BPO industry.

We have a long way to go to turn that statistic around, but I for one am convinced we can do it!

An Introduction to Analytics Training Seminars

In the past couple of weeks I taught a couple of two day training seminars with an audience of fresh graduates. Most of them have IT or Computer Science backgrounds and are looking to embark on careers without much of an idea where to get started.

My team and I screen and interview the trainees to assess their technical background, any relevant work or on-the-job training experience, English proficiency and communication skills. If candidates pass the screening and the interview, than we invite them to attend the training seminar. We have pretty high standards and only invite those who we feel have the potential to have long and successful analyst careers.

During the training, I share a lot of my experience, based on my 15 years with Wells Fargo. During my career with the bank, I learned a lot about what it takes to be a good analyst. I also have a Master’s in Education and spent five years teaching and being an administrator in higher education. This fairly unique combination of corporate experience and educational focus have giving me the opportunity to teach analytics seminars.

The two day classes are designed to provide an introduction to the key concepts of analytics and include several exercises and hands on trainings. The classes are a lot of fun, but also full of information and new perspectives. Most of the trainees know little about analytics or what an analyst career might look like, but after spending two days with me, they all have a new direction and new found confidence in what they can accomplish.

After the training we again meet with each trainee to help them determine what kind of analyst they want to be. We look at the various paths someone with analytics skills can take and we also update their resumes and online profiles to make them more likely to standout.

In my 20+ years of professional experience, teaching analytics to fresh grads has been one of the most satisfying experiences I’ve ever known. For a social yet nerdy person like me, analytics is a whole lot of fun and being an analyst is one of the coolest jobs around. Now I can help younger versions of me find the same satisfaction as they embark on their professional journey.

The title of this blog post is a common paraphrase of a quote from Theodore Roosevelt. TR once said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” I start with this quote because of some recent conversations I’ve had.
As most of you know, BPO Elite offers an analytics training seminar to fresh (or recent) college graduates. In the past few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing close to 100 recent college graduates who have expressed interest in attending the Introduction to Analytics seminar. Most of them are pretty excited about the training, but in many cases they choose not to attend for two reasons very much a concern for most college grads; (1) how much does it cost? and (2) will it guarantee me a job? In many cases there is also another important consideration… (3) will my parents let me go to this?
So to help those of you who are considering the class, let’s look at each concern. We will start with how much does it cost. The first batch we charged PHP 200 but did not include lunch for the second batch we tired PHP 500 inclusive of lunch. The idea is to determine which offer is more attractive to our target audience. In either price all materials and snacks are included and the fee barely covers the cost of renting the facility. So for two days of training from an expert in the field of analytics, the either price seemed like a bargain when you compare that to the price of most professional training programs out there. There is cost associated with everything. And like President Roosevelt alluded too… to get something of value you have to pay for it. However, to a fresh grad, still looking for their first job, even PHP 200 might seem like a lot.
The second concern is that if they take the two days to attend the training and they pay the fee, will it guarantee them a job. Now, conventional wisdom says that no training will ever guarantee you of anything. Training can add value to what you already know, it can help you find new ways of doing things and it can open up new possibilities, but it can’t take an unemployed person and then automatically employee them. We all know that, but we don’t want to believe it. There are a lot of recruiters, trainers and other people out there who promise that they can find people jobs, but it’s because they are in it to make money on filling job slots. The only promise I am willing to make is that you will learn a lot about analytics and what a career as an analyst can look like. We can help in the job search and we can help you strengthen you resume and your online profiles, but in the end it’s you who will or will not get that job worth having. So in undergoing this seminar with BPO Elite, a fresh grad needs to decide if this training will put them in a better position to get the job they want. Again let’s think of TR’s quote… if its worth doing, its not going to be easy. Being an analyst is a hard, but satisfying career choice and its one that takes patience and planning.
And finally we have the influence of the parents to consider. In a lot of cases I have recent graduates tell me that they want to come, but they need to discuss it with their parents. To me, this is both a good thing as well as an additional challenge. I like to hear when parents are involved with decision making. It almost always means that the decision to attend the class will hinge on value. Will the cost of the training be worth it? Will the training help my child find a job? As I’ve outlined above, these are very good questions.
But here comes the challenge… how does a fresh grad who just spent 15-20 minutes being interviewed to be part of a training class go home and explain to their parents what they BPO Elite is all about, why analytics is important and why going to our training is the best things they can do to help them find not just a job, but start a career? For those fresh grads in the audience, this topic will carry over into my next blog post. It will be entitled something along the lines of how to engage your parents in the conversation to help them decide to let you attend the training.

So when I first started pitching the Introduction to Analytics seminar to prospective training candidates, I need to come up with a good analogy about what analytics is and what an analyst does. At the time I was doing most of these informational interviews at various Starbucks across Manila. So I started using this analogy.

Pretend for a minute that you are an analyst working for Starbucks. You work in he corporate office with a team of analysts. One day your manager comes to you and tells you they have a special project they need done right away. They need to know the Top 10 Starbucks locations in all of Metro Manila. So there are hundreds of Starbucks out there so the first thing to do is find a list of them. Then you need to find there sales data. You dump that into excel and you sort it by sales and you find the top ten stores. Pretty easy.

But what happens next is where a good analysts comes in. Your boss is going to want to know why they are top ten even if they didn’t ask for it. So you need to determine what these stores have in common. What is their secret to success? So you need more data. You go out and find the location, the size, how old the store is and any other datapoints you think might be relevant. You pull all that data into your analysis. And the you look for patterns. What do they have in common? Are there things they have that a lot of others do not.

Say for this exmaple you find that all ten of them are located on the ground floor of near the entrance a big mall. That makes sense… its a high traffic area and people have spending money on their mind.

So know when you report your findings to your manager you can give them the list and some some analysis to go with it, That is what a good analyst does… adds value to a business by providing management through there analysis that leads to data-driven decision making.

So that has becom my elevator sales pitch on analytics and what an analysts does.