Lean Six Sigma in BPO: A Better Way to Work Smarter and Save More

Operating BPO companies is daunting: calls, reports, deadlines, quality—the list seems infinite. When so much is happening all the time, there's bound to be something that goes astray. 

Lean Six Sigma is a productive way of working for BPO organizations. It will make you work more productively, cut down on costs, and ultimately give a good service to their clients. That's why Lean Six Sigma in BPO exists.

Let's take a look at what it is in the most simplest manner.

What is Lean Six Sigma?

Lean Six Sigma consists of two things:

• Lean refers to cutting down wastage and increasing the speed.

• Six Sigma refers to cutting down mistakes and standardizing.

Applying Lean Six Sigma is applying a methodology of work for BPO with overall improvement and efficiency. Less errors, quicker service, and satisfied customers.

Why BPO Companies Find This Helpful

BPO companies handle things like customer care, billing, back office work, etc. A one-min delay or mistake can ruin an entire service.

Lean Six Sigma gives a way of determining:

• Slow or dysfunctional processes

• Getting it right, first time

• Saving money

• Saving time

• Maintain service levels

• Building trust with your clients

It's about getting more work done with less waste.

Lean Six Sigma (DMAIC)

Lean Six Sigma has a procedure called DMAIC we employ to assist problem solving. This is what it entails:

• Define - What is the problem or target?

• Measure - What is currently happening?

• Analyze - Why does this happen?

• Improve - How do we improve it?

• Control - How do we make it keep running well?

This lets the BPO team reach the problem, repair it, then prevent it from returning.

Real Life Example - How One Company Saved $$

It had high labor costs and customer waits. It implemented Lean Six Sigma and utilized the DMAIC model. Following the creation of a couple of Key Indicators and the implementation of a testing process, it reduced wait times from 5 to 1 minute and achieved more than $1.5 million in savings.

That is the value added through this process.

Who Makes Things Happen?

Everyone in the company matters:

• Top leaders make a commitment to implementing Lean Six Sigma

• Managers lead teams through the changes

• The teams perform the improving work together

Learning Something Different Is What the Belts Represent:

• White Belt: Has the fundamental knowledge of Lean Sigma

• Yellow Belt: A supporting role

• Green Belt: In charge of the smaller projects

• Black Belt: Can handle the larger projects

• Master Black Belt: Can train others and manage several teams

Where to Learn

Begin your Lean Six Sigma training online. CSSC (Council for Six Sigma Certification) is one of the trustworthy websites that offer free as well as paid trainings. Therefore, below is the budget that one can anticipate:

• White Belt: Free

• Yellow Belt: $99

• Green Belt: $159

• Black Belt: $229

It logically follows that higher belts and actual hands-on projects are even more expensive, but they're well worth it if you need operational proficiency.

Tools They Offer to Assist

Lean Six Sigma provides methods to identify and correct issues; some of which include:

• PDCA—Plan, Do, Check, Act: A cycle of improvement

• Value Stream Mapping: Indicates where time and effort are being wasted

• FMEA: Finds the vulnerable spots in a process before any real problems arise

• Kanban: A graphical system for handling tasks and monitoring work

They make the work of teams better by having them work less.

In Conclusion

Lean Six Sigma for BPO is a simple but powerful methodology to streamline workflow. It reduces waste, eliminates errors, and facilitates quicker and improved customer service from a BPO provider.

For any BPO owner or staff member, by learning and implementing Lean Six Sigma, you can save money, get improved ratings from customers, and increase your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Lean Six Sigma?
A methodology aimed at making a system work better by eliminating waste and defects.

2. How does it enhance BPOs?
Because processes turn out quicker, cheaper and more capable of meeting customers' needs.

3. What is DMAIC ?
A 5-step methodology: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control.

4. Where can I learn it?
With CSSC you can get low-cost or even no-cost courses and certification.

5. Is Lean Six Sigma suitable for small BPOs?
Certainly! Even minor adjustments will yield substantial dividends.