Salman Wajid Mian

BPO executive at Systems Limited

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Salman Wajid Mian is the Chief Process Outsourcing Officer of Systems Limited. He joined the company as Senior Vice President for BPO. Mian was born and raised in Lahore, and his earlier roles include head of the contact center and the support center at Zong.

Early life and background

Mian was born and raised in Lahore. He completed Senior Cambridge at school. [1]

Education

He completed FSC and BSC at Government College Lahore. He then did an MSc in Biological Sciences at Punjab University. He also began an MS in Computer Sciences at the University of Central Punjab, and he did an MBA. During his master's degree he sat the CSS exam and did not clear it. [1]

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

Mian joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission as a research officer. At the commission he worked as a biotechnologist and genetic engineer. He says he and his colleagues were trying to cure the cotton leaf curl virus at that time. [1]

Align Technologies

He joined Align Technologies, which later became TRG. He says he and his colleagues were product support executives. He describes the work as contact center work, more of customer services and order entry. He says the work was aimed at the North American market, meaning the US. [1]

He describes the work as new, very challenging, something nobody was doing and not mainstream. He describes the leadership at that time as very charismatic and hands-on with all the people. He says he was in the position for two and a half years before later joining Mobilink. [1]

At Mobilink he was a floor manager, and at Telenor an assistant manager for operations. He moved to Telenor in a lateral move, in the same kind of role. [1]

He says he joined China Mobile's Zong in 2008. At Zong he was head of the contact center and the support center. He says he set up the complete contact center. He says about 2,700 people worked in that division when he left. [1]

DGS and Ibex Digital

Mian joined DGS, now Ibex Digital, in 2013 and worked there until 2015. At DGS he was executive director for sales operations, covering Pakistan and the Philippines. He says some processes were run from the Philippines because of regulatory requirements. [1]

Systems Limited

Mian joined Systems Limited as Senior Vice President for BPO. He calls joining Systems one of the best decisions of his life. [1]

He says Systems was doing digitization of land records for the domestic public sector. He describes the process as sending in teams to digitize records, with the rest of the work then sent back. Systems' operations were geographically distributed across several centers. He says land records work is a one-time thing. [1]

Systems had a large presence in US mortgage, title and settlement operations. It also had a good presence in the US, mostly in back-office work. He says Systems' operations were heavily non-voice, and that he came from a contact center background. [1]

He says most of his team is enabled to work from home. He also says there are automated services that they are also providing. [1]

Views

Mian says a contact center is a tool, and its value depends on the business model. He says a customer services center such as Zong is a cost, while DGS was a profit center. He adds that he and others have risen from the ranks, and that he himself was not a simple graduate. [1]

He says one of his primary responsibilities, rather than bringing more business, is to create a better image of Pakistan. He says there is a very young resource pool, and that 63% of the resource pool is under 35. He gives the value proposition as better work ethics and a very disciplined workforce. He also says the education system cannot be fully relied on to supply the specialized candidates that are required. [1]

He says he is very optimistic about the industry, and that he thinks the industry can and will grow exponentially. He says the pandemic was a blessing in disguise. [1]

He says that when someone is ready and somebody else needs help, that is a perfect hand-and-glove relationship. He says there is a huge need, and whoever is ready will capitalize on it. He says the government is supporting, and that there is the right intent and the right leadership. He says reinvesting means going into acquisitions and supporting startups. [1]

He describes the generation coming in over the next 10 to 20 years as very confused. He says he is looking at 2050, when Pakistan turns 100. He says they need to make sure this legacy is passed down to the next generation. [1]

Personal life

Mian's father was a civil servant, and was confused by his son's career choice. Mian says that if his daughter is listening to K-pop, he makes sure he stays connected. [1]

Timeline

2008
Joined China Mobile's Zong.[1]
2013
Joined DGS, now Ibex Digital.[1]
2015
Worked at DGS until this year.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2022-04-29 Why Pakistan's BPO industry never scaled like India's Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Salman Wajid Mian?

Salman Wajid Mian is the Chief Process Outsourcing Officer of Systems Limited. He joined the company as Senior Vice President for BPO. He was born and raised in Lahore.[1]

What does Salman Wajid Mian do?

Salman Wajid Mian is the Chief Process Outsourcing Officer of Systems Limited. Systems has evolved into an omnichannel contact center that integrates email, chat and WhatsApp. It also works in e-commerce and in contact center services for the domestic public sector.[1]

Where did Salman Wajid Mian study?

Salman Wajid Mian completed FSC and BSC at Government College Lahore. He did an MSc in Biological Sciences at Punjab University. He also began an MS in Computer Sciences at the University of Central Punjab and did an MBA.[1]

Where is Salman Wajid Mian from?

Salman Wajid Mian was born and raised in Lahore. He completed Senior Cambridge at school. He also completed FSC and BSC at Government College Lahore.[1]

What was Salman Wajid Mian's role at DGS?

Salman Wajid Mian joined DGS, now Ibex Digital, in 2013 and worked there until 2015. At DGS he was executive director for sales operations, covering Pakistan and the Philippines. He says some processes were run from the Philippines because of regulatory requirements.[1]

What did Salman Wajid Mian do at Zong?

Salman Wajid Mian says he joined China Mobile's Zong in 2008. At Zong he was head of the contact center and the support center. He says he set up the complete contact center.[1]

References

  1. Why Pakistan's BPO industry never scaled like India's . Thought Behind Things , 2022-04-29.
Show the source passages (68 statements)
  1. Salman Wajid is the Chief Process Outsourcing Officer of Systems Limited. Chief Process Outsourcing Officer Systems Limited Ft. Salman Wajid
  2. He was born and raised in Lahore. I was born and raised in Lahore aur schooling meri, I went to Crescent
  3. He completed Senior Cambridge at school. I went to Crescent and did my Senior Cambridge back in days.
  4. He completed FSC and BSC at Government College Lahore. Then I did my FSC and BSC from Government College Lahore.
  5. He did an MSc in Biological Sciences at Punjab University. Then I went to Punjab University, did my MSC in Biological Sciences.
  6. He joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission as a research officer. Then I joined Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission as a research officer.
  7. At the commission he worked as a biotechnologist and genetic engineer. I served there as a biotechnologist, as a genetic engineer.
  8. He says he and his colleagues were trying to cure the cotton leaf curl virus at that time. We were trying to cure the cotton leaf curl virus at that time and we were trying to genetically reprogram it to be more resistant to cotton leaf curl virus.
  9. He began an MS in Computer Sciences at the University of Central Punjab. started MS in Computer Sciences. And I was, I was doing it from University of Central Punjab
  10. He joined Align Technologies, which later became TRG. So I joined Align Technologies, which later became TRG.
  11. He says he and his colleagues were product support executives. We were the product support executives.
  12. He describes the work as new, very challenging, something nobody was doing and not mainstream. It was new, it was very challenging. It was something that nobody was doing and it was not mainstream as well.
  13. He describes the leadership at that time as very charismatic and hands-on with all the people. I think the leadership at that particular time was also somebody, I mean, they were very charismatic. Zia Chishti was somebody who was very, you know, he was hands-on and involved with all the people.
  14. He describes the work as contact center work, more of customer services and order entry. It was contact center. It was more of customer services, order entry and you know, the whole nine yards.
  15. He says the work was aimed at the North American market, meaning the US. North American, yeah, US.
  16. He says he was in the position for two and a half years before later joining Mobilink. I was there for two and a half years and then later on I joined Mobilink.
  17. At Mobilink he was a floor manager, and at Telenor an assistant manager for operations. Mobilink, I was floor manager and in Telenor, I was assistant manager for operations.
  18. He moved to Telenor in a lateral move, in the same kind of role. And then I joined Telenor in the same capacity. It was a parallel move, lateral move actually.
  19. He says he joined China Mobile's Zong in 2008. And then I hopped on to China Mobile, Zong. That was 2008. Worked there for almost seven years as Islamabad.
  20. At Zong he was head of the contact center and the support center. And in Zong, I was the head of contact center and the support center.
  21. He says he set up the complete contact center. I set up the complete contact center.
  22. He says about 2,700 people worked in that division when he left. And when I left, they were like 2700 people working in that division, 2012.
  23. He joined DGS, now Ibex Digital, in 2013 and worked there until 2015. and 13 I joined DGS, which is now Ibex Digital. From 2013 to 2015 I worked there.
  24. At DGS he was executive director for sales operations, covering Pakistan and the Philippines. I was executive director for sales operations. I was taking care of Pakistan and Philippine operations.
  25. He says some processes were run from the Philippines because of regulatory requirements. there were certain regulatory requirements for certain processes to be executed out of Philippines, not executed out of Pakistan as a preference.
  26. He says a contact center is a tool, and its value depends on the business model. so contact center is a tool. I mean, that's how you use it is totally based on, you know, what your outcome is going to be.
  27. He says a customer services center such as Zong is a cost, while DGS was a profit center. for a customer services center like Zong, say for example, it's a cost, but you know, for DGS, it's more of a profit center because you are making money, you are making sales.
  28. He joined Systems Limited as Senior Vice President for BPO. I joined as a Senior Vice President for BPO and I think, I mean, that's one of the best decisions of my life, working for for Systems.
  29. He calls joining Systems one of the best decisions of his life. that's one of the best decisions of my life, working for for Systems.
  30. He says Systems was doing digitization of land records for the domestic public sector. we were doing digitization for our domestic public sector, which is land records
  31. He describes the process as sending in teams to digitize records, with the rest of the work then sent back. So you send in the teams, they digitize it and then the rest of the work is sent back.
  32. Systems' operations were geographically distributed across several centers. We were geographically distributed in different centers as well.
  33. Systems had a large presence in US mortgage, title and settlement operations. Mortgage operations, title and settlement ke upar hamari bahut badi presence thi.
  34. Systems had a good presence in the US, mostly in back-office work. we had good presence in US as well, but more on the back office side of the things as well.
  35. He says Systems' operations were heavily non-voice, and that he came from a contact center background. we were heavily non-voiced operations. So because I came from a contact center background
  36. Systems has evolved into an omnichannel contact center that integrates email, chat and WhatsApp. we have, you know, evolved to a true omnichannel contact center where email, chat and WhatsApp is integrated
  37. He says Systems' approach is industry agnostic and does not target health, retail or fashion. our approach is very industry agnostic. We are not necessarily going after say health industry or retail or fashion apparel.
  38. Systems now works in e-commerce and in contact center services for the domestic public sector. we are on the e-commerce side of the things as well and also in the contact center services as well for public sector and domestic.
  39. He says land records work is a one-time thing. because land record is a one-time thing.
  40. He says the arbitrage model pays instantly and gives good money to those who know how to connect and send work back home. the arbitrage, it pays, it pays instantly, it gives good money if you know how to connect and how to send work back home.
  41. He says there was a lot of attention towards telecom instead of IT. there was a lot lot of um uh attention towards telecom instead of IT.
  42. He says India capitalized on that opportunity, as did the Philippines, Indonesia and now South Africa. that's where exactly India uh did capitalize on and Philippines as well, and Indonesia, and even now South Africa as well.
  43. He says that when competition kicked in, companies needed to minimize costs and started to look for an outsourced partner. the competition kicked in and they needed to make sure that the costs are minimized. They started to look for an outsourced partner
  44. He says one of his primary responsibilities, rather than bringing more business, is to create a better image of Pakistan. Instead of bringing more business, I think that's one of my primary responsibility is to uh to create a better image of Pakistan.
  45. He says there is a very young resource pool. we we have a very young resource pool.
  46. He says 63% of the resource pool is under 35. Essentially 63% is less than the age of 35, right?
  47. He says the value proposition is better work ethics and a very disciplined workforce. our value proposition is a better work ethics. Uh we have a very disciplined workforce
  48. His father was a civil servant, and was confused by his son's career choice. I had to convince my father back in days. He was a civil servant and I had to convince him that you know, and he was like very confused that son, what are you doing?
  49. He did an MBA. I did my MBA as well by the way.
  50. He sat the CSS exam during his master's degree and did not clear it. And I also did CSS when I was in I was doing my masters so I didn't clear that as well.
  51. He says he and others have risen from the ranks, and that he himself was not a simple graduate. we all of us we have risen from the ranks. I myself, I was I was not somebody who was like you know, a simple graduate
  52. He says he is very optimistic about the industry. I think I'm very optimistic about the industry and ourselves as well.
  53. He says he thinks the industry can and will grow exponentially. I think this can and will, inshallah, will grow exponentially.
  54. He says the pandemic was a blessing in disguise. pandemic was a blessing in disguise for us.
  55. He says most of his team is enabled to work from home. most of our team is is enabled from work work from home.
  56. He says that when someone is ready and somebody else needs help, that is a perfect hand-and-glove relationship. If if there is if you are ready and somebody needs help, that's where the perfect, you know, hand and glove relationship, right?
  57. He says there is a huge need, and whoever is ready will capitalize on it. So there is a huge need and whoever is ready is going to, you know, capitalize that.
  58. He says reinvesting means going into acquisitions and supporting startups. You reinvest, you go into the acquisition modes, you make sure that you know, you are you are supporting um uh you know, the the startups as well
  59. He says the education system cannot be fully relied on to supply the specialized candidates that are required. so specialized to an extent that you can't totally rely on the education system to give you the kind of candidates that you require for your needs today.
  60. He says the government is supporting, and that there is the right intent and the right leadership. Um the government is supporting and we have the right intent, we have the right leadership all along.
  61. He says there are automated services that they are also providing. I mean there are like automated services that we are also providing.
  62. He says that even if ultimate automation arrives, there will always be a requirement for personalization. So, even if main kehta hun yaar ultimate automation aa bhi jaati hai, there's always going to be a requirement for personalization.
  63. He says the expected moment when AI and RPA would take over and make everything redundant did not happen. when these these AIs and the RPAs is going to kick in and it's going to take over and everything is going to become redundant and it didn't happen.
  64. He says people need to stay relevant to the changes around them. You have to like I always say, you have to stay relevant.
  65. He describes the generation coming in over the next 10 to 20 years as very confused. It is a very confused generation which is coming into the picture in the next 10 to 20 years.
  66. He says he is looking at 2050, when Pakistan turns 100. I'm looking at 2050 actually, when Pakistan is going to be 100 years old.
  67. He says they need to make sure this legacy is passed down to the next generation. we need to make sure that you know this legacy is passed down to the to the next generation.
  68. He says that if his daughter is listening to K-pop, he makes sure he stays connected. If my daughter is listening to K-pop, so I mean I I'll make sure that you know I'm connected.