From four to 5,000: How women powering Pran-RFL’s telemarketing revolution
In early 2024, Pran-RFL Group, Bangladesh’s leading industrial giant, took a bold step: it launched a telemarketing division with just four women employees. The goal? To create jobs for women in rural areas while expanding the global reach of its products.
Fast forward to today, and this modest experiment has blossomed into a thriving operation, employing 750 women across three telemarketing centres in Natore and Rajshahi. By 2027, the company plans to hire 5,000 women, turning telemarketing into a cornerstone of its international marketing strategy—and a lifeline for female employment in Bangladesh.
A new frontier in marketing
From air-conditioned centres in remote towns like Ekdala in Natore and Godagari in Rajshahi, these women are connecting with shopkeepers and distributors across the globe.
Armed with phones, social media, and a knack for languages, they pitch Pran-RFL’s diverse product line-up—from snacks to beverages—to buyers in 16 countries, including Italy, Malaysia, the UAE, the UK, and the USA.
In just one year, their efforts have secured export orders worth Tk 35 crore, proving that telemarketing is more than a side project—it’s a game-changer.
Kamruzzaman Kamal, Pran-RFL Group’s Director of Marketing, recalls the spark behind this initiative. “We have millions of employees handling marketing across Bangladesh, but reaching international markets directly was a challenge. Sending sales reps abroad is costly and inefficient. We asked ourselves: How can we market to places we can’t physically reach? That’s when we turned to telemarketing—and to women.”
The idea was simple yet revolutionary: train women in rural areas to use technology to bridge the gap, empowering them to work from their hometowns while connecting with the world.
“If women can be trained and given opportunities close to home, they’ll be more motivated,” Kamal explains.
Starting with a small team of four in Natore, the company developed software with details of global distributors and retailers. After equipping the women with language and technical skills, they began contacting foreign outlets. The results were immediate—and astounding.
Voices from the frontline
Wahida Islam Asha, a telemarketing employee in Ekdala, Natore, embodies the spirit of this initiative. A graduate of Barendra University, she joined Pran-RFL after completing her studies. “I handle both sales and customer service,” she told Jago News. “I love this job—it lets me work in my own district while connecting with foreign clients via email and social media.”
Fluent in Bengali, English, and Hindi, Wahida says language skills are key. “Knowing Malay would help too,” she adds, hinting at the diverse demands of her role.
Suravi Islam Niha, another telemarketer based in Ekdala, has been with Pran-RFL for a year, focusing on the Malaysian market. “We ensure customers get all the support they need, 24/7,” she says. Initially, language barriers posed a challenge—until she learned Malay. Now, she’s thriving. “I really enjoy this work,” she beams.
Scaling up, breaking barriers
The success of these women has fuelled Pran-RFL’s ambitious expansion plans. From the original four hires, the telemarketing team has grown to 750, operating out of centres in Natore, Rajshahi Sadar, and Godagari.
Mohammad Tanbir Hossain, Head of Operations for the telemarketing sector, sees even bigger potential. “We’re planning new centres in Sylhet, Chattogram, and Cumilla,” he says. “If these launch soon, we’ll create jobs for over 5,000 women by 2027.”
The appeal is clear: telemarketing offers good pay—starting at a fixed salary, with bonuses that can push monthly earnings from Tk 20,000 to Tk 60,000—and requires only a higher secondary education plus language skills. “It’s an incredible income opportunity,” Hossain notes.
About 80% of the orders these women secure come from outside Bangladesh, with products shipped via Pran-RFL’s international distributors.
The power of telemarketing
For Pran-RFL, telemarketing isn’t just cost-effective—it’s efficient. “A sales rep abroad costs a lot and can only visit so many stores in a day,” Kamal explains. “A telemarketer, sitting in one place, can contact three times as many outlets.” The growth rate of this sector is already 20-25%, and the potential is vast.
But it’s not without challenges. Language skills remain a hurdle. While English is essential, fluency in languages like Malay, Arabic, Tamil, or Malayalam—spoken in key markets like Malaysia, India, and the Middle East—is often needed. “It’s tough for rural women to learn these languages,” Hossain admits. “We’re training them ourselves, but government-led language courses could unlock even more opportunities.”
High international call costs are another obstacle. “Phone calls abroad are expensive, so we rely heavily on social media,” Hossain says. “A low-cost communication package for businesses could transform this sector and boost foreign exchange earnings.”
A vision for the future
What began as a small experiment has become a powerful model for empowerment and economic growth. From Natore to the world, these 750 women—and soon thousands more—are proving that opportunity doesn’t need to come from a city office or a foreign posting. With a phone, some training, and determination, they’re putting Pran-RFL on the global map—and rewriting their own futures.
As Kamal puts it, “Telemarketing started with a thought: How do we reach the unreachable? Now, it’s showing us what’s possible when you invest in people.” For Bangladesh’s women, and for Pran-RFL, the horizon is wide open.
