BPO
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Business process outsourcing |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Business & Finance, Medical |
BPO has three meanings. The most common are Business process outsourcing (management & strategy) and Benzoyl peroxide (drug); it can also stand for Broker price opinion.
Meanings of BPO at a glance
| # | BPO stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business process outsourcing | Business & Finance › Management & Strategy |
| 2 | Benzoyl peroxide | Medical › Drug |
| 3 | Broker price opinion | Business & Finance › Real Estate & Mortgage |
1. Business process outsourcing
Business & Finance · Management & Strategy Abbreviations
Contracting a specific business function, such as customer service, payroll, claims processing or accounting, to an outside provider, often in a lower-cost country. Front-office BPO covers customer-facing work like call centers, while back-office BPO covers internal tasks.
Example: The bank moved its card-dispute processing to a BPO partner in Manila, cutting unit costs by about a third.
India and the Philippines are the largest offshore BPO destinations, and the Philippines is especially known for English-language call centers. BPO differs from ITO (IT outsourcing), which covers software and infrastructure work. A "BPO firm" is the service provider; "the BPO sector" means the industry as a whole.
2. Benzoyl peroxide
Medical · Drug Abbreviations
Antibacterial and mildly peeling acne treatment sold in washes, gels and creams at 2.5% to 10%, alone or combined with clindamycin or adapalene. It kills Cutibacterium acnes without causing bacterial resistance.
Example: Use BPO 5% wash daily and adapalene gel nightly; moisturize.
Benzoyl peroxide bleaches towels, pillowcases and clothing. Adding it to topical antibiotics prevents resistance, so dermatology guidelines discourage antibiotic monotherapy. In 2024 an independent laboratory reported that benzene can form in some products stored at high temperatures, prompting FDA testing of marketed acne products.
3. Broker price opinion
Business & Finance · Real Estate & Mortgage Abbreviations
Estimate of a property's value prepared by a real estate broker or agent, often for a lender, servicer or investor managing foreclosures, short sales or loan portfolios, as a cheaper alternative to an appraisal.
Example: The servicer ordered a drive-by BPO before approving the short sale.
Federal law bars a BPO from being the primary basis for valuing a home for a purchase mortgage, and some states restrict who can prepare them. In outsourcing, BPO means business process outsourcing.
Related abbreviations
More management & strategy abbreviations
- BHAG – Big hairy audacious goal
- BI – Business intelligence
- BoD – Board of directors
- BPM – Business process management
- BPR – Business process reengineering
- BRD – Business requirements document
- BSC – Balanced scorecard
- BU – Business unit
See all 92 management & strategy abbreviations →
More drug abbreviations
- BDQ – Bedaquiline
- BIC – Bictegravir
- bicarb – Sodium bicarbonate
- BPaL – Bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid
- BSS – Balanced salt solution
- CAB – Cabotegravir
- CaCl – Calcium chloride
- CaCO3 – Calcium carbonate
See all 170 drug abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.