Call Centre Jobs - Overview and Skills
There are close to 6,000 call centres in the UK and the number of call centre jobs is rising at a fast rate of knots. In fact, it is estimated that the number of call centre workers will reach the one million mark by the end of 2007.
Rapid call centre growth
The Contact Centres industry is one of the fastest growing in the UK with a strong presence in almost all the major urban conglomerations.
The city of Glasgow is recognised as the call centre capital of Europe with over 150 companies employing almost 60,000 people; the number for Cardiff comes close to 25,000.
Reach for the top with the right attitude
Contact centres offer flexible working shifts, flexible earnings and benefits packages and the opportunity to work in a fast paced team-driven environment.
The wide variety of call centre jobs available at all levels is a big selling point, from inbound and outbound customer service through to forecasting and planning as well as more senior management and supervisory roles.
Transferable skills are what the industry most prizes. As Claire McManus, Regional Manager at Hays Contact Centres, explains, “In some intsances prior experience is a must; however contact centres are increasingly moving towards recruiting the right attitudes.”
Commitment and flexibility
Industry qualifications are not required as inhouse training is normally provided. However, organisations are drawn to people with non-vocational qualifications (NVQs) in customer service and call handling or, at the more senior people, those with MBAs.
Induction training is provided for those without without industry experience, “Qualifications are used less as a recruitment criteria and more likely organisations look at incorporating learning and development into centres for existing staff to avoid attrition,” adds Claire McManus.
However, in order for these businesses to flourish, committed candidates need to be aware that flexibility and attendance are key indicators while a focus on service is paramount as customers need people to be on hand and their expectation levels can be demanding to say the least.
"Do not jump from job to job”
For outbound roles, tenacity and resilience are a must and a sales background is advantageous. Managing customer expectations and resolving complaints are more pertinent to inbound roles.
Many financial companies do require previous contact centre experience although this is not the case for the industry overall. Some final words of advice from Claire McManus, “Ensure you do not jump from job to job as this does not display the type of person that fits a role in a contact centre.”
Summary of key call centre skills
- Customer service / retail experience
- IT competency
- Confident phone manner
- Strong communication and listening skills
- Teamwork, flexibility and rapport building
- Problem solving and decision making
- Exposure to results and target-driven environment
- Ability to undertake mundane tasks
