Call centre agent

Call centre agents work for businesses that have a high level of telephone or email contact with their customers, or for call centre companies that handle telephone work for other companies. They usually wear telephone headsets and use computers and provide customers with information and advice, handle complaints or try to sell them goods and services.

Also known as

• Call centre advisor
• Call centre operator
• Contact centre advisor

Work activities

Call centre agents usually deal with a high volume of telephone calls. They answer a wide range of enquiries, provide information and advice, or try to sell goods and services. Call centre agents often wear telephone headsets and use computers to type in or call up customers’ details or find specialist information. They sometimes word process letters, confirming any agreements made on the phone. In many call centres and contact centres, call centre agents work in large, open-plan offices. They might be divided into teams to handle different types of communication, for example, initial customer enquiries, aftersales services or complaints. Their work is mainly devoted to dealing with customers.

Some call centre agents work for large companies that have their own customer care centres. In these cases, the agent handles calls only about the products or services of the company they work for. Some agents work for companies that handle calls for other organisations, dealing with a wide range of enquiries. Wherever they work, call centre agents will need some basic product or services knowledge, as well as a strong knowledge of their organisation’s customer service policy. In specialist call or contact centres, (for example, those serving a bank or insurance company, an advice-giving organisation or a housing association) call centre agents provide more in-depth knowledge of the goods, services or information their organisation provides. When a telephone call comes through to the centre, the agent has to find out what the caller wants by listening carefully and asking them the right questions (sometimes the operator has a set script to work with). The agent might use a computer database to call up an existing customer’s details, such as their address and the history of their calls to the centre, or they might input details of a new customer by asking for the necessary information during the call.

During the call, the agent may need to handle payment by credit card or help the customer to set up a direct debit or standing order to pay for goods or services. In many call centres, agents will be expected to deal with complaints, finding out as much as possible about the customer’s experiences and trying to resolve the issue.

Personal qualities and skills

As a call centre agent, you’ll need to:

• Enjoy working with customers.
• Have a clear voice and a friendly, helpful and professional telephone manner.
• Be able to ask the right questions to find out how best to serve the customer’s needs.
• Work under pressure; you will be expected to handle a large number of telephone calls.
• Treat each customer as an individual and be attentive to their needs, even if the content of the telephone calls is repetitive.
• Be calm and focused when handling complaints, to enable you to get quickly to the cause of the complaint.
• Be prepared to deal with callers who are angry or upset (although many call centres have policies to protect their operators from abusive or threatening callers).
• Be able to develop knowledge about the information, products or services provided by the organisation you work for.

You should have:

• Strong communication skills.
• IT skills, for example, to find, input or manage customers’ details on a database. Depending on where you work, you will also need some word processing, email, internet or spreadsheet skills.
• Good listening skills.
• The ability to complete paperwork quickly and accurately.

Pay and opportunities

The pay rates given are approximate. Call centre agents earn in the range of £15,000, rising to £28,000 a year. Team leaders can make higher salaries depending on performance. Salaries might include profit share or bonuses.

Some call centre agents work a basic 38-40-hour week, Monday to Friday. However, some might be required to work shifts and weekends. Part-time, temporary, casual and seasonal work could be available.

Employers include firms in industry and commerce, banks, building societies and insurance companies and, in the public sector, local and central government departments and housing associations. Other employers range from international computer firms to ticket agencies, football clubs and foreign embassies. Temporary work, on a casual basis or through short-term contracts, might be available through employment agencies. Opportunities for call centre agents occur in towns and cities throughout the UK.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised in local/national newspapers, on job boards and employers’ websites, and on the Government’s Find a Job service.

Entry routes and training

You can enter this career by applying directly for trainee vacancies. You could also apply for a level 2 (intermediate) apprenticeship as a customer service practitioner.

Most training is given on-the-job, with the content and length of training varying, depending on the type of work the call centre or contact centre is involved in. Call centre agents usually receive customer service training (such as general telephone techniques, dealing with complaints or basic selling strategies), as well as training in how to use technology such as telephone sets and computer databases.

Call centre agents will also be given some basic training to develop their product/service knowledge, and specialist training will be given depending on the work involved. It might be possible to work towards relevant qualifications, for example in:

• Contact centre operations.
• Customer service.

You might have the opportunity to work towards more specialist qualifications that are relevant to the specific work of the call centre. Holders of an appropriate qualification in Customer Service can apply for membership of the Institute of Customer Service (ICS). In some organisations, call centre agents might be able to work towards general IT qualifications.

Call centre operators can progress to team leader, supervisor and manager posts after further training and experience. Some might move into sales or customer service posts, or specialise further in a particular type of contact centre work, for example, banking or insurance.

Qualifications

There is not always a minimum academic entry requirement, although employers will look for a good general standard of education, for example, some GCSEs, including English and maths. If you wish to enter this career through an apprenticeship, you will need GCSEs in English and maths, although you may be able to complete these alongside your programme.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Some entrants have a relevant background in, for example, telesales or customer care work.

Related careers

• Advice centre worker
• Customer service advisor (banking)
• Emergency control room operator
• Insurance sales advisor
• Telephone salesperson
• Telephonist