Call centre operator Job Information | National Careers Service

The work

As a call centre operator, you could work in a wide range of sectors, and your duties would depend on where you work. For example:

• mail order companies – dealing with customer orders, credit and debit card payments, enquiries and complaints
• financial institutions – advising about products and services, telesales and market research
• IT helplines – support for customers to try and help them fix computer problems
• advisory services – offering callers services such as counselling, welfare and benefits advice, legal information or help with careers.

You would usually access and update customers' records on computer databases. With experience, you may gain extra duties such as mentoring new staff, training, call monitoring and quality control.

Hours

You would often have a choice of full-time or part-time hours. Many companies offer flexible working, sometimes on a shift system. Full-time jobs are normally 35 to 40 hours a week.

You would spend most of your time at a computer wearing a telephone headset. At some call centres you may not have a permanent desk but would take the first available one when you start your shift.

Income

Starting salaries are normally around £12,000 to £15,000 a year. With experience this can rise to around £18,000 a year.

Salaries for team leaders can be between £18,000 and £24,000 a year.

Bonuses and commission payments may increase earnings.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

Employers usually look for people with personal qualities like confidence and a good telephone manner. You don't usually need any formal qualifications, although you should have a reasonable standard of literacy and basic maths. Job interviews usually include practical telephone and keyboard tests.

Many colleges offer introductory courses in call centre techniques and although they aren't essential, they may give you an advantage when looking for work. Courses include:

• City & Guilds Introduction to the Contact Centre Industry
• BTEC Awards – Introduction to Contact Centres.

Some jobs may require more specialised knowledge. For an IT support helpline job, for example, you may need to have, or be willing to work towards, a computer maintenance qualification.

You may be able to start this job through an Apprenticeship scheme. You will need to check which schemes are available in your area. To find out more, see the Apprenticeships website.

• Apprenticeships

Training and development

Once you start work, you would usually have in-house training. This would cover areas such as telephone skills, data entry procedures and product knowledge. You would be trained and supported by a supervisor or mentor when you deal with your first customer calls.

You could work towards various NVQ qualifications, including:

• Telesales levels 2 and 3
• Contact Centre Operations levels 1 and 2
• Contact Centre Professionals levels 3, 4 and 5.

The NVQs cover areas like developing customer relationships, IT skills, sales techniques, managing staff and resources, quality control and performance management.

You could also take a general qualification, such as an NVQ in Customer Service, or a qualification specific to your industry. For example, NVQs in travel and tourism, finance, and information services all contain units on call-handling techniques.

You can find more details about qualifications on the e-skills UK website.

• e-skills

Skills and knowledge

To be a call centre operator, you will need to have:

• excellent customer care skills
• a clear and friendly telephone voice
• good computer skills
• excellent communication skills
• good teamwork skills and the ability to work unsupervised
• the ability to work quickly and under pressure
• a professional attitude when dealing with customers.

Foreign language skills may be useful for some jobs.

More information

Institute of Customer Service (ICS)
2 Castle Court
St Peter's St
Colchester
Essex
CO1 1EW
Tel. 01206 571716
www.instituteofcustomerservice.com

e-skills UK
1 Castle Lane
London
SW1E 6DR
Tel: 020 7963 8920
www.e-skills.com

Customer Contact Association (CCA)
Head Office
20 Newton Place
Glasgow
G3 7PY
Tel: 0141 564 9010
www.cca.org.uk

Opportunities

You may find opportunities with mail order companies, financial institutions, IT helplines and advisory services.

Vacancies are advertised in the local press, in Jobcentre Plus offices and by recruitment agencies.

With experience and training, you could progress to team leader and management level. Other options include working in human resources, resource planning, marketing and training.

You may find the following websites useful for vacancies and general reading (links open in a new window):

• CCF Online
• Directgov - (Jobseekers page)

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

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