The 15 Best Reasons to Work in a Call Center
Why working in a call centre may be a great experience!
It’s safe to say that working in a call centre isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when considering long-term job possibilities.
In fact, for many people, working in a call centre is the worst job in the world.
However, millions of people around the world who have worked in a call centre at some point in their careers will tell you that there are numerous advantages to working in one.
Sure, there are a few bad apples in any industry, but the majority of call centre operators recognise that their greatest asset is their people, and rather than being a part-time job, it has evolved into a full-time career.
Anyway, we figured it was past time to start marketing some of the benefits of working in a call centre, so we’ve compiled a list of our top 15 below.
Working in a call centre has a lot of advantages:
1. You meet a lot of new people.
Working at a contact centre is a terrific place to develop friends for a variety of reasons, including being in the trenches all day, having similar shift times, and the huge emphasis call centres place on team building.
When call centre employees are asked, “What is the best aspect of your job?” “My team/friends” is almost often the first response.
2. You can make a lot of money.
You can make a lot of money doing a job that doesn’t require any official qualifications.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better alternative with starting pay often exceeding $45k and sales call centre agents earning over $100k per year.
And this is assuming you’re still answering phones; as you start climbing the corporate ladder, there’s much more money to be had.
3. There are numerous prospects for advancement.
Not everyone aspires to work in a call centre.
However, for those who do, there are several prospects for advancement.
There are numerous options in the call centre, ranging from leadership (e.g., Team Leaders, Operations Manager) to a variety of additional areas such as Quality, Training, HR, Workforce Management, and Reporting.
Additionally, call centre employees are in high demand for various positions within your company.
It’s common knowledge that the call centre is now used as an internal recruitment pool for top talent who understands the products and is customer-focused.
Working in a call centre can help you advance your career in marketing, accounting, and sales, among other fields.
4. There is a lot of training out there.
Almost all call centres provide training as part of your induction programme, which often includes product training as well as customer service/sales abilities.
Aside from that, contact centres often provide a variety of additional training possibilities for employees who want to advance their careers.
There are always some excellent courses available in areas such as leadership, project management, computer skills, and specialty call centre abilities such as Workforce Management.
We provide a variety of courses designed specifically for call centre professionals, from beginner to high-performance contact centre management.
5. Your abilities can be transferred.
Being a good call centre representative is no accident.
The abilities needed to be a good agent are often developed through time.
Working in a call centre teaches you how to deal with tough customers, how to turn a bad into a good, how to be resilient, and how to sell or upsell products, all of which require specialised abilities that not everyone possesses.
That’s right, you’re a seasoned pro!
The good news is that those abilities are highly sought for. Not just in your own country, but all around the world.
As a result, if you are good at your job, other companies may want your skills and may even pay you a little more for them.
After all, who doesn’t like a raise?
6. It is feasible to strike a work-life balance.
To cover peak periods when consumers try to reach them, most call centres provide a variety of shifts.
For each day of the year, this is often anticipated down to 15-minute increments, allowing for seasonal variations such as holidays, weather, and sporting events.
To accommodate that demand, call centres construct rosters. As long as certain roster periods are full, good call centres allow their employees to exchange shifts with others, work part-time or casually, and so on.
While each call centre is different, the majority are willing to keep their good employees and will be delighted to give you some freedom as long as it meets your company needs.
7. It is possible to have a rewarding career in this field.
While most people don’t think of working in a contact centre as a career option, it has proven to be a wonderful fit for a surprising amount of people.
There are now literally hundreds of different roles that are either directly in contact centres or have contact centres as part of their portfolio, all of which started on the phones.
Most large firms now have a Chief Customer Officer (CCO) who is part of the executive team, and within the call centre market, there are Head of Contact Centers/Customer Experience positions that pay well over $200,000.
Isn’t it impressive for someone who has never worked on the phone before and has no official qualifications?
8. There is a lot of job satisfaction available.
Within our community, there are a wide variety of call centres.
From ‘standard’ contact centres that receive orders, complaints, help desks, general inquiries, and so on, to life-critical call centres like emergency aid (000) and Lifeline.
Working at a call centre can be a genuinely fulfilling experience. Whether it’s physically saving someone’s life, turning an angry client into a happy one, or helping to sell a product you know will benefit a customer, each one may bring an incredible amount of joy for the call centre agent.
9. You’ll have a great time!
Because it’s difficult (and expensive) to recruit and retain call centre employees these days, call centres are frequently at the forefront of employee engagement programmes.
This means that senior leaders in the company, all the way down to Team Leaders, are dedicated to ensuring that employees love going to work, and they frequently have staff satisfaction/engagement targets as part of their leadership KPIs.
There is always something going on to keep you entertained, from structured Reward and Recognition programmes, fitness programmes, and charity days to dress-up days, food days, and more!
10. You have the opportunity to meet ‘the one.’
Maybe a little cheeky, but with such a varied spectrum of people working in a contact centre and the sheer quantity of parties, fun days, and other events, it’s certain that you’ll meet some fantastic friends.
Who knows, maybe some of those friendships will blossom into something more.
Working in contact centres for 30 years has given me the opportunity to attend many weddings and meet numerous children, all of which began with a friendship in a call centre!
11. You have the ability to travel around the world.
We said your skills are transferable earlier, and we meant it. On a global scale, managers from Australia and New Zealand are in high demand.
Why? Because we are typically skilled at managing people, and because of the high cost of our labour, we are also effective at process design, WFM, and other cost-cutting measures.
Both of these qualities are highly sought-after characteristics that make you a strong contender for international positions.
If you excel at your job, you may be asked to speak at or attend conferences all around the world.
Contact Center conferences are a fantastic chance to expand your knowledge, network, and travel the world on your employer’s dime!
12. Networking is not only possible, but encouraged as well!
Despite the variety of contact centres available, we all face many of the same difficulties.
And, in my experience with the contact centre industry, we are always eager to exchange and learn from one another.
Attending an Auscontact Association event is all it takes to realise what a wonderful community you are a part of, where people of all levels are happy to share their expertise and experiences in order to improve our business as a whole.
13. There will be enough food for you to eat.
When you walk into any contact centre, there is usually plenty of food! There is always food around, from call centres that provide free breakfast for employees to a plethora of snacks to keep everyone energised.
And, with such a positive work environment, you’ll always find someone bringing in something tasty to share.
When staff members bring in their specialty dishes for me to taste, I’ve enjoyed some of the best meals I’ve ever had!
14. A wide range of work opportunities
Working in a call centre, without stating the obvious, typically entails spending time on the phone.
However, now more than ever, the job of call centre agents is expanding across a variety of platforms.
Customers today expect to interact with companies through a variety of channels, including live chat, emails, and social media, and these functions are often handled by call centres.
Larger centres have specialised responsibilities for each channel (yep, you can get paid to spend all day on Facebook!) A call centre agent may oversee many channels in smaller centres.
Aren’t we clever little cookies?
15. Difficulty of Work
The ability for clients to ‘self-serve’ is increasing as technology advances.
How often do you try to get an answer to your question on the internet rather than calling a company?
You’re absolutely correct.
As a result, when calls do come in, they are growing increasingly complex, necessitating the assistance of a highly intelligent human to resolve the client issue.
If you’ve ever seen a call centre representative in action, you know how impressive they are at navigating different computer systems, processes, and policies while maintaining a decent customer conversation.
What are your thoughts?
So there you have it. I hope I’ve persuaded you that working at a call centre isn’t all doom and gloom!
Is my understanding correct?
Have you forgotten about a few?
Are you completely insane?
Please let us know!
