What Is a Call Center Job Like?
Working in a call center can be a rewarding and enjoyable career with plenty of realistic opportunities for advancement; however, the job isn’t for everyone. In this post, we’ve provided you with an extensive breakdown of what it’s like to work in a call center. We’ll cover day-to-day responsibilities, required skills, and benefits so that you can make an informed decision before you start the job hunt!
What Is a Call Center Job Really Like?
How hard could it be? Sit at a desk and answer a few calls, decorate your cubicle, grab some free coffee from the break room. Working at a call center is a piece of cake, right?
Not really.
Sure, you may get to decorate your cubicle and you might have access to all the coffee you want, but working at a call center isn’t as simple as many imagine. This position takes a certain amount of resilience and flexibility.
Think about it; you slide into your swivel chair at 9:00 am, greet your coworkers, dawn your headset, take a much-needed gulp of caffeine, and sign on. At many establishments, you can expect your phone to start ringing the moment you give the green light, and it doesn’t stop ringing until you’ve clocked out.
To work at a call center, you need to be able to remain in one place for an extended period of time and bounce from one call to the next. You’re bound to get an unhappy customer from time to time (everybody does) and when that happens, call center employees must leave the negativity behind and start a new call with a fresh, positive attitude.
Does it sound like a lot? It can be, but you’ll quickly find that this routine is easy to slide into and many enjoy it enough to make long-term careers out of it. What is it that makes working at a call center so desirable? Let’s check out the benefits!
Benefits of Working at a Call Center
There are many benefits of working at a call center that you won’t find in other entry-level positions, like retail or waitressing. For starters, a little digging on sites like Glassdoor will confirm that entry-level positions at call centers average a base pay of $10 to $13. That’s not bad for just starting out, especially when there are so many ways to advance.
Call centers provide ample opportunities for real career advancement, from department transfers to promotions. The hierarchical structure of any call center company is usually comprised of bottom-level employees, team leads, department supervisors, floor managers, and the list goes on and on. It’s not uncommon for entry-level employees to work their way up the ladder in this field.
Another advantage to working in a call center is the diversity in roles. If you find that you don’t enjoy taking customer service calls, you have the option to move to a department that better suits your skills, such as sales or online live chat!
Responsibilities of a Call Center Employee
Although you’ll spend the majority of your workday taking calls, you can expect to face a variety of day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. To give you an idea of what we’re talking about, we’ve provided you with a list of the basics.
- Relay complex information in simple terms that are easy to understand
- Apprehend common inquiries and be prepared to give clear and prompt answers
- Read data and conduct brief research to provide requested information
- Complete data entry
- Complete transactions and forward requests
- Transfer calls to other representatives
- Learn how to properly and efficiently use new and existing equipment
- Adhere to company policies and procedures
- De-escalate unhappy callers
- Adapt to new problems and technology
- Rotate your phone call for the next representative
- Recognize and seize opportunities to upsell or upgrade
Recommended Skills and Abilities
Because your daily load of responsibilities is so diverse, there are certain skills and abilities required to thrive in a call center. Use the following list to determine whether or not you have what it takes to succeed in this position.
- Excellent communication (written and verbal)
- The ability to listen and empathize with outstanding customer service
- Quick typing and data entry skills
- The ability to multitask
- Comfortable in a fast-paced work environment
- Able to sit or stand in one place for extended periods of time
- Innovative thinking
- Outstanding problem-solving skills
- Resiliency to negativity and unhappy customers
Now You Know
Now that you know what a call center job is like, you’ve probably made up your mind as to whether or not you’re interested in applying for a position! If you know that working at a call center is the job for you, we hope you consider applying at ROI Call Center Solutions. Click the link for more information and feel free to contact us with any questions you might have!
