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15th March 2010
There is a definite split in the call centre industry between inbound and outbound.
Only 4% of call centres are dedicated outbound centres, while 37% of call centres operate some form of combined outbound and inbound call handling.
However, when it comes to the number of agents, the numbers change quite dramatically. Only 12% of people employed in call centres carry out outbound calling.
There is also quite a difference between the split of agents between inbound and outbound. While the majority of employees in outbound call centres are women, the split is not as significant as in inbound call centres.
In outbound call centres 56% are female and 44% male.
Outbound call centres employ more workers in the youngest (18-24) and oldest (aged 50-plus) age bands.
Some contact centres’ agents are not put into dedicated inbound or outbound groups. Instead they work in a combined inbound and outbound group using Call blending.
Leigh Hopwood of Sabio
Jonty Pearce walked into his first call centre in 1989 and has been hooked ever since. He founded Call Centre Helper in 1989.
He is an Engineering Graduate with a background in marketing and publishing. In 2020 he won the AOP Digital Publishing Award for The Best Use of Data.
He writes and speaks on a wide variety of subjects - particularly around forecasting and scheduling. His in depth knowledge of forecasting algorithms has earned him the nickname "Mr Erlang."
Connect with Jonty on LinkedIn
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