What Is Working in a Call Centre Really Like?

We often get asked this question – what is it really like working in a contact centre?

We commissioned four young journalists to investigate. The findings are surprising.

Despite the modern sweatshop image, our reporters found a work hard, play hard environment, with rewards, job satisfaction and even love!

Following the stories that the journalists produced, we provide you with a list of key things to know about a call centre.

The Untold Truth of Call Centre Life

Behind the negative stereotype there’s a secret satisfaction to call centre life.

Call centre employees know something most people don’t. A dirty little secret that some of them keep from friends and family.

Something that people who haven’t worked in a call centre can’t understand, or won’t believe. But sooner or later, many call centre staff let someone in on their secret. It’s really quite simple.

Many Call Centre Employees Love Their Job

They don’t feel boredom or monotony. They aren’t upset by angry customer complaints. They don’t even feel that their work is pointless. To them, the stereotype of a call centre as a dull place to work is nothing like their own experience.

“Calling the Account Managers to tell them about a lead is like telling a child that tomorrow is Christmas Day,” says Gabrielle Deschamps, 22. Gabrielle works for an international telemarketing agency based in Bournemouth.

“I do business development for Dell, calling companies in France to talk about the virtualisation of their server and storage systems. My job is to find leads, and it is very interesting because I’m speaking to the IT directors of the companies I call.”

Speaking to senior staff at a range of companies makes Gabrielle feel that her work is valued. It also uses her language skills. Born in France, Gabrielle speaks both her native French and fluent English. In an increasingly globalised business world, many telemarketing and international companies rely on multilingual employees. Call centre workers with a second language alongside English can often find themselves earning a good wage in a job that values their skills highly.

Sales agent Nick Upton, 24, finds his personal interests help him to do his job at the Dixons contact centre in Sheffield. Like Gabrielle, he appreciates the value his employer places on skills and knowledge.

“I’m interested in technology and in this job I talk people through the details of laptops, televisions, stereo equipment and all sorts of electrical goods. I’ve gained a great deal of knowledge and I enjoy helping people improve their work or leisure time by choosing the right product,” says Upton.

Creating a good working atmosphere has long been a key part of a call centre manager’s or supervisor’s role. Most call centres have their own motivational games and internal competitions to keep staff productive and relaxed. To outsiders, these can seem silly, but managers use them for a reason. They work.

“I really enjoy the competitive side of my job. Being in sales means the rewards and bonuses are very good,” says Nick.

“This is the first call centre job I’ve ever had and before I started I thought I would hate it. But it’s enjoyable.”

Before working at the Dixons contact centre, Nick thought call centre work would be all about hitting harsh sales targets set by management.

“In fact, it is quite laid back. There are targets to hit, but I take inbound sales calls, so half the job is already done by the time the customer picks up the phone.”

Check out the response to negative contact centre stereotypes in the piece: Are You Proud to Work in Customer Service?

Of Course, Every Job Has a Downside, and Call Centre Work Is no Exception

“I do speak to the odd grumpy person, but most people are willing to have a conversation at least,” says Gabrielle.

Many call centre horror stories feature angry customers venting frustration at faulty products or bad service. In reality, such calls are in a minority, and complaints department staff are specially trained in how to deal with problems.

“It can be quite funny to listen to an angry customer sometimes. Someone having a rant cheers me up if it’s been a hard day. It does throw them a bit when I just agree with what they say and pass them through to the complaints department,” says Nick.

Here’s our advice on: Dealing with Angry Customers

But Most People Love a Good Conversation

Call centre work is communication, and talking to a diverse range of people can be incredibly satisfying. Whether it’s a great group of colleagues or the chance to have friendly conversations with customers all day, every day, ultimately it’s people that make a workplace into more than just somewhere to grind out a living. The mixture of people employed by large call centres can also make colleagues into lasting friends.

“It’s the people I work with that make the job so enjoyable, and I have some great colleagues. But that’s because they too are happy in their work, and the atmosphere around the office is jovial and fun,” says Gabrielle.

Some people even find love. Just like Gavin and Stacey in the BBC comedy of the same name, telephone flirtations can lead to romance. Earlier this year a poll commissioned by Lloyds Pharmacy found that call centre employees were more likely to have had an office relationship than workers in any other job.

Out of 3,000 people surveyed, 29% of those that worked in call centres said they had shared an extra-special connection with a colleague. Finance and HR workers were next on the list, with 28% and 26% respectively admitting to a workplace fling.

An open-plan office can certainly be perfect for making eyes at a cute new colleague or casually flirting with the boss. Many call centres have large staff and organise works social events, always a great time for mutually attracted co-workers to finally cop off. Of course, the office gossip grapevine is sure to spread word of any romance around long before the lovers arrive at work the next morning, whether together or separately!

For more on this topic, read our piece: A Simple Way to Improve Communication in the Contact Centre

Office Gossip

Provides a never-ending supply of amusing anecdotes for happy call centre workers to share with friends who doubt the fun side of the job.

“We get people calling up and asking for dooooves (DVDs) and lucitvs (LCD TVs), like on the Fonejacker TV show. It’s not annoying at all. We’ve all done prank calls when we were younger so we just humour them and act like we know what they are talking about,” says Nick.

“And although I’ve never encountered him, there’s also one guy who calls the contact centre whilst, ahem, you know what.”

Now that is a dirty little secret.

But, what should you do when office gossip goes to far? Find out our advice in the article: How to Curb Call Centre Gossip

By Matthew Brown

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Student Work in Call Centres – What Is It Like?

It’s not exactly the first thing you want to do after finishing a long shift but, only an hour after returning home from work, Richard Thompson welcomes me into his student house with a warm smile.

The 22-year-old is currently studying to be an accountant at university but I am more interested in his part-time work.

Richard works at a call centre in Cardiff and, unlike the majority of students and graduates who are struggling to find work, he is thriving.

Firstly, I needed to find out about Thompson’s duties in his current position. “After my employers realised that 90% of calls put through to stores were not being answered, they decided to set up the call centre in order to deal with more queries and to be able to supply an improved level of customer service,” he explained.

“After my employers realised that 90% of calls put through to stores were not being answered, they decided to set up the call centre in order to deal with more queries and to be able to supply an improved level of customer service”

Richard Thompson

Richard worked in a local convenience store after finishing school and it was his first real taste of employment. However, after being accepted on his university course, he decided to try for something more challenging and successfully applied to work in the call centre.

Call Centre Work

That was two years ago, and I quizzed him on what type of skills he felt he had acquired and developed since joining the call centre.

“Firstly, my negotiating and interpersonal skills have really developed as most of my duties involve dealing with customers in a courteous and helpful manner.”

“I have also improved my problem-solving skills. There are so many situations where there isn’t a clear solution, therefore I am often required to think on my feet.” 

“Thirdly, I would say that I have improved my team-working skills as I often assist my colleagues with queries and I also seek the advice of other members of my team. With around 850 members of staff working at various times, there’s always someone there who is ready to offer support!”

Having mentioned team working, I asked him about the opportunities he had to build relationships with his colleagues.

“I found it very easy to make friends, and after a few months I knew about half the staff! There are also lots of different staff working there, young and old, men and women, people of all races and religions – it really is diverse, which is great!”

Thompson continued, “The staff facilities are also quite impressive. When you’re on your break you can either go out for lunch or use the in-house facilities such as the pool table and TV room, so you can catch the FIFA World Cup if you’re really lucky! It means that you can make friends at work in a relaxed environment, which is tremendous.”

Yet, whilst many of the roles in the contact centre would be agent positions like Richard’s, there are many others. To find out more about these occupations, view our page on:  Typical Roles in a Call Centre

Rewards

It is obvious that Richard enjoys his work. Also, compared to his last job where he received the minimum wage, he is well rewarded.

“My wage is fantastic and because I work weekends I am on a double-time rate. There are other benefits too, such as free shares and discounts on products. You feel like you are being rewarded for your hard work, which is important.”

“There are also awards and achievements, for example employee of the month and rewards for positive customer feedback, which also contributes to your drive for success.”

Even though it is late on a Saturday night and he has just finished a 10-hour shift, his enthusiasm shines through and he explains that his current shift pattern helps him to balance his academic studies and social life.

“One thing that has really impressed me is that they have student shifts which cover evenings and weekends. This is an indication that the company is aware that everybody is in a different situation and that they are prepared to cater for our needs.”

Here are some examples of reward schemes to implement in your contact centre: 14 Ideas for Your Team Incentive Programmes

KPIs

One thing he does emphasise is that whilst he is happy in his current position, he isn’t taking it easy.

“There’s no room for complacency in my position and you are always required to work hard. Everybody has KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), which are statistics that measure your performance, for example average length of call, your availability for calls and work attendance.”

“I think it’s a good thing,” he added. “It is a clear indication that everybody is working to a high standard. It also means that if you hit certain targets you are eligible for benefits and bonuses.”

“If your statistics are low, you are trained in the areas you are struggling in so there is also plenty of support on offer that can further develop your skills.”

For guidance on which KPIs your contact centre should be using, read our piece: Twelve Call Centre Metrics You Can’t Live Without

Other Roles

Whilst I understand that Richard is happy in his current position, I am keen to find out whether there is any capacity to progress within the organisation.

“I’m actually applying for a new position at the moment – a real-time analysis role,” he stated.

“This is a more technical role which studies the statistics of our team members and forecasts the number of calls the centre will receive in the coming weeks.”

“I’m hoping to get the position as it is something I have not yet experienced and it will equip me with a greater range of skills.”

Finally, my thoughts turn to whether he would advise someone else to apply for a position in a call centre.

“Would I recommend it?”, he asks whilst rubbing his chin in a contemplative manner. “I know that to work in our centre you have to be of a certain standard and I’m sure it is the same in other centres.”

“You have to be prepared to work hard, be able to adapt to difficult and stressful situations and show initiative. You also need to be cool, calm and collected and not get discouraged by the odd ‘difficult’ customer!”

“The position has its positive and negative aspects, much like any job, but if you work hard then you are rewarded accordingly.”

“Working in a call centre certainly suits me and if you are looking for a challenge and an interesting work environment, then I would definitely recommend it!”

To find out more on career development, visit our page: Progression in a Contact Centre

By Dewi Griffiths

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Graduate Employment in a Call Centre

A growing number of graduates are turning to call centre work in a bid to give their career a flying start – as well as reduce that graduate overdraft, of course!

Getting that foot in the door is more vital now than ever as the recession bites particularly hard for graduates. With the number of students graduating steadily rising and the graduate job market shrinking, the sector has become somewhat unbalanced. Recent studies have shown the average graduate job is now attracting more than 100 applicants for each position.

Having had first-hand experience of both industries, I can conclude the old adage of it being who you know is also dead in the water. So, no quick fix there either, I’m afraid. Unless you’re one of the chosen few that get through the rigorous recruitment process and scoop that gold-dust-like graduate job, the only way to get ahead now is hard work.

Call centres provide a good way of getting a great overview of a company and its operations, and the results can really pay off. Handily, two of my good friends from my call centre days have used the basis of my theory to prove my point.

Call Centre Employment

Adam just graduated from the University of Manchester and Jim from Portsmouth. We were taking calls for various companies, including Dell, Texaco and The Royal Mail, to name a few. I’m not sure their degrees in Sports Science and Forensic Biology were entirely utilised, but they were working, and that’s half the battle when leaving uni.

We were all on the frontline, as it were. You quickly build friendships in the hustle and bustle of a busy contact centre and rapidly learn to rely on each other’s experience and knowledge as well as your own.

It really can be physically, mentally and emotionally challenging. Long night shifts in the depth of a dark winter can be lonely without a friend to get the coffees in, early morning shifts can be busy and testing without a friend to get the coffees in, and the mid-morning lull before the lunchtime storm can be tough without a friend to get the coffees in. Adam and Jim were my (coffee) drinking buddies.

There is, however, a sense of camaraderie in this line of work. You have to think on your feet and remember your training. I like to imagine it is a lot like being a soldier, but with less camouflage and gunfire. And more coffee.

Anyway, my point is that you can really develop yourself both professionally and personally in this environment. You now have a demonstrable ability to work in a team. You may have done a presentation at uni and cited it as an example of teamwork in every interview you have been turned down from, but you now have real-world team-working experience. You can’t get by in this industry without it.

You can gain this experience by working efficiently as a team towards certain goals. Follow the link to find out the: Top 10 Contact Centre Goals

Enhancing your CV

How about an example of how you have effectively used communication? How you resolved a conflict? How you went out of your way to help someone? Check, check and check. What we quickly learned is that a call centre is a great way to enhance your CV and push on. It can be a fun place to work but also provides you with so much more.

Another great advantage of working in a call centre is that you really can get an oversight of the whole company. CEOs of multinational brands go undercover and back to the “shop floor” for TV programmes to get a feel for their customers, brand and staff; you’re already in a perfect position to get a flavour of all of these.

In fact, you can’t help but take it all in. It wouldn’t make for as interesting a TV programme, I guess, but they could just ask their call centre staff…

Taking this experience on board, Adam has since left the call centre to join a national wine retailer and is currently an area manager for the firm. His career has soared majestically.

Jim progressed within the company to Account Manager, and since then, Account Director. He gets the best of both worlds, full interaction with both the end customer and staff.

Because he’s been there, done it and got the call centre T-shirt, the staff appreciate him and know he’s not guessing his way through the day. And, from his point of view, he knows what to expect and what the pressures of call centre working can be.

This overview of the business and lessons from the ‘frontline’ prevent him from placing unreasonable demands on his staff. As a small aside, Jim owes more than his career to the call centre; “I think my life and my son’s life would have panned out slightly different if I hadn’t met his mother there!”

For help writing your CV, read our article: The Top 25 Words to Use on Your CV

Graduates in the Call Centre

Graduate trainee schemes are tough to get on to but you can fulfil your journey to the top if you tailor your own scheme in a call centre. It can be hard work but, from experience, it is better to be working hard than waiting for a trainee scheme that may never materialise.

The modern call centre has shelved its former image. They are nice places to work, and the unionisation of the industry is also a bonus. But above all, if you treat the experience correctly, you can learn and progress.

You’re not just taking phone calls; you are networking, managing customer accounts, training others and developing your own skill set that you have spent so much time fine-tuning at university.

The rewards are there too if you choose to progress up the call centre ladder. Team leaders in a call centre earn on average £5k more per annum than retail managers and you don’t have to put up with huge deliveries or January sales! Been there, done that too…!

So before you think about waiting for that graduate scheme, taking that job down the local pub or working for minimum wage in a shop, you may want to consider work in a call centre.

By Tom Waller

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Observations of the Contact Centre Floor

Every person will have their own idea of what working in a call centre is like, whether they have worked in one or not.

Of course, most of those opinions will be based on horror stories passed on from friends of friends; tall tales of disgruntled customers and unachievable selling targets. But, these stories are the ones that are told and retold – no one’s interested in a work anecdote that has no drama.

So, what is it actually like to work in a contact centre, stripped of all the exaggeration and rumour?

What it really comes down to is communication. Talking to people from every economic background and walk of life.

Going to Work to Help to Improve Somebody’s Life

Brendan, who works in a council housing department in Norwich, feels that his job is all about helping people. “Tenants call in frustrated and annoyed – their roof could be leaking or their light switches not working.”

“It’s my job to get these problems fixed as soon as possible. People start phone calls angry and frustrated, and finish them calm and happy. It’s nice to know I helped to improve someone’s day.”

What many people forget when thinking about contact centres is that all the job boils down to is two people talking to each other on the phone.

Brendan recalls one poignant example when this occurred to him; “Many of our tenants are vulnerable people, the elderly and disabled; you may be the only person they will speak to that day.”

“I had a call from one woman who had suffered a spinal injury which resulted in her being less able to leave the house.”

“The call started with a request to fix a cupboard door and quickly escalated to her breaking down in tears and confessing I was the first person she had spoken to in three weeks.”

“We talked for a while about her anxiety and feeling of isolation. Thanks to the great support network in the call centre I work in, I was able to stay on the phone to her and organise for a social worker to pay her a visit that afternoon.”

Not all of us can say that we went to work and helped to improve somebody’s life, but Brendan’s story is a perfect example of how contact centre work is far more than disgruntled customers offering you verbal abuse.

Problem Solving Is Key to Many Contact Centre Roles

Obviously, all contact centres are different and it’s quite hard to help someone with the deeper things in life when all they really want is for their computer to work.

Freya, a student from Exeter, works on the Dell helpdesk and sees her shifts as a day filled with technical and organisational challenges. “People assume my job is boring and I just get the same calls day in, day out, but really, every call is a different challenge.”

“Three people might call in with the same problem but those people all have different levels of knowledge and ability. It’s all about trying to find a way to communicate a solution to people and talk them through what to do.”

Problem solving is key to many contact centre roles, whether it’s finding the best way to pitch a product to a caller or finding the most imaginative ways to say “have you tried turning it off and on again?”

Freya believes that it is this that keeps most of her colleagues happy in their jobs. She says: “Pretty much all of us started the job thinking that it was going to be a quick stop until we found something better, but we all discovered that it was the most interesting role we have had.”

“Unlike other jobs my university friends have, I get to use my brain and develop new skills that will help me to progress my career in the future.”

Whilst working in her role, Freya has developed skills in communication, problem solving, organisation, and customer facing, all of which are vital to higher-paid jobs.

For Every Hostile Caller There Will Be Many More That Are Grateful

So, it seems that although the majority may consider call centre workers to be shells of people slowly being worn down by torrents of verbal abuse, they do, in fact, like their jobs.

Of course, not every day can be perfect, and some people may not fully appreciate the help they are being given. That is the price of communicating with people. But, for every hostile caller there will be many more that are grateful.

Far from being solely target driven, the employees I have spoken to find that the goals they are given are a great way to help them push themselves to do better and, unlike other jobs, personal improvement in a contact centre gets rewarded with generous benefits.

Next time a contact centre worker expresses to you how good their day was, maybe you should believe them. After all, their roles are varied and challenging, and they actually get to directly help people. How many of us can say that about our jobs?

By Christine Emmerson

[But, for when you do come across a hostile customer, here is a handy list of: The Right Words and Phrases to Say to an Angry Customer]

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Key Things to Know About a Call Centre

Every contact centre is different, as if you work for a charity handling inbound calls, life is going to be very much different from that of an outbound telesales agent. Here are some of the things that you will need to know.

Every contact centre revolves around six key fundamentals:

Each of these six components has a direct link to the others, meaning that if one fails it has a direct impact on the other five, significantly damaging the company behind the contact centre.

For more information of these fundamentals, visit our page: Key Components of a Call Centre Operation

The Essentials of a Good Call

When it comes to queue time, call resolution and agent behaviour, every contact centre has its own set of targets to improve the customer experience.

Whilst queue times are not under agent control, a contact centre employee should expect there to be a set of measurements in place to monitor performance and games/incentives run to boost results.

To Find out what makes a good call, read our article about good call experiences  What Makes a Good Call

The Focus on Productivity

According to our 2016 survey “What are Contact Centres Doing Now?”, 80% of industry managers find that their allocated budget is holding them back from running their dream contact centre.

This highlights how money is restricted in the industry and is causing contact centres to make the most out of limited staff numbers. This equates to a strong focus on productivity.

Rapport and Empathy Building Will Always Be Important

The central element of any customer service call is rapport, as this will help to sell, when working for a telesales company, and build the customer experience, if otherwise.

In addition to this, agents should expect there to be a focus on empathy, as this is what will help to establish a connection with the person you are talking to.

Click on the link for: 18 Empathy Statements That Help Improve Customer-Agent Rapport and the Best Tips, Phrases and Words to Use for Building Rapport

Questions to Prepare for in an Interview

Customer service interview questions will mostly resolve around the same topics, in order to test communication, listening and motivational skills.

So, potential agents should expect to be working alongside people of the same ilk, usually extroverts, who are good at controlling a conversation. After all, this is the kind of person that the interview process will be designed to find.

For examples of questions that you can expect to hear in this process, visit our page:  Top 50 Customer Service Interview Questions – with Answers

Originally published in September 2010. Recently updated.