The truth about contact centres

Ben Booth, CEO of contact centre software provider MaxContact, who has highlighted common misconceptions about call centre agents and contact centres and where they come from and what it’s actually like to work in one.

1. Working on a contact centre floor is easy

There is often a common misconception that working in a call centre is an easy task, but that’s usually based on stereotypes from those who don’t know what the job actually involves. While some parts of the job can be repetitive (like in any industry), working in a call centre can be challenging for many different reasons.

In addition to having the ability to multitask, being knowledgeable in a variety of fields, and being dedicated to enhancing the customer experience, agents must be vivacious, sympathetic, and upbeat people who can promptly address customer issues.

2. Call centres are only for those without qualifications.

There is also a common myth that call centre staff are individuals without qualifications such as a degree.

While call centres can definitely be great places for undergraduates or those who have chosen different career paths, such as apprenticeships, many call centre roles benefit from training or transferable skills alongside qualifications that enhance an individual’s capabilities and service quality within the industry.

3. Agents have to follow a script

Many people believe that those who work in call centres are required to follow a specific script when they answer the phone.

However, while agents may have software or templates that provide prompts and responses to help solve a customer’s problem or query, the truth is that they need to have the knowledge and skills to be able to solve the problem without the support of a script too. This includes knowing the company’s products, policies, and services in order to provide appropriate guidance to the customer.

As well as this, call centre agents need to tailor their responses to be empathetic depending on the specific customer. Although templates and prompts can be useful, there is not a one-size-fits-all strategy.

4. Call centres offer no career growth

Many people who do not know about call centres and how they actually work assume that there are no opportunities for career development or growth and that they will be stuck on a call centre floor forever.

However, there are plenty of opportunities to progress in your career at a call centre, such as moving up to managerial or supervisory roles. As well as this, there are plenty of roles you can move to in different departments, such as sales or marketing, and many call centres offer extensive training opportunities to help staff develop their skills.

5. Call centre managers don’t care about employees or service quality

As call centres can be high-pressure environments, there is often a misconception that this means call centre managers don’t care about their employees or the quality of service they provide to customers.

Even though there are KPI targets for sales and certain metrics that must be fulfilled, competent call centre management will be concerned about their employees' welfare as well as the standard of customer service and how they can continuously improve. Indeed, a recent survey found that when asked what matters most to call centre leaders, almost half (47%) of respondents said that their employees were happy at work and that they delivered excellent customer service.

6. Call centre agents only handle angry customers

Many people believe that call centre agents primarily deal with angry and emotionally charged customers, and that, coupled with a lack of support from management, makes it a stressful job.

While it’s true that call centre agents sometimes handle frustrated or angry customers, they also deal with a wide range of calls. Some customers can be friendly, while others can be more challenging. This versatility is what makes the job so rewarding and allows staff to build resilience and perseverance.

7. All you do is phone people

There is often the assumption that working in a call centre means the only job you do is phone people.

While phoning customers is a large part of a call centre agent’s job, it’s not the only thing they do. Much of working in a call centre also involves tasks such as handling emails and texts, answering web chat inquiries, upselling products, identifying prospects, troubleshooting customer problems, taking part in training, and collaborating with other departments within the business.

8. Call centre agents are equipped with low-tech

Many people think that call centres are equipped with bad-quality tech, which is what contributes to poor customer service.

This is untrue, as nearly two-fifths (39%) of call centres now use speech analytics tools to give them information about their agents. As well as this, the contact centres as a service (CCaasS) market has grown exponentially in recent years.

In fact, CAGR is predicted to reach 20.7% by 2032, highlighting that there is an increased demand to replace traditional on-premise or hosted infrastructure with cloud-based contact centre solutions that integrate with CRMs for adaptable and smooth contact centre environments.

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