Updated November 14, 2023
A call center job, where the employee is known as a “Call Center Representative,” is a job centered around an individual’s ability to communicate and handle customers on the phone. A call center is a company or department of a company that’s sole responsibility is to manage the incoming and outgoing calls between the organization and its customers. Call center representatives are expected to have extensive knowledge of the company’s product or service as well as its policies in order to assist all callers with their inquiries and issues. Communicating with clientele often involves a script with pre-approved answers to common issues. These employees are an integral part of a customer’s service experience with an organization.
Salary (Median Pay)
For customer service representatives.
- Salary: $35,830/yr
- Hourly Rate: $17.23/hr
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Duties and Responsibilities
- Answer incoming calls from customers;
- Answer questions;
- Call past clients/customers to alert them of new products, services, and/or policies as they are available;
- Collect survey data;
- Coordinate with internal departments or clients contracting the company;
- De-escalate incidents with unhappy customers;
- Find solutions to customer problems;
- Follow-up with unsatisfied customers;
- Maintain records of all calls made and received during all work shifts;
- Place outgoing calls to customers;
- Process paperwork on behalf of customers;
- Provide resources to customers;
- Regularly review customer accounts to ensure all information is current;
- Re-route calls to other departments;
- Sell additional products and/or services; and
- Train new employees.
Qualifications
- Active listening and interpersonal skills;
- Ability to maintain composure in high-stress situations;
- General computer literacy;
- High school diploma or equivalent;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
- Experience in a customer-facing position;
- Fast-paced;
- Familiarity with multi-line telephone systems;
- Flexible;
- Knowledge of company products, services, and policies;
- Multilingual (encouraged);
- Multitasking;
- Organizational skills;
- Patience;
- Time management; and
- Troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.