The second post in this series will focus on the transferable skills a job in a call centre could help you to develop.
The majority of call centres are fast paced and demanding environments. You will have to deal with a wide range of callers, from those with general enquiries to angry customers looking for answers.
A call centre role can provide you with a valuable opportunity to work on your patience, listening and communication skills and, in a tense situation, your diplomacy and ability to resolve conflict could make all the difference.
Helping callers to navigate swiftly to the department they need, or listening effectively to work out how their issue can be resolved allows you to exercise your information sifting skills. As well as customer service, you may have a more sales-focused role within a call centre, which will require you to develop your powers of persuasion and exude a well-rounded air of confidence. If you found presentations difficult in the past, you should find them easier to deal with following a role in a call centre; you’re basically delivering a mini verbal presentation each time you answer the phone.
Within this field, you’re likely to be judged against key performance indicators (KPIs). As you work to measurable standards, you will quickly become familiar with what is expected of you in a professional environment. Reviewing KPIs will allow you to highlight any areas or skills which might require improvement, and celebrate those you already excel at.
Finally, whilst you might not be rushing to feature ‘good telephone manner’ in a prominent position on your CV, know that a good telephone manner basically translates to being able to communicate effectively. Although your career post-University may not be directly customer facing, the need to interact with people never goes away, so the ability to communicate clearly is an absolutely essential skill that it’s best to get a grip on early.
Although far from being an exhaustive list, we hope this post has given you some ideas on the transferable skills that working in a call centre could help you to develop.
The University’s Careers and Employability Service has a wealth of resources available to help you search and apply for various jobs and work experience. Check our their homepage and jobs board on MyCareer and identify your skills today.
