An outbound call center is a department or office that specializes in making calls to customers or potential clients. They are usually employed by companies for the purpose of gathering information about their products, services, pricing options, and customer service needs. These departments conduct surveys on behalf of these businesses to help them improve their business practices. Outbound call centers also make sales calls to promote new products or services offered by companies which can generate revenue for both the company and the customer who purchases its product/service. Sometimes, these companies may also recruit new employees.
How can I get a job at an outbound call center?
There are two types of jobs you could seek out at an outbound call center. First, there are the agents (or sometimes called "telemarketers"). These people man phones and make calls to clients or potential customers regarding whatever service or product that business has to offer. Second, there are managers or supervisors who mainly deal with hiring employees and keeping the outbound call center up and running. Some of the qualifications you need to have for a job as an agent would be:
- Good communication skills (especially over the phone)
- Energetic personality
- Good computer, typing, or shorthand skills
- Experience with social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
- Excellent customer service skills
As for the qualifications needed to become a manager, you should have these:
- Willingness and interest in management
- Previous experience with hiring employees
- Computer literacy/knowledge of email and social media sites (especially LinkedIn)
- Knowledge on how businesses work and how they operate
- Passion for a specific business or company
What are the job responsibilities of an agent?
Some of your main tasks as an agent may include: -Making outbound calls to clients -Entering data into the computer system (from surveys/notes taken during phone discussions) -Gathering information about products, services, and how they are used -Maintaining an in-depth understanding of company policies and customer service standards
What are the job responsibilities of a manager?
Some of your main tasks as a manager may include:
- Creating, managing, and updating job descriptions for agents
- Hiring new employees (which sometimes includes online ads and social media posts)
- Maintaining a professional and friendly work environment
- Training new employees
- Make sure all customer service standards are met or exceeded, especially pertaining to outbound calls
What skills/qualities are needed to become successful?
To succeed in this industry, you need strong communication skills (especially over the phone). You also need to be an energetic person since you'll be constantly talking with customers and potential clients. You need to have good computer, typing, or shorthand skills (for updating social media sites) in order to search for job openings. You will also need previous experience with customer service management in the past.
What are the benefits of working at an outbound call center?
There are a lot of benefits you can get by working at an outbound call center. For instance, the work schedule is usually flexible since they have a 24/7 service team. You can work from 12 AM to 8 PM if necessary and you don't have to follow specific rules or dress codes for this job. This kind of flexibility allows people who have other jobs to also work in call centers. You can work part-time or full-time depending on what you need.
Another benefit of working here is that the pay is usually great, too. For agents, your base salary starts around $8-$11/hour, and for managers, it's $12+/hour. There are also incentives available if you do great work which is really good for your next paycheck.
The job security is decent, too. You can't be fired easily unless you break the company policy or are caught doing something really bad. The turnover rate also isn't usually high so, after being hired, it's unlikely that you'll get fired or leave the job unless you're done with it. This is an ideal job for those who want to work part-time and for those who want a job that's very flexible (where one can work from home without having to commute).
What are the disadvantages of working at an outbound call center?
The main disadvantage would be the pay. The problem is that all agents and managers tend to be "as-is" when it comes to working. They don't really do much so they get paid little for what they do. Also, there's a lot of competition since everyone wants these jobs which leads to tons of online ads and social media postings by recruiters. This means that you should have previous experience or expertise in this specific field, especially if you want to get hired right away.
Conclusion:
An outbound call center is ideal for people who want to work part-time and/or flexible hours. If you're looking for a job that's very loose with scheduling, this industry is perfect for you. This kind of work also allows you to focus on improving your communication skills since it requires a lot of talking on the phone. Furthermore, the pay is great for part-time work and it's equally good for full-time employees. People who want to have a better quality of life will benefit from working in this industry since you can control your work schedule.
