Advice on how to become a Call Centre Manager

Today I’m exploring the Call Centre Manager profession and giving you advice on how to become one. Many of you reading this want to work or have worked in a call centre so you should be familiar with this occupation, but you might still have questions. Today I’m here to help.

Working in a call centre as a Call Centre Agent is still one of the more popular fields for school leavers to enter the working world. The reason for this is that many of the call centres in South Africa provide their agents with training. Some call centre positions may require experience from a previous call centre, but you should be able to work at most call centers if you have a matric, good communication skills and are computer literate.

Doing a call centre course will work in your favor, but it’s not necessary to get employed as a Call Centre Agent. Call Centre Agents are found in almost every industry and field that you can think of in our country, so the possibility exist that you could be promoted into a better position at the company that you work in.

What exactly does a Call Centre Manager do?

A Call Centre Manager is responsible for the daily running and management of a call centre through the effective use of resources. Call Centre Managers have responsibility for meeting (and possibly setting) customer service targets as well as planning areas of improvement or development. They ensure that calls are answered by staff within agreed time scales and in an appropriate manner.

They also liaise with businesses (for which they provide the first response) as well as the third parties who supply products to the centre so they can inform their staff. Call Centre Managers co-ordinate and motivate call centre staff / agents and may also manage staff recruitment. Most of them monitor random calls to improve quality, minimize errors and track the performance of their staff.

How does one become a Call Centre Manager?

You can study a course in Call Centre Management, but did you know that most call centre managers actually start their career path by working as call centre agents? Depending on the company and its structure and your skill set, you’ll have to work as a call center agent for at least 2 years before being promoted to team leader. You’ll also have to work as a team leader for at least another 2 years before you’ll be able to be promoted to Call Centre Manager. Take note that this is just a general assessment and not the be-all and end-all. You could be promoted in less time, no one’s career path is exactly the same.

Which skills do you need to be a Call Centre Manager?

To be a great call centre manager you need to be able to set goals, lead by example and continually aim to improve. You also need to make yourself available to your staff and coach them if it’s needed. Excellent people skills and communication skills are a definite requirement for this occupation.

We recently spoke to Dean (who is the Call Centre Manager by profession). He offers some useful advice and tips for all the prospective Call Centre Managers out there. This video is part of our #youwantmyjob series on YouTube.

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If you find this information useful, feel free to share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Remember: Sharing is caring – you could inspire someone to pursue a career as a Call Centre Manager.

Check out the latest listings for Call Centre Jobs on Job Mail.  If this is not your field, remember to keep your CV updated and browse for jobs in your field and apply for them on our website.

Watch this space for regular updates for Job Seekers on the Job Mail Blog.