What does a Call Centre team leader do?

As a mid-level manager, you report to a customer service director or centre manager. Your daily responsibilities are to maximise productivity while keeping your team motivated and customer-focused. You will also:

• Make sure that regulations and procedures governing the business are being followed.
• Guide your team in dealing with customer queries and when needed, step in or offer advice to a new team member.
• Be responsible for setting work schedules for your team.
• Set goals to motivate better performance and measure effectiveness.
• Be a listener. You must “be there” for your team members. You won’t make it as a leader if you’re lacking in empathy.

Depending on your employee needs, you could be tasked with recruiting and interviewing candidates.

What skills you’ll need

Basically, you need A-grade people management skills. And a thorough knowledge of the industry you’re operating in. You must be an excellent communicator. It will be your responsibility to:

• Encourage those around you to perform to their optimum capabilities
• Ensure all contact inquiries are processed and completed to the customers’ satisfaction
• Be tough, be disciplined, be considerate and tactful
• Be able to handle the most difficult customers with patience and knowledge
• Multitask, multitask, multitask

How do I become a Call Centre Team Leader?

Most employers require a Matric or Matric Equivalent, but experience of 2-4 years as a team leader seems to be the benchmark. There are specialist colleges like Ucademy who provide skills training across the BPO sector covering all job descriptions.

Job description: Call Centre Managers hire, train, prepare and motivate their staff members to provide excellent service to customers. They set objectives, analyze call centre metrics, ensure that the company and staff meet goals and provide reliable, efficient support for customers.

About call centre managers

If you thrive in fast-paced, customer-focused environments, are self-motivated and have great leadership skills, consider becoming a call centre manager.
As the manager of a call centre (also called a contact centre) you’ll be responsible for the daily running and management of the centre.
You’ll be responsible for meeting, and possibly setting, customer service targets as well as planning areas of improvement or development. Call centre managers ensure that calls and emails are answered by staff within agreed timescales and in an appropriate manner.
Call centre managers liaise with businesses for which they provide the first response, as well as the third parties who supply products to the centre. You’ll coordinate and motivate call centre staff and may manage staff recruitment.

What does an Inbound Call Centre manager do?
Duties vary according to the type of centre you work in but generally involve:

•  managing the daily running of the call centre, including sourcing equipment, effective resource planning and applying call centre strategies and operations
•  doing needs assessments, performance reviews and cost/benefit analyses
•  setting/meeting performance targets for speed, efficiency, sales and quality
•  ensuring all relevant communications and data are updated and recorded
•  advising clients on products and services available
•  liaising with supervisors, team leaders, operatives and third parties to gather information and resolve  issues
•  maintaining up-to-date knowledge of industry developments and involvement in networks
•  monitoring random calls to improve quality, minimise errors and track operative performance
•  coordinating staff recruitment, writing job adverts and liaising with HR staff
•  reviewing the performance of staff, identifying training needs and planning training sessions
•  recording statistics, user rates and the performance levels of the centre
•  preparing reports on these statistics, rates and performance levels
•  handling the most complex customer complaints or enquiries
•  organising shift patterns and the number of staff required to meet demand
•  coaching, motivating and retaining staff
•  coordinating bonus, reward and incentive schemes
•  forecasting and analysing data against budget figures on a weekly and/or monthly basis.

Are you…?

• professional
• positive
• confident
• organised
• team worker
• a good communicator
• prepared to work shifts if required

What to expect

• Jobs are often in large, open offices that may be noisy and fast paced. As technology advances, the virtual call centre is also developing, creating opportunities for staff to work from home. Product experts may be on call, creating new challenges for managerial staff. Call centres may be scaled up and down to accommodate seasonal fluctuation. It is the call centre manager’s responsibility to optimise the workforce during this time.
• Dress code tends to be smart, with a requirement to wear suits and formal clothing once on the management team, although call centre operatives tend to wear smart/casual clothes.
• You need to enjoy working in a fast-paced work environment as the majority of call centres are target driven and certain results are expected.

Skills

You’ll need to show:

• excellent communication skills
• a strong customer focus and a good telephone manner
• the ability to work well in teams
• leadership skills and the ability to motivate and develop staff
• a desire to help others work towards targets and develop their skills
• confidence and good business sense
• the ability to set, meet and exceed targets
• a focused and self-motivated approach to work
• the ability to manage change.

Working hours

Working hours regularly include unsocial hours, particularly in the early stages of a career. Some call centres operate usual office hours but others may be open up to 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Some centres target overseas clients in different time zones.

It is common to work additional hours or overtime at management level to allow representatives of the management team to be present on a rota basis throughout the call centre’s opening hours

Learning pathways: 

Entry without a degree is possible at call centre operative level, with the chance to work your way up to a management role. Some call centres may require their staff to have specialist knowledge or fluency in a foreign language.

Personal qualities and a pragmatic, common-sense attitude are likely to be more important than the subject and level of study.

3. SPECIALISED TRAINING ACADEMIES

• Ucademy offers recognised qualifications for BPO careers, including management.

Source: Graduate prospects, UK

Job description: Provides expert response to complex customer enquiries according to agreed key performance indicators.

About Call Centre Operators

Inbound Call Centre Operators must have excellent communication and problem-solving skills and be able to assist clients with a positive and professional image.

It is important for telemarketing staff to have excellent communication skills and to be confident and knowledgeable about their products.

Becoming an Inbound Call Centre Operator is an in-house learning experience and requires dedication.  Working hours are flexible and can involve shift times i.e. day shifts and then night shifts on a rotating schedule.

Call Centre Operators are usually monitored to ensure that they meet employer standards for speed, accuracy and customer handling, – mainly to keep the profits up.

What does an Inbound Call Centre Operator do?

• Responds to customer calls or emails
• Provides expert responses to a range of questions and enquiries, from basic to complex
• Provides information about company policies, products and services telephonically and via electronic communication
• Resolves customer problems
• Marketing and other sales work
• Assists with customer service
• Assists help desk or technical support
• Places orders
• Fills out applications for services
• Files complaints
• Keeps up to date with company products and services
• Assists the employer in building and maintaining good client relationships.
• Deals with highly confidential information in a secure environment.

Are you . . . ?

• professional
• positive
• confident
• a person with a clear speaking voice
• a good communicator
• interested in sales
• prepared to work shifts if required

Occupation Code : (422201)

How do I become an Inbound Call Centre Operator?

Training is usually received on the job but if you feel you want to jump ahead of the rest, there are courses that you can do.

PATH 1
In-Service training

PATH 2
Learnership – Contact Centre Support Level 2
Learnership – Contact Centre and BPO Support Level 3
Learnership – Contact Centre Operations NQF Level 4

PATH 3
COLLEGES OFFERING TRAINING

• UCADEMY
• BOSTON COLLEGE:  (Countrywide)  Call Agent/Operators course

Job Description:
Outbound Call Agents are sales representatives. Their job is to promote and sell products to new and old customers over the phone.

Training is usually received on the job, which is nice for those starting a career in sales and customer service.

What does an Outbound Call Centre Operator do?

• Contacts existing and prospective clients from a call centre environment in order to sell products and services.
• Describes products and services
• Answers questions
• Actively matches the needs of the client with the features and benefits of the sellable product.
• Provides clients with relevant product information with the intention of selling products.
• Processes client applications and concluding pre-agreements with client.
• Captures customer information accurately
• Updates databases to reflect changes to the status and details of clients.
• Meets sales, customer service, productivity, compliance and quality targets.
• Deals with highly confidential information in a secure environment.

Are you . . . ?

• professional
• positive
• confident
• a person with a clear speaking voice
• a good communicator
• interested in sales
• prepared to work shifts if required

Other names for this job
Outbound Contact Centre Team Leader
Call or Contact Centre Sales Agent / Consultant
Call Centre Customer Service Representative (Outbound)

(Occupation Code: 422202)

Learning pathways: 

No formal qualification is required, but many institutions offer training in this field

1. GENERAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING CERTIFICATE (GETC)

Admission requirements
A General Education and Training Certificate (GETC) or a Grade 9 certificate issued by a school OR an Adult Education and Training (ABET) NQF Level 1 certificate OR a recognised equivalent qualification obtained at NQF Level 1 are required to enter this learning pathway

2. LEARNERSHIPS

A learnership is a structured learning programme, consisting of theoretical and practical components, that leads to a qualification. In order to enter a learnership, you need an employer.

Qualifications

• Learnership – Contact Centre Support Level 2 (23Q230021)
• Learnership – Contact Centre and BPO Support Level 3 (ContCenr&)

• Learnership – Contact Centre Operations NQF Level 4 (23Q230022)

3. SPECIALISED TRAINING ACADEMIES

• Ucademy offers recognised qualifications for BPO careers

Job description: Designs, develops, modifies documents and tests, implements, installs and supports software applications and systems for the BPO sector

• Tasks
  Assessing, developing, upgrading and documenting maintenance procedures for operating systems, communications environments and applications software.
• Consulting with customers concerning maintenance of software system.
• Consulting with engineering staff to evaluate interface between hardware and software.
• Developing and directing software testing and validation procedures.
• Directing software programming and development of documentation.
• Modifying existing software to correct errors, to adapt it to new hardware or to upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
• Researching, analysing and evaluating requirements for software applications and operating systems.

(Occupation Code : 251202)

Learning Pathways

1. CERTIFICATE: NSC Certificate Admission (CERT)

Admission requirements
To enter into this learning pathway you will need a National Senior Certificate (NSC) with a minimum admission requirement into higher certificate or a National Certificate (Vocational) NC(V).
In addition, each education institution has its own unique entry requirements for each of its programmes. It is important to check the entry requirements for this programme with the institution of your choice before you apply.

Qualification
Certificate in Information Systems (GQ00449)

2.  DIPLOMA: NSC Diploma Admission (DIPL)

Admission requirements
Admission into a Diploma requires the achievement of a National Senior Certificate (NSC) with the minimum requirements for admission into a diploma or a National Certificate (Vocational) NC(V). In addition, each education institution has its own unique entry requirements for each of its programmes. It is important to check the entry requirements for this programme with the institution of your choice before you apply.

Qualifications
Diploma in Information Technology (GQ00161)
Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology (GQ00358)

3. DEGREE: NSC Bachelor Admission (BACH)

Admission requirements
Admission into a Degree requires the achievement of a National Senior Certificate (NSC) with the minimum requirements for admission into a degree or a National Certificate (Vocational) NC(V). In addition, each education institution has its own unique entry requirements for each of its programmes. It is important to check the entry requirements for this programme with the institution of your choice before you apply.

Qualification
Bachelor of Information Technology (T040)

4: National Diploma in Information Technology

    Bachelor of Information Technology

Admission requirements
Admission into a Diploma requires the achievement of a National Senior Certificate (NSC) with the minimum requirements for admission into a diploma or a National Certificate (Vocational) NC(V). In addition, each education institution has its own unique entry requirements for each of its programmes. It is important to check the entry requirements for this programme with the institution of your choice before you apply.

Qualifications
National Diploma in Information Technology (GQ00162)
Bachelor of Information Technology (T040)