Do most contact centres offer low paying, low skilled, dead-end jobs?

On the contrary, the reality today is that salaries, benefits, and schedules are competitive, the work can be challenging and complex, and quite often employees are learning and using leading edge technologies to interact with the corporation's customers. The increase in skill sets required has grown in concert with the rising demands and expectations of customers, the implementation of new, advanced technologies, and the diversity of services and business operations deployed in a contact centre environment. The notion of using call centres to perform one task- providing basic information, has been replaced by contact centres that recognize the need for multi-skilled individuals who have chosen the contact centre industry as a career.


Is the Contact Centre Industry the same thing as Telemarketing?

Contact Centres and Telemarketing are not synonymous. Contact Centres may be any size, inbound, outbound, or blended, in-house, 3rd party, specific to one company, or networked globally. They span all labour market sectors- manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, education, Government, transportation, utilities, telecommunications, retail/wholesale, and other. Telemarketing is a function or activity that may take place in a contact centre and represents 16 % of the total contact centre activity, in Canada.


What is the purpose of the Contact Centre?

Many contact centres serve multiple purposes and may use their centre for two or more of the following functions: Customer service, inbound/outbound direct sales, sales support, reservations, market research, individual customer tracking and preferences data collection, technical help, internal support services, order/billing processing, credit/collections, appointment setting and fundraising. Contact Centres continue to gain prominence and importance as they enable businesses to manage their operations, and manage customer relationships and information, consistently and cost effectively.

What is the expected wage range for Call Centre Training Program Graduates?

Upon completion of the training program, past graduates were offered starting wages ranging from $9.00 to $24.00 per hour. Most businesses also review employee performance at regular intervals and increase the starting wage accordingly.


What are the pre-requisites to take the Call Centre Training Program?

Candidates need basic keyboarding and computer skills; be willing and able to work flexible hours; be interested in furthering their customer/client service, communication, computer navigation, and call centre multi-tasking skills All applicants will first attend an Information Session and then complete the application and interview process. *For those candidates who do not currently possess a grade 12 diploma, is it suggested that they contact the appropriate school board to obtain a copy of their high school transcript.


As a Contact Centre Representative would I have to be available 24/7?

A small percentage of contact centres, such as hospitals or emergency response, are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The majority of centres offer flexible shifts and develop employee work schedules that reflect business demands and employee preferences.


Is there opportunity for advancement?

Yes, contact centres quite often promote existing, qualified employees when they have a position to fill.




" if a company is not able to satisfy the needs of a customer, competitive suppliers are just a few clicks, or a phone call away."
Strategic Human Resources Study 2005