At the Dutch 12th Nationaal Call Center Congres (Dutch spelling) last month, the consultancy firm Callm presented the results of research on the careers of call center managers: profile, job responsibilities, objectives, trends, etc. Approximately 130 call center managers participated in the study. The Netherlands are, roughly speaking, about 15 years ‘into’ call centers, and something like this had never been done before (which is odd because as a small country of just over 16 million, we have many call centers – some 1,800, employing around 200,000 people).

Key Findings – the Good and the Bad Many managers chose their jobs There is little time for promoting the call center within the organization Supervisors are in short supply Improving customer satisfaction and quality are top priorities Good communication skills is viewed as the most important competency 53 percent of managers are satisfied with their pay These jobs are becoming more complex

 

The results of the research were both predictable and surprising – and both positive and negative.   Here are some of the findings:

The average manager is a male in his 40s who received a higher vocational education, has worked for more than four years at the same company, and has also been a call center manager for more than four years.  Although call centers are considered to be modern businesses, increasingly consisting of many young females, managers are still predominantly male and middle-aged.

Somewhat surprisingly to many, the findings reveal that many call center managers chose their jobs.  In other words, ending up in the call center wasn’t by chance, but by deliberate choice.  This bodes well for the motivation behind these jobs.

A manager’s daily work consists mainly of day-to-day organization, coaching/motivating, and (of course) meetings. According to many respondents, there is little time for promoting the call center within the company – a regrettable finding, since PR (public relations) is so important for the image of the call center within the organization. A negative image quickly leads to little involvement in strategy, low budget, and reduced responsibility – which, in turn, lead directly to unsatisfied customers.

One obvious conclusion is that call center managers should delegate more of their work – especially day-to-day organization and coaching/motivating – to their supervisors. But there is a practical barrier to this recommendation: Supervisors are in great demand. The estimated shortage of supervisors is over 1,000.

The research further shows that call center managers have a firm set of objectives, which include: 1) grade up customer satisfaction, 2) improve quality, 3) improve efficiency, 4) improve effectiveness, 5) grade up agent satisfaction, 6) internal PR, 7) reduce costs, 8) increase profits. Are these politically correct answers? Maybe, but it must be said that, in general, the quality of service of Dutch call centers is high. (That should not imply that we don’t complain -- which is a national hobby.)

Communication skills is at the top of the list of indispensable competences required.  That is followed by managerial skills, immunity to stress, customer friendly, and analytical abilities. What puzzled me was the absence of what can be called “judgment of character” – after all, the call center business is people business!  But it could be that this was assumed as part of the other identified skill requirements.

One category of responses related to the salaries of call center managers.  By developed world standards, you can’t get rich here: 75 percent earn less than € 60.000 (€ 1 euro = $ 1.33 U.S.). Further, managers of third-party call centers are worse off than the average: 66 percent earn less than € 45,000. Nevertheless, 53 percent of respondents are content with their salaries. That, of course, suggests that 47 percent are not satisfied, which corresponds to the percentage of call center managers who plan a career change within three years. However, salary appears to have little to do with job satisfaction, which comes in at 85 percent.

This research reveals that the job of a call center manager is not an easy one.  It’s a high level position for which a lot of education and experience are required.  It’s also a job “under construction”: in the years to come, these roles will be even more complex, of a more strategic nature, and involving an increasing span of control (more people reporting to the manager).  These findings are inevitable as call centers become larger, technology becomes more complex and (especially) customers become more demanding and better educated.

We will see whether or not the effects of this development will be visible within the next year – this was the first study of it’s kind and will be conducted annually.

Henk Verbooy is chief editor of the Dutch Customer Contact Magazine.  He can be reached at henkverbooy@essentials-media.nl