Posted September 5 2024
By Kirsty Scott
Scotland is currently home to some of the largest contact centres in Europe. Many sectors of business have decided to offer their customer service from a base point here. There are approximately 86,000 people working across 400 contact centres – meaning that one in every 30 employed persons is a contact centre operative.
Over 10% of contact centres offer a foreign language service – something that we here at HRC actively recruit for – giving us a competitive edge in the market.
From financial services to media; utilities to retail; motoring to technical support, there is a growing number of opportunities within the contact centre market.
So, why should you work in a contact centre? It may not be a career path you have considered already, but there is definite room for progression and learning new skills.
We take a look at some of the reasons why you should think about taking a job in a contact centre.
Training is provided
Almost every contact centre will provide full training before you start your career with them, meaning that you don’t actually need a specific skills set to do well. So, if you are a graduate with no work experience or have spent your career working in an entirely different field, that won’t affect your chances of gaining employment.
Flexible working hours
Contact centres don’t operate on a Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 basis so there will be flexibility around working hours and days. You might actually find it suits you better to not have to commute through rush hour or spend your Saturday’s ploughing through crowds at a shopping centre. Lots of candidates looking for work these days also look for flexible working patterns.
Clear chance of promotion
If you work hard, study your materials and perform well, there is a high chance of getting promoted fairly quickly within a contact centre – something that cannot be said for most other fields of work. Along with increased responsibility, you will also get greater privileges within you team and, having any sort of management or leadership experience will look great on your CV.
Financial rewards
Most contact centres offer some sort of commission based structure, so there is plenty of bonus potential. If you are particularly interested in sales, this will definitely be the case. There are also usually additional perks for working overtime.
Work with a big brand
Many of the big names in computing, telecommunications and financial services operate from contact centres in Scotland. This can often look really impressive on a CV that you have worked for a global brand and proved to be a reliable and successful employee. Even if it’s for a temporary post, it will definitely catch the eye of future employers.
Enhance your skills set
More often than not, working in a contact centre will put your communication, multi-tasking and problem solving skills to the test. These are crucial transferable skills that will serve you well in any job you undertake, so where better to sharpen them?
Leave your work in work
Unlike other professions, where you maybe need to take a presentation or paperwork home to get it completed, in a contact centre, work stays in work. As soon as you have logged off at the end of your shift, there is no expectation that you will have to complete any further tasks at home. So, your free time is yours to do what you want.
If you would like to be considered for contact centre work, I would love to speak to you about a number of opportunities that I have available. Click here to drop me an email and we can have a confidential chat about taking the next step in your career.