Why working in a contact centre is awesome for your career

Why good careers start with working in a contact centre

Some people think that working in a contact centre is a dead-end job.

Right at the bottom of the company food chain.

But they are wrong!

Working in this part of the business is actually a terrific foundation for moving into different areas of the business.

The skills and knowledge you acquire in contact centre environments are excellent building blocks if you’re looking to move on into a new role in the future.

So if you’re feeling a little isolated, remember that you hold a lot more cards than you think you do!

Here are 4 killer reasons why working in a contact centre is awesome for your career:

1. You get the big picture

Contact centres can appear to be at the bottom of the company food chain, but in reality, they often are the beating heart of an organisation.

Working on the phones, you are the centre of the most important relationship: what’s going on between the business and the customers. You know what the customers’ pain points are, their frustrations and what products they get excited about.

You can identify vital problem areas than the rest of the business aren’t privy to, as you are across the entire customer journey.

This is valuable information that gives much insight into how a successful business runs. Have projects been communicated effectively? What concerns or issues are arising? And why?

2. You’ll have amazing People Skills

Working well with people is integral to business success, we all know this. In a contact centre, you likely have access to communicate with a greater amount of people than the rest of the organisation.

Colleagues in other departments likely speak mostly with professionals within their industry,or with the same team, for prolonged periods of time. You speak daily with a wide range of personality types, which is important when building your emotional intelligence.

Think about the conversations you’ve had in the last month.

Who have you spoken with that was different from you? How did you adapt your communication style with people of different ages or backgrounds? Has your cultural awareness developed?

3. You’ll be a resilience expert

Dealing with people day-in-day-out on the phones can take it out of you.

It’s common knowledge that most people can’t hack this kind of environment long-term. But you can! This resilience is a vital skill!

Being in a contact centre means you’re often dealing with changes that can bring about conflict. This builds your resilience!

When you are dealing with a frustrated caller, you may sometimes feel the urge to terminate the call, but you don’t. Why? Because you have a job to do and are resilient against these tough conversations. You know how to bounce back when things don’t go as planned.

When is the last time you felt annoyed but kept your cool? Recognise these times as your training in resilience. This skill will help you persevere during tough times in all areas of your life.

4. You’ll build a large network

Working in the contact centre often means that you are in the head office of the organisation.

This means you have access to people in Finance, Marketing, HR, IT and more. If you’re interested in these areas, you can network with these colleagues on your lunch break or at company get-togethers.

Ask them questions about their roles and nut out if it’s a direction you may want to take in the future.

Many people don’t socialise outside of their department, but working in a contact centre, you have the skills to talk to anyone! Use this to make a new friend or find a mentor.

Are you curious about another department or role? Is there someone you can introduce yourself to? Step outside of your comfort zone and ask a colleague for a quick coffee top pick their brains. You never know where it may lead.

Bringing it together

Yes, there are many advantages to working in a contact centre – but sometimes we don’t see them.

This has more to do with mindset than the actual environment itself.

If you open your eyes to the possibilities, you’ll soon see that contact centres are a great foundation for developing skills, building your network and learning about business.

What can you learn at work that will propel you to your next step?

Recommended read: 6 Tips when starting a new call centre job

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