Call Center Agent

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Today, about 1.5 million call center agents make or answer phone calls each day in North America. There are actually two types of call center agents: inbound and outbound. Outbound-center agents are the people who initiate calls to customers. They do telemarketing and market research work. Inbound-center agents, on the other hand, respond to calls, chats or emails from customers. They do catalog and other sales work, customer service, and help desk or technical support. Both groups are usually strictly monitored to ensure that they meet employer standards for speed, accuracy and customer handling.

The newest job for a call center agent is called a call center guide which is the human component in a Guided Speech IVR system.

Four main factors influence whether individuals will become great call center agents. The more of these factors that are aligned and in play, the more likely the agent will be successful: (1) Competencies (2) Motivational Fit (3) Personality (4) External Factors [1]

Companies usually turn to offshore call centers who employ agents for lower costs than they would pay for domestic labor. Some of the offshore countries include India, Philippines, China, many countries in Africa, Egypt, Mexico, and many Carribean nations.