Why Grads Should Consider A Career Opportunity With A Contact Centre
Are you one of those recent graduates who are hesitant to explore a career with a contact centre? With its unique work environment and structure, many graduates are still doubtful on whether starting a career in a contact centre is a good move. Depending on which company you work for, working at a call centre can range from amazing to just okay. Here are 9 reasons why working for business process outsourcing (BPO’s) and contact centres is an attractive career path for fresh graduates.
1. Fun, Supportive Work Environment
Despite some possible misconceptions, the industry is not a dull place where employees only go to work to answer calls. While you would think there is little to no interaction between peers at work, the reality is that most team members develop a tight-knit friendship, and superiors foster a supportive environment where every individual can flourish. Fresh grads welcome the unusual but enjoyable work culture of a contact centre and BPO because of their fun-loving and ambitious nature.
Compared to other trades which require their candidates to be experienced professionals, contact centres are very welcoming to young people, both experienced applicants and fresh graduates.
2. Opportunity For Personal And Career Growth
The call centre industry is one of the most rapidly growing industries in the country, with a steady 8 percent annual growth since 2003, according to Business Day. Contact centre jobs are amazing opportunities that can turn into stable, long-term careers for graduates if they make the most of it. Some contact centres also invest heavily in education for their employees, and may regularly provide training to improve employees’ skills. Many graduates find this learning environment a good reason to consider working in a call centre.
“The call centre industry… has had a steady 8 percent annual growth since 2003”
3. Satisfactory Earnings
While not all contact centres offer competitive salaries, they are generally reasonable. The dream of being financially independent from your parents may be realised faster by working at a contact centre. Securing a job at a contact centre can give a graduate the financial freedom to fulfill early goals, like moving into their own place or buying a car.
4. Technologically-Savvy Environment
In order to stay relevant to their clients’ high quality expectations, contact centres and BPOs regularly innovate and improve their tools and processes. For young people who love and rely heavily on technology, this is a great opportunity to be right in the center of some of the most up-to-date technology solutions on a regular basis.
5. Promotions Come Quickly
If you’re committed and deliver results with excellence it’s relatively easy to be promoted to a more senior role in contact centres. Many senior vacancies are filled by candidates from within the teams, so for graduates looking to grow, this is one of the industries that offers an easy and fast opportunity to do so. It’s in very few sectors that such opportunities are given easily, and with promotions you can expect more responsibilities and higher earnings, as well as positive reflections on your CV.
6. Work With Amazing People
As a global industry, today’s contact centres are full of amazing individuals from a number of different backgrounds, so as a graduate you can expect to work with some amazing people from different cultures, with different languages. And because these days employers recognise the necessity for team building activities you can expect fun team building events that will make you appreciate your contact centre job and co-workers even more.
7. No Experience Required
This is probably the biggest benefit of working for a contact centre if you’re a fresh graduate – unlike other professions that require a minimum amount of experience, many call centre vacancies don’t need applicants to have much experience in the area, so if you’re a recent graduate then getting a contact centre job is a good career move. Since many other professions also require your to have X number of years general working experience, your time at a contact centre also serves as a stepping stone to other career opportunities down the line.
8. Prestige
Almost all contact centre jobs are predominantly offered by multinational companies with reputable names. As such you can expect contact centre offices to be located in great office parks and they are usually quite nice, often equipped with recreational rooms and refreshments. These comfortable, open-plan and friendly environments make for a great start to your working life. You may well find that many of your peers in other industries don’t get the same level of perks you may be in store for.
9. No Two Days Are The Same
Though you’ll have a general work routine in your contact centre role, you can expect something different every day as you’ll have the opportunity to interact with different customers and situations each day. A job where each day comes with unique scenarios and challenges to solve allows you to enjoy more variety and satisfaction from your career.
Final Thoughts
Working at a contact centre is an attractive career option for many graduates because it gives them an opportunity to make a valuable investment in their personal development. You can develop skills such as communication, problem solving, negotiation and sales. Apart from this, graduates have an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the industry itself.
Moreover, the industry’s fun, driven, technologically-savvy work environment gives fresh graduates the work culture they’re looking for. Working in a contact centre can truly open doors for young people. At Merchants, for instance, you’re not just offered a job, but a career path in customer relations. If you’re up for the challenge and are ready to take your career to the next step, then you could be the perfect fit. Visit our Facebook page to see our latest vacancies – you can also upload your CV on our careers page by creating an account on our Careers Portal.