RetailISCO 5244

Call centre agent

A call centre agent is a person who takes incoming calls or makes outgoing calls on behalf of a company, telephoning existing and prospective customers in order to promote goods and services. The agent also sells and arranges sales visits.

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Rate 5 of the 17 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

guarantee customer satisfaction

create solutions to problems

perform multiple tasks at the same time

speak different languages

adapt to changing situations

About call centre agent

The call is at the centre of the work. An agent has to establish quickly who is on the line and what they need, and the conversation has to run while something else is being done: a system is being searched, a form filled, a note written. Multitasking, processing data and working independently are therefore important skills.

Knowing the offer is what makes the call work. The agent works from a knowledge of the service characteristics and handles credit card payments, taking the card details over the phone.

The rest of the role is adjusting. The agent adapts to a changing situation, finds solutions to the problems a customer brings, and keeps a record of the tasks carried out. That record is what the company and the next agent work from, and good notes save a customer from having to explain everything again.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (17)

characteristics of productscharacteristics of productsThe tangible characteristics of a product such as its materials, properties and functions, as well as its different applications, features, use and support requirements.credit card paymentscredit card paymentsThe methods involving payment done through credit cards.characteristics of servicescharacteristics of servicesThe characteristics of a service that might include having acquired information about its application, function, features, use and support requirements.guarantee customer satisfactionguarantee customer satisfactionHandle customer expectations in a professional manner, anticipating and addressing their needs and desires. Provide flexible customer service to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty.create solutions to problemscreate solutions to problemsSolve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising informat...perform multiple tasks at the same timeperform multiple tasks at the same timeExecute multiple tasks at the same time, being aware of key priorities.speak different languagesspeak different languagesMaster foreign languages to be able to communicate in one or more foreign languages.keep task recordskeep task recordsOrganise and classify records of prepared reports and correspondence related to the performed work and progress records of tasks.adapt to changing situationsadapt to changing situationsChange approach to situations based on unexpected and sudden changes in people's needs and mood or in trends; shift strategies, improvise and naturally adapt to those circumstances.use customer relationship management softwareuse customer relationship management softwareUse specialised software to manage company’s interactions with current and future customers. Organise, automate and synchronise sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support, to increase t...listen activelylisten activelyGive attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of cus...present reportspresent reportsDisplay results, statistics and conclusions to an audience in a transparent and straightforward way.have computer literacyhave computer literacyUtilise computers, IT equipment and modern day technology in an efficient way.tolerate stresstolerate stressMaintain a temperate mental state and effective performance under pressure or adverse circumstances.communicate by telephonecommunicate by telephoneLiaise via telephone by making and answering calls in a timely, professional and polite manner.process dataprocess dataEnter information into a data storage and data retrieval system via processes such as scanning, manual keying or electronic data transfer in order to process large amounts of data.handle tasks independentlyhandle tasks independentlyHandle inquiries or information independently with little or no supervision. Depend on one's self to communicate with others and perform daily tasks such as working with data, creating reports, or usi...

Optional (15) — show

e-procuremente-procurementThe functioning and methods used to manage electronic purchases.knowledge baseknowledge baseAn online library that contains information about a product or service to help customers finding answers to their queries.teamwork principlesteamwork principlesThe cooperation between people characterised by a unified commitment to achieving a given goal, participating equally, maintaining open communication, facilitating effective usage of ideas etc.e-commerce systemse-commerce systemsBasic digital architecture and commercial transactions for trading products or services conducted via Internet, e-mail, mobile devices, social media, etc.communication principlescommunication principlesThe set of commonly shared principles in regards with communication such as active listening, establish rapport, adjusting the register, and respecting the intervention of others.handle helpdesk problemshandle helpdesk problemsInvestigate what causes problems, test and improve solutions in order to reduce number of calls to the helpdesk.perform data analysisperform data analysisCollect data and statistics to test and evaluate in order to generate assertions and pattern predictions, with the aim of discovering useful information in a decision-making process.answer incoming callsanswer incoming callsRespond to customers' inquiries and provide customers with appropriate information.educate on data confidentialityeducate on data confidentialityShare information with and instruct users in the risks involved with data, especially risks to the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of data. Educate them on how to ensure data protection.perform escalation procedureperform escalation procedureAssess situations in which a solution cannot be provided right away, and ensure that it is brought to the next levels of support.provide ICT supportprovide ICT supportResolve ICT-related incidents and service requests from customers, clients or colleagues including password resets and updating databases such as Microsoft Exchange email.apply operations for an ITIL-based environmentapply operations for an ITIL-based environmentProperly operate ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) based service desk procedures.provide customer follow-up servicesprovide customer follow-up servicesRegister, follow-up, solve and respond to customer requests, complaints and after-sales services.think proactivelythink proactivelyTake initiatives to come up with improvements.prioritise requestsprioritise requestsPrioritise incidents and requests reported by customers or clients. Respond professionaly and in a timely fashion.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a call centre agent do?

Call centre agents handle incoming or outgoing customer calls for a business. They call existing and prospective customers to promote goods and services. They also obtain sales and arrange sales visits.

What skills does a call centre agent need?

A call centre agent needs 17 essential skills, including characteristics of products, credit card payments, characteristics of services, guarantee customer satisfaction, create solutions to problems.

Will AI replace call centre agent jobs?

The AI disruption score for call centre agent is 87/100 (very high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: process data, credit card payments, knowledge base. Most resilient: tolerate stress, listen actively, handle tasks independently.

AI Replacement Risk

87/ 100

Very High Risk

Low riskHigh risk

Skills most at risk from AI

process data credit card payments knowledge base

Skills resilient to automation

tolerate stress listen actively handle tasks independently

This is the average for the whole occupation. The AI Career Shield test (about 10 minutes) shows the risk in your own work and what you can do about it.

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Quick Facts

SectorRetail

ISCO GroupSales workers

Essential Skills17

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