Why should recent college graduates consider call center careers?

The availability of students/recent college graduates should be an important consideration for any Call Center employer’s Labor Force Calculations – which is why do so many companies choose to locate their Contact Centers close to Universities & Community Colleges.

According to the most recent Direct Marketing Association Survey of Teleservices Members - 26% of Call Center Agents are students working full or part-time. This means that at least 1/4 of all Call Center Agents are part of Generation Y's demographic (employees aged 16 to 28).

Call Center work is generally acknowledged to be tedious, stressful, repetitive & boring. A Call Center job requires an employee to uniquely combine reliability with flexibility - and mix adherence to a schedule & procedure with adaptability in order to meet customers’ needs. Call Center Agents are rewarded for metrics such as customer satisfaction, volume of calls taken, sales quota and product knowledge - to name just a few. Call Center Agents have to manage customer interactions constantly – in an environment driven by targets – while their job is constantly monitored electronically. Each of these realities contributes to employee stress – decreases job commitment – increases absenteeism – and potentially decreases the quality of service delivered to customers. Regardless of age - while most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut out to work in a Call Center environment.

Regardless of age - working in a Contact Center is not a lifetime career choice for the majority of employees. Since 2007 - this recession has reduced Call Center Turnover by 1/3 – but that still means that the Average Annual Turnover Rate for an InBound Call Center is 27% - meaning that the ‘Average Lifespan’ of a full-time Call Center Agent is just under 4 years - for part-time Agents the ‘Average Lifespan’ is just under 3 years.

Regardless of age - Baby Boomers/Generation X/Generation Y - very few employees view working in a Call Center as a ‘prestigious’ line of work – however most students/recent college graduates/GenYs still think of it as an opportunity to make money and gain some work experience – even if they don’t view working in a Contact Center as a chance to grow professionally.

The decision to apply for a Call Center job is measured for most by practicality. Since 2007 and the onset of this recession – the Unemployment Rate for students/recent college graduates/GenYs has soared to over 25% in the USA & Canada – more than twice the National Average. In the UK the Unemployment Rate for students/recent college graduates/GenYs is over 18%.

In any age cohort - Baby Boomers/Generation X/Generation Y – you will find a percentage of people who would rather do anything else (or just collect Unemployment Benefits) rather than apply for a Call Center job. A major reason for this is the reputation the Call Center Industry has earned for itself over the years as a ‘Revolving Door’ employer – an employer who just wants ‘buns in the seats’ – regardless of whether or not the Job Candidate is a good fit.

Top performing Call Centers drive their Revenue & Performance through superior hiring tactics. We help employers to ensure that they have a solid pipeline of Job Candidates – as well as gain better insight & more accurate predictions as to which applicants from a pool of Candidates would perform up to, or beyond their established standards. You can find out about a Free Trial of SPAS Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Screening Software at http://www.telesoftsystems.ca/64201.html