Call Center Hiring

Hiring for the call center can be a challenge no matter what industry the center is designed to serve. Call center managers want to be able to pay their agents enough to make the position appealing, while also keeping costs under control.

Wages must also be kept in line with expectations of the agent, promoting from within and recognizing those who contribute to the overall goals of the organization or risk high attrition rates.

To get a closer look at current wage levels within call centers in 2009, FurstPerson conducted the 2009 Contact Center Recruiting and Compensation Survey, which captured key information on average wages for call center employees.

For instance, within North America, the hourly pay across all call center roles was $12.05, while those in Canada earned more per hour – at $16.29 – than those within the United States - $11.59. Both figures are consistent with wages in 2008.

Regardless of the location of the call center, those in Technical Support positions are the highest paid, while Outbound Sales positions take home the lowest amount of money per hour. The difference between the two positions in terms of pay is a staggering 31.7 percent.

Call centers are facing a different market this year, however, as the labor pool has expanded quite a bit, creating more opportunities to hire according to role expectations. At the same time, the job market is uncertain and individuals working for a call center are more likely to stay in their role and with the call center, rather than look for a job elsewhere.

Even with the economic outlook, call centers are still in a good place financially, especially those working in the collections industry. Combine the growth in market opportunities with the available labor pool and the call center is better positioned than it has been in a long time to grow in a healthy way.

According to FurstPerson research, even as unemployment rates keep rising, nearly 68 percent of call center leaders anticipate they will grow their hiring volumes over the next 12 months. Many of these call centers are anticipating the opportunity to enhance their quality of hire and designing their strategies accordingly.

Overall, opportunities for hiring in the call center industry will continue to be healthy, especially as wages remain competitive.