The commercial sector is one of the real growth sectors within recruitment currently. Within this general industry, call centre staff are in demand. This key role is very often the first point of contact for customers with a company so it is vital call centre staff have the right attributes to succeed. If you are involved in this sector and want to progress your career further, there are some key skills to possess.

We take a look at just what they are and why they are so important.

1. Communication skills

This first skill is common sense when you consider what a call centre role involves. It is still worth highlighting though when thinking about recruitment or progression! To really progress as a call centre operative then you need to be able to talk to people in a way that engages them and explains things clearly. Be sure to always keep a professional tone though but in a way that is welcoming to the customer too. If you can continue to improve your communication skills through your career, it will really help your progression to higher-level roles.

2. Problem-solving skills

Although you will naturally have built up experience within your current role, you will still get lots of calls that present problems you may not have come across before. To stand out as an excellent call centre employee and move up the career ladder, you need to show you can solve these problems and use your own initiative. Of course, any solutions should be checked with your team leader before you promise the customer anything but they will soon notice that you are bringing them answers not just questions. It will also help you get good feedback from customers too who will value that you are trying to find a way to solve their complex issue.

3. Listening skills

This is very often the one skill that many call centre staff could do with brushing up on. Take the time to really listen to what the customer is saying to you when they call and it will make everything so much easier. Not only will the customer appreciate someone who listens to them but it will give you time to fully understand their issue. The net result is that you will get great customer feedback and better results which will do wonders for your career progression.

4. Teamwork skills

It is pretty certain that you will be working as part of a call centre team in this recruitment sector. With this in mind, it is vital that you are able to work with people in a positive, effective manner. If you cannot then your career progression can soon hit a glass ceiling. Employers will naturally want to promote and give responsibility to people they see who can be a team player for the good of the whole company. This could cover everything from your interpersonal relationships with other staff to taking on a difficult call or helping out if they are short staffed. Brush up on your teamwork skills and you will have another fantastic string to your bow to make that next move upwards.

5. Conflict resolution skills

Let’s not pretend – at some point when working as a call centre operative, you will experience an unhappy or angry customer on the phone! The mark of a good call centre worker is that you can diffuse any situation such as this so it doesn’t get out of hand. This doesn’t mean agreeing with the customer or giving them what they want though if they are not right. It does, however, mean finding a way to resolve the call to the satisfaction of both parties. If you can develop these skills then you will be in demand and likely to progress quicker.

6. Organisation skills

A major part of this type of role is being organised. If you work in a haphazard way then you will not retain any information given to you by the customer and not be able to complete any follow-up work after the call. Great organisation skills will also mean that you can have your PC set up with the databases you need ready for when a customer calls in. Being organised will also help you have any information you may need on a call to hand and not be searching for it while the customer is waiting. If you are not organised then you will find it very hard to move beyond the most entry level of call centre roles.

If you are looking to make that next step as a call centre operative then why not let Time recruitment help? We work with the very best companies nationwide that need the skills you have. Get in touch today to see how we can help you progress to that next level in your career.