Call centre manager : Job description

The manager of a call centre (also called a contact centre) is responsible for the daily running and management of the centre through the effective use of resources. They have responsibility for meeting, and possibly setting, customer service targets as well as planning areas of improvement or development. Call centre managers ensure that calls are answered by staff within agreed time scales and in an appropriate manner.

Call centre managers liaise with businesses which they provide the first response for, as well as the third parties who supply products to the centre. They coordinate and motivate call centre staff and may also manage staff recruitment.

Typical work activities

There are two main types of call centre - inbound and outbound (some centres may incorporate both):

• Inbound centres receive calls from customers and clients, e.g. queries, requests, orders and complaints.
• Outbound centres contact potential customers and clients with the aim of gathering information or selling a product.

Typical work activities vary according to the type of centre but, generally speaking, tasks will involve:

• setting and meeting performance targets for speed, efficiency, sales and quality;
• managing the daily running of the call centre;
• liaising with supervisors, team leaders, operatives and third parties to gather information and resolve issues;
• maintaining up-to-date knowledge of industry developments and involvement in networks;
• monitoring random calls to improve quality, minimise errors and track operative performance;
• coordinating staff recruitment, including writing vacancy advertisements and liaising with HR staff;
• reviewing the performance of staff, identifying training needs and planning training sessions;
• recording statistics, user rates and the performance levels of the centre and preparing reports;
• handling the most complex customer complaints or enquiries;
• organising staffing, including shift patterns and the number of staff required to meet demand;
• coaching, motivating and retaining staff and coordinating bonus, reward and incentive schemes;
• forecasting and analysing data against budget figures on a weekly and/or monthly basis;
• improving performance by raising efficiency and sourcing new equipment to enable this, e.g. new dialling products.