Call centre manager : Employers and vacancy sources

Many organisations across a range of sectors use call centres as a key function of the business, for example:

• financial services institutions (banks and insurance companies);
• utilities providers;
• IT solution providers (product support helplines);
• health (private healthcare);
• travel;
• retail;
• legal advice services;
• government departments (including those that handle sensitive material and crime information);
• telecommunications;
• emergency services.

Call centres have grown dramatically in the last 10 years and are widely used. Certain areas, such as the North West, Cheshire/Chester, Yorkshire and the M25 corridor around Reading and Bracknell, have attracted the majority of centres. Regional development grants have also attracted businesses to set up call centres in certain regions.

Other employment opportunities could be with shared service centres (SSCs). Similar to call centres in how they operate, SSCs are created by global companies to centralise all financial support activities in their main areas of operation. SSCs are especially popular in finance.

Moves within the sector to shift call centres to non-UK locations, primarily India, in order to cut costs and keep call centres operational 24 hours a day have received a variable reaction from clients. The initial economic benefits of offshoring have been counterbalanced by customer complaints. Some major companies that previously moved their call centres abroad have now taken the decision to shut down and return to the UK in light of customer dissatisfaction.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• Call Centre
• Call Centre Helper
• Call Centre Managers
• contactcentrejobs
• Guardian Jobs  
• Independent Jobs  
• Regional and local press.

Recruitment for many of the larger call centres is handled by recruitment agencies, which often have an office on the call centre site and deal with applications, interviewing and induction.

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