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UK Call Centres A More Attractive Place To Work, But Keeping Talent Will Be Critical

Interest in working in call centres is high, but concerns over keeping the best talent will increase as the economy improves and it is already driving an emphasis on flexible working and training

• 55% of call centre managers say speculative job applications have increased since 2009

• 58% of agents want to develop a long-term career in the call centre industry

• 35% of workers are educated to degree level, up 10% from 2009

• 54% of call centre workers feel there is a clear career path in a call centre

London, 20th September 2010 - UK call centres are experiencing an increase in job applications and interest from graduates in 2010, reveals new research by the recruiting expert Hays Contact Centres, in conjunction with the Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service. The survey reveals that 55% of call centre managers received more speculative job applications in 2010 compared to 2009, and 72% have seen an increase in applications for advertised jobs.

The study, which questioned 286 call centre managers and agents, reveals an increasing interest from graduates. As many as 43% of call centre managers say they have seen more applications from graduates, adding to an already qualified workforce, where over a third (35%) are educated to degree level.

“Call centres are becoming more demanding of their staff so it isn’t surprising that the profession is attracting more people with degrees, particularly when we are still faced with a challenging economy and high unemployment levels,” commented Geoff Sims, Managing Director of Hays Contact Centres. “A clear career path is always a strong draw for graduates and it is increasingly being recognised that call centres offer excellent opportunities for progression,” he continued.

The survey suggests call centre staff have a positive attitude towards building a career in the industry. Over half (54%) of agents agreed that call centres offer a clear opportunity to progress, compared to just 40% in 2009, and 58% stated they would like to develop a long-term career in the call centre industry.

However, call centre managers highlighted concerns around keeping talented employees, with 67% saying they believe it will be more difficult to retain their best staff as the economy improves. When asked about the factors that could improve staff retention, offering career progression opportunities topped the list, followed by providing better training and flexible working. Encouragingly, 41% of call centre managers say they are already focusing on staff retention measures, such as flexible working. 

Simon Thorpe, Programme Director at Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service commented, “Through our work with call centres across the UK, we know many are working to improve their performance and ensure best practice in both customer service and employee engagement. While it is encouraging to see that the industry is attracting an increasing number of job seekers, the clear focus needs to be on retaining the best talent to ensure high standards across the industry are maintained.”

The research was carried out by Hays Contact Centres, in conjunction with the Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service, a benchmarking initiative created to improve the performance of call centres and instil best practice across the industry. Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service is supported by Jabra, the leading headset provider, and Genesys, a provider of customer service software for call centres.

- Ends -

NOTES TO EDITOR

Survey methodology
Hays Contact Centres surveyed 286 call centre workers across the UK in August 2010.

About Top 50 Call Centres
The Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service initiative is a benchmarking programme, in partnership with GfK Mystery Shopping, one of the UK’s leading independent market research organisations. Its goal is to help call centres to measure themselves on what the general public thinks a good calling experience should be. It is based on over 18,500 mystery shopping enquiries.

The Institute of Work Psychology at Sheffield University and the Manchester Business School supports the Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service programme by providing an independent analysis of the results.  

Now in its third successful year, The Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service is an exciting initiative designed to create one benchmark for customer service excellence and transform the public perception of the contact centre industry. For further information visit www.callcentre.co.uk/top50

About Hays:
Hays plc (the "Group") is the leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments.

As at 30 June 2010, the Group employed 6,845 staff operating from 270 offices in 28 countries across 17 specialisms.

For the year ended 30 June 2010:
– the Group reported net fees of £557.7 million and operating profit of £80.5 million;
– the Group placed around 50,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 180,000 people into temporary assignments;
– 26% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific, 30% in Continental Europe & RoW and 44% in the United Kingdom & Ireland
– the temporary placement business represented 58% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 42% of net fees;
– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE and the United Kingdom.

For further press information, please contact:
Alizia Walker/ Louise Andrews
Wildfire PR
T. 020 8339 4420
E: top50@wildfirepr.co.uk

Claire Fowler
Hays
T. 020 7259 8821
E. Claire.s.fowler@hays.com