Contact Center Representative
Complete with job descriptions, skill profiles, and interview templates. Use this Contact Center Representative hiring guide to help you make the right decisions, fast.
HOW TO HIRE A Contact Center Representative
What does a Contact Center Representative do?
A Contact Center Representative is a customer service professional who handles inquiries, concerns, complaints, and problems, of the customers of the company. Communication channels may be via phone calls, SMS texts, emails, chat messages, or support tickets.
Day to day tasks of a Contact Center Representative
- Keep and maintain confidential information
- Ensure prompt response to customers’ inquiries
- Maintain an empathic and professional attitude towards communicating with customers
- Determine customers’ problems and offer solutions
- Know the company’s products and/or services in and out to be able to answer all queries
- Process requests, applications, transactions, or orders, if applicable
- Communicate with colleague or superior when necessary
Contact Center Representative definition
A Contact Center Representative’s primary responsibility is to help customers with their inquiries and problems, and provide information about products and services. In line with this, the job entails good communication skills, both verbal and written, and ability to relate well with different types of customers.
HIRING PROCESS
Contact Center Representative Hiring Process
Build the ideal candidate profile
Skills needed for a Contact Center Representative
A Contact Center Representative must be good in communicating and interacting with customers. Due to a variety of concerns ranging from questions to complaints, a Contact Center Representative must be knowledgeable with the products and services being offered to be able to help the customer. They should also be resilient and confident as they will encounter different types of customers.
- Empathy
- Communication
- Active Listening
Pro Tip
For entry-level roles, you’re likely to receive a larger number of applications than you would for a senior position. Ensure you provide details about what it’s like to work for your company, and what your company values are so applicants know whether your company is the right fit for them.
WRITE A JOB DESCRIPTION BASED ON SKILLS
How to write a Contact Center Representative job description
Once you’ve determined the skills required for the role, you can write the job description to advertise for your position. Here’s what to include in your Contact Center Representative job description:
Job Title: What position are you hiring for?
Summary: What makes your company unique? What would it be like to work for you?
Responsibilities: An overview of the role’s day-to-day activities, and how the position contributes to the organization
Requirements: Skills a candidate must have to perform the job successfully
Benefits: Details of compensation, benefits, and any perks on offer
Pro Tip
In building your candidate profile, remember you’ve already identified what skills are needed to succeed in the role. Here’s where to list your “must-have” skills and maybe a couple of “nice-to-have” skills. For example, a Contact Center Representative must be patient and attentive when dealing with a customer, but it would also be nice to be proficient in basic administrative tasks.
SELECTING THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sample skill tests for a Contact Center Representative
Create a free account today to access the full assessment and more from our library
Question 1
Communication
Question Type: Audio
If a customer began complaining about how they were treated by one of your colleagues, what would you do?
Question 2
Active Listening
Question Type: Text
How do you balance high-quality customer service with speed?
Question 3
Empathy
Question Type: Video
It’s Friday afternoon and the call queue is the longest it’s been all week. By the time your next caller is on the line with you, their temper has escalated after failing to connect and then waiting in queue again – they begin berating you for taking so long.
What do you say when you hear how frustrated they are?
INTERVIEW TOP PERFORMERS
How to interview a Contact Center Representative
Once your Vervoe skills assessment has surfaced the most qualified people for your open role, you can focus on interviewing these candidates. The interview should focus on any skills that require development that were highlighted from the skills assessment.
Now you know that candidates can do the job, the interview becomes more of a relationship building exercise where you can get to know the candidate on a more personal level, understand their motivations, and how they would fit in with the team.
Making An Offer
How much does it cost to hire a Contact Center Representative?
The US average for a Contact Center Representative is $31,373 according to Glassdoor.com, while it’s $37,523 based on Payscale.com. The lowest base salary, according to both sites, are at $26,000. The highest salary that can be offered, depending on education, years of experience, and certifications, ranges from $38,000 to $48,000.
Contact Center Representative Salary United States
Contact Center Representatives in the United States are paid annually in a range of $26,000 – $48,000. This figure is dependent on several factors such as education background, additional skills and certifications, years of experience, and even the location.
Source: Salary.com, Payscale.com, Glassdoor.com
Contact Center Representative Salary United Kingdom
Contact Center Representatives in the United Kingdom are paid annually ranging from £19,299 up to £25,167. Salary offered is dependent on the location, the nature of the company’s business, and the nature of concerns to be handled by the Representative.
Source: Talent.com, Glassdoor.com, Payscale.com
Contact Center Representative Salary Australia
Contact Center Representatives in Australia are paid annually ranging from $51,262 (AUD) up to $68,250 (AUD). Salary offered is dependent on the years of experience, location, and nature of the company.
Source: Payscale.com, Glassdoor, Talent.com
