I am a fresh graduate looking for my first job now. I was wondering is there any future prospects to work in a call centre as customer support executive? What are the options if I plan to change job next time?

you can opt for sales position / back to customer service/helpdesk line/marketing line.

this jobs use 'mouth' mostly

as for admin/management - u can try and see, usually u won't like this if ur in customer service line for quite some time already.

call centre is a boring job, depends on the field of call centre that you are supporting. if you like sales better go for sales

depends on your performance
if u r good
u can get promotion

Call centre have many type like others member mention

customer service, sales etc

it's a boring job ever... same dialog keep repeating yourself like a record machine.... =.="
I'm currently at this line and looking for another job now....

both of my fren in this field oso said..... very boring.....
everyday... repeat the same "dialogue" over n over again...

Well prospect? Depends on company... i was with a MNC company and the call center job is always routinal. So if you can do those kinda job then good. If you speak other language even better. However prospect? I think hard abit... Put it this way... Would the management pay you more and promote you for a job that might/could be learnt by a fresh grad for a basic pay? Haha thats is what I notice in these company. They try to cut cost as much as they can. All the best though

thats why the turn over rate so high.

read somewhere on the internet, call centres operators are among the highest stess level jobs...

Well stress? I dunno. But there are objectives to meet. Like sorta quality performance kinda thingy. So whole department must meet it. When I was with my previous call centre, wasnt any stress. We didnt bring anything home. Once the day is done you are free... Dont have to worry about datelines, projects and bring home work... So its kinda ok actually ... But the pay only reaches a certain barrier.

I guess its like a data entry job. Can you stick to a mundane routinal job with an average or low pay? If you can then good for ya

if you are desperate for job why not , they are mostly high paying like 2k or so . but if you are not desperate for job , please find soemtihng else , not much to learn , well not as much as you doing let say ... database admin or programmer

I'm quite desperate for job now and those MNC call centres are actually paying quite well. The only thing I'm worried is the future prospects. I'm a graduate in finance. So can't find IT jobs.

well.. call centres job is just acting as a stepping stone to your career, that's provided that you got average grades in your SPM.

for me, I've been working in a call centre as a contract staff. Once being converted to a permanent staff, i was being transferred to another department handling different type of tasks.

So basically depends on how you plan on your career. Some of the peoples i saw in call centre is working on the same position for over 10 yrs.

yup, agree.. with ya'll
but we have objective to meet as well as to deliver
if u wanted to learn the soft skills instead of technical skills this is the place for you

stepping stone... i couldnt disagree with this
by gaining experiences here u are polishing ur skills as well
enuff said for 1-2 years working experience, u are now a sweettalker with the charm u have u may attract attention from employer-to-be
just dont depends on script... it's bullsh**

btw kelvin88, glad to see you here

personally.. i feel.. as customer support executive u would probably learn during the 1st few days. after that, your job becomes a routine. i don't see much of a future there.

but its still individual preference. think about it. big pay now, no future later or moderate pay now, bigger future ahead. Cheers

glad to see you here too..

Well, contact centre is a good way to start off your career, for those who seeks for experience or had an average qualifications. This job pays well, anyone disagree with me?

If you met your KPI, working on shifts allowances, your salary could easily breached the RM2k mark. It's better than standing outside being a promoter.

Just my 2 cents.

i feel the same here, helpdesk / support is not that bad for starters with decent pays;

not really my target being a direct sales person....

Try apply job for HSBC in cyberjaya.

you can learn up something from there.

future prospect is, you might land yourself for overseas training in UK.

quit far to go cyberjaya for those who doesnt own a vehicle....
unless rent a room in cyberjaya places, which costly

what is the job requirement for HSBC?

call centres is not that bad for a fresh grad, i started there after i grad and later with some experiece & luck jump into a job. Just take the money & experience from the call centre, it will do good later. Cheers!

they will provide transportation service from KL sentral to cyberjaya to and flow.

Job requirement? knowledge in at least Basic IT.

well, depends on performance i'd say..

here's yr career path as a customer service.

Customer Service Officer -> Senior Customer Service Executive -> Supervisor -> Team Leader -> Assistant Project Executive -> Senior Project Executive -> Assistant Project Manager -> Project Manager / Customer Service Manager / Call Center Manager

lol

Team leader of what? a group of system analysts and programmers? You cant mixed your knowledge in customer service into R&D. This is your route:

LOL

there IS a team leader in a call centre. thank you.

As someone in the same industry for the past 6 years, I can say the prospect is very good, provided you get yourself into the correct organisation. Try not to work too long for an outsourced call centre. Subsidiaries such as HSBC EDP is fine.

Besides becoming a team leader (which I think is the most tedious job in a call centre), u can also move into positions such as Call Centre Specialist (my favourite!) where you'll do a lot of call/process monitoring. Position such as Senior Customer Service Exec/officer doesnt makes much difference except for some minor salary increase, and you'll be expected to be more knowledgeable and be able to handle difficult customer.

Some might say it's routine, but human being are always different. Learn to handle them well, and you'll become a better communicator. Some of my ex colleague now work in the marketing or business development field, and they agreed that call centre taught them a lot.

If you like the call centre environment, stay on, be knowledgeable and efficient, handle your customer well and who knows, with proper qualification you can end up as the operations/call centre manager.

hey, black pc, thank you very much on ur sharing, as i need it much nw in planning my career. sometimes felt disappointed... when telling others i would like to occupy my career in a call centre but da responses were not very good do..
i m a fresh grad seeking for first job, would like to complete myself in everyway.

I agreed with Callista and blackpc...

I am in call center about 2-3 years and find it is quite a challenge job.. Previously work as an Accounts Exe to monitor the KPI / progress of the project / analysis the project performance / preparing the pre and post moterm of the project... it is a quite intersting job... however, I have quit the job coz the outsource company is not stable.. now i m still in customer service line... is looking forward to join back call center..

for those who already in call center.. stay on.. the opportunity is there for you...

as blackpc and callista mentioned...the progression in call centres is there...but u have to apply yourself...u cannot expect to grow by just staying in the job for 2 years...u have to work hard and show that u are an asset...

coming from a call center...the problem i notice is ppl fall into the routine and become lazy...they just end up taking calls, surfing and looking for another job...u should apply yourself and look for advancement...there are so many call centers in msia right now and the market is soo hot that career progression is wide...plus there are so many sectors of it from banking to consumer products to IT...if u get bored with one u can move on to another...plus over time ull definately grow...

also when u get in...have a proper state of mind...many ppl who seem to apply for these roles are just looking for a stepping stone...so from the very beginning they want to change job...this will only ruin your thought process and no matter how good u have it ull think the job sux...so be prepared mentally for it as well...it can be a very engaging and interesting job...

good luck chewy cooper...

This post has been edited by sbd18: Sep 15 2006, 01:23 PM

ya thanks sbd18. r u in this line too? i think so coz u sound like u do lo~