How may I help you?

LONDON has hundreds of call centres, from six desk small businesses to massive financial services companies.

Two in every 100 people will be call-centre workers by 2002, with this fast-growing industry already providing 400,000 full-time jobs.

There's even a call centre - Alodis Assistant - offering PA services, with 25 skilled secretaries working from a call centre in Milton Keynes.

Alodis PAs earn between 6 and 10 an hour, work shifts and offer weekend and Bank Holiday cover, all from the centre.

Call-centre work is becoming increasingly professional. Many centres offer NVQs in call handling, plus voice clinics and daily coaching, as recommended by the TUC. But there's still an art to surviving.

"You either love it or hate it. Some people find callcentre work addictive; others only last a day," says Mark Pearson, a call- centre handler in central London.

"You need to enjoy using your voice and talking to strangers. So having a sense of humour is crucial."

It's true that call centres have had a bad name and still have high staff turnover.

But many are now trying to shed that sweatshop image.

Increased career prospects - as coaches, managers, data miners and team leaders - are reflected in salaries, and a team leader in a large call centre could earn around 24,000 a year while operators with detailed technical know-how can earn around 21,300; call handlers make from 6 to 12 an hour.

"Call centres are now having to compete for skilled, experienced workers," says Anthony McNulty, consultant to the Hay group.

The position of coach appeals to people with good voices and a gift for helping others improve voice skills.

"The main quality we look for is excellent rapport with people," says Rachel Mason of Network Research, with call centres in London and Brighton. "Coaches have to be good at hiding their moods."

Shelly Keen, 27, is a coach with Network. She's one of a team of four who offer indepth coaching to every interviewer each day.

"People do get tired because scripted interviews can be repetitive," she says.

"Voice energy is important - deliberately keeping your voice vibrant avoids you suffering the dreary feeling generated by flat interviews."

She likes to keep centre morale up with "telephone spells" pinched from Harry Potter.

How do you stay cheerful if you're a call handler?

Laughter is a huge asset, believes London psychologist Jayne Comins, who also acts as consultant to some call centres.

"If you are constantly dealing with the same script, it's essential to be able to change gear and laugh regularly," she says. "It releases tension and puts back vibrancy and cheerfulness into your voice."

Some call centres require everyone to trial as a coach, as part of their training.

Reliable timekeeping, a courteous manner, accurate keyboarding and firm control of calls - as well as the ability to behave on the phone as an "ambassador" for the company - are vital qualities.

Tony Powell, manager of the London Call Centre Academy of Excellence, says that some centres still rely on their staff simply having all the technical information at their fingertips when they take calls.

"But it's the soft skills - the way you respond to callers and treat them - that really count," he says.

Throw your voice

Never sound overconfident or too posh it puts people off Don't make a new call immediately after you've had a stressful encounter wind down

Keep voice moist all the time, with chewing gum or water Don't keep coughing - swallow instead

Take care with posture - try not to slump

If someone is very rude to you, think of it as their problem, not yours Make your voice " hilly", so it goes up and down in pitch Step back into your normal voice when you leave work

Call centre survival toolbox

Pack lots of interesting snacks and drinks for work Don't waste breaks queuing in shops

Drink as much water as you can

Pass on call-handling tips to newcomers

Try different approaches to call handling calm, bouncy, "over-the- top", or neutral and professional

Want to be a coach? Arrive early, help team leaders set up, revive flagging colleagues and make sure managers notice

Call centre help organisations

Call Centre Academy of Excellence (020 8968 5337). Free government- funded 12-week call-centre training course for Brent and Harrow residents: plus training packages for companies.

E-skills National Training Organisation (020 7963 8920) has recently taken on responsibility for call centres; log on

to:www.e-skillsnto.org.uk/callcentres). Learndirect (0800 1009000) can supply details of courses.

Copyright 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.