Call centres are experiencing increasing recruitment difficulties, according
to a report.
The study, by consultants Watson Wyatt, also reveals that companies are
responding to the problem by increasing salaries and improving career
progression.
Five in 10 call centres report recruitment problems, compared with four in
10 a year ago. The study also finds that eight out of 10 companies have a
problem with staff turnover.
Watson Wyatt HR consultant Nicola Harding said the survey shows how
competitive the call centre labour market is in the UK.
Call centres report local competition for staff as the main cause of the
recruitment problems.
The tendency for contact centres to cluster in particular regions also
aggravates recruitment difficulties.
"Call centres are often concentrated in areas such as Leeds and
Liverpool, so this tends to make competition for staff even more extreme,"
said Harding.
Watson Wyatt’s latest contact centre survey finds that 64 per cent of call
centre firms are responding to these problems by raising wages.
Nearly half are offering increased career development opportunities, and 45
per cent are targeting different groups of potential recruits, such as
pensioners and students.
"Best practice employers are giving more opportunities to progress
within the organisation," said Harding.
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The median base starting salary for a junior call centre telephone
consultant is £11,350, and £16,312 for a team leader or supervisor.
