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What does a call center agent do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
What does a call center agent do

A call center agent is responsible for answering calls and assisting clients by responding to inquiries. They also handle complaints and resolve issues, troubleshoot errors, and process applications. The tasks of a call center agent will vary on the directives of supervisors. There are instances when they must make calls to gather or give information, sell products, and discuss a particular subject. Furthermore, most of the duties take place in a team setting, which is why it is essential to coordinate with colleagues and adhere to the company's policies and regulations at all times.

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Call center agent responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real call center agent resumes:

  • Submit bills for reimbursement to private insurers Medicaid and Medicare.
  • Provide excellent customer service by helping customer troubleshoot technical needs for Internet services.
  • Assist customers with any technical issues experience with website and escalate any issues to management appropriately.
  • Maintain personal computer and troubleshoot computer software problems.
  • Familiarize and provide information on general Medicare eligibility and information.
  • Verify information and input information concerning the conversation and escalate if need.
  • Assist inbound customers regarding eligibility requirements for Medicaid and relate health benefit programs.
  • Learned medical terminology while scheduling transportation for Medicaid clients to doctors' offices.
  • Demonstrate superb organizational and multitasking abilities
  • Assist with inbound calls about work orders, transferring customers to the correct department, upselling customers with products for better services
  • Increase revenue by upselling products & mediate customer concerns
  • Put allergies in patient profiles.
  • Ensure that each child have medical documentation on any allergies or physical conditions.
  • Maintain confidential health information according to state and federal regulations including HIPPA.
  • Request any additional information need to determine program eligibility, while following all HIPPA laws and regulations.

Call center agent skills and personality traits

We calculated that 20% of Call Center Agents are proficient in Customer Service, Strong Customer Service, and Data Entry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Customer-service skills.

We break down the percentage of Call Center Agents that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 20%

    Conducted various surveys over the phone assessing quality of customer service -Input data into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets in organized and timely manner

  • Strong Customer Service, 15%

    Developed customer loyalty with several restaurant brands through strong customer service.

  • Data Entry, 9%

    Conducted data entry for fund management database of supporters to include address and promissory information.

  • Telephone Calls, 7%

    Apply appropriate actions to effectively control telephone calls and use proper phone etiquette to satisfy various customer situations.

  • Inbound Phone Calls, 5%

    Handled customers through inbound phone calls with reservations that exceeded the required number of phone calls per day.

  • Customer Care, 5%

    Provided professional customer care for consumers experiencing technical difficulties with electronic devices.

Common skills that a call center agent uses to do their job include "customer service," "strong customer service," and "data entry." You can find details on the most important call center agent responsibilities below.

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a call center agent to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what call center agents do because "customer service representatives must be able to provide clear information in writing, by phone, or in person." Additionally, a call center agent resume shows how call center agents use communication skills: "paged physicians for emergencies, patients and pharmacy related issues, using paging or interoffice communication equipment. "

Customer-service skills. This is an important skill for call center agents to perform their duties. For an example of how call center agent responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "representatives help companies retain customers by professionally answering questions and helping to resolve complaints." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a call center agent: "addressed and resolved customer product complaints through empathy and professionalism. ".

Interpersonal skills. A big part of what call center agents do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to call center agent responsibilities because "representatives should be able to create positive interactions with customers." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical call center agent tasks: "showed courtesy and strong interpersonal skills with all customer interactions. "

Listening skills. Another common skill required for call center agent responsibilities is "listening skills." This skill comes up in the duties of call center agents all the time, as "representatives must listen carefully to ensure that they understand customers in order to assist them." An excerpt from a real call center agent resume shows how this skill is central to what a call center agent does: "performed data entry, problem solving, good listening skills, and customer service skills on a daily basis. "

Patience. While "patience" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to call center agent responsibilities. Much of what a call center agent does relies on this skill, seeing as "representatives should be patient and polite, especially when interacting with dissatisfied customers." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of call center agents: "contacted people for various charities about clothing donations performed wonderful customer service and patience operated a computer and headset activities/community service"

All call center agent skills

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Compare different call center agents

Call center agent vs. Customer service representative

Customer service representatives are the first point of contact of the customers, acting as the frontiers of the company and help in driving customer loyalty and retention by leaving a great impression and resolving all of their concerns. They accommodate customer queries by providing useful and comprehensive information about any products or services. Some would use that as an opportunity to market and promote more sales. The most challenging issues they use to handle are customer complaints and processing of refunds and returns. They also assist in basic troubleshooting or accounts and payment setup with the use of specific guidelines or step by step procedures. At most, they help and solve customer issues on their own, but sometimes they would need support from supervisors or other departments.

We looked at the average call center agent salary and compared it with the wages of a customer service representative. Generally speaking, customer service representatives are paid $1,080 higher than call center agents per year.Even though call center agents and customer service representatives are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require customer service, strong customer service, and data entry in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, call center agent responsibilities require skills like "schedule appointments," "troubleshoot," "service calls," and "customer product complaints." Meanwhile a typical customer service representative has skills in areas such as "cleanliness," "pos," "sales floor," and "home health." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Customer service representatives really shine in the insurance industry with an average salary of $34,074. Comparatively, call center agents tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $30,867.The education levels that customer service representatives earn slightly differ from call center agents. In particular, customer service representatives are 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a call center agent. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Call center agent vs. Representative

Representatives are lawmakers who represent the people in a specific district. They run for office to represent their districts in their hometown or their current place of living. Representatives are usually charismatic and good communicators. These characteristics are especially important during campaign and election periods. Representatives should be able to capture the hearts of the voters through their planned projects and advocacies. They are then elected by their constituents. Upon election, representatives author bills that will eventually be passed into law should it be approved by the majority of the congress. They also vote on the passage of bills authored by other representatives. They also participate in discussions and debates regarding different bills, issues, and laws. Representatives are expected to vote according to their conscience and in consideration of the voice of their constituents.

On average, representatives earn a $4,843 higher salary than call center agents a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Call center agents and representatives both require similar skills like "customer service," "data entry," and "telephone calls" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, call center agent responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "strong customer service," "inbound phone calls," "customer care," and "call handling." Meanwhile, a representative has duties that require skills in areas such as "cleanliness," "patients," "outbound calls," and "product knowledge." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, representatives earn a higher salary than call center agents. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, representatives earn the most pay in the transportation industry with an average salary of $36,557. Whereas call center agents have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $30,867.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Representatives tend to reach similar levels of education than call center agents. In fact, they're 3.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Call center agent vs. Phone representative

A Phone Representative answers customer calls, complaints, and inquiries professionally. They handle and resolve customer complaints related to its services/products and product/service sales. Besides processing applications, orders, and forms requested by customers, Phone Representatives also update customers about the products/services information. These professionals record customer complaints, inquiries, feedback, and actions taken. They develop and maintain mutually beneficial and professional relationships with each customer. Moreover, they create and maintain cordial relationships with all new customers.

On average scale, phone representatives bring in higher salaries than call center agents. In fact, they earn a $11,647 higher salary per year.call center agents and phone representatives both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "customer service," "telephone calls," and "inbound phone calls," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from call center agent resumes include skills like "strong customer service," "data entry," "customer care," and "schedule appointments," whereas a phone representative is more likely to list skills in "outbound calls," "financial transactions," "alumni," and "phone rep."

Phone representatives earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $49,071. Call center agents earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $30,867.When it comes to education, phone representatives tend to earn similar degree levels compared to call center agents. In fact, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Call center agent vs. Customer representative

A customer service representative is an individual person who establishes communication between customers and the organization by answering questions, resolve complaints, and address emergency issues about the products and services he/she sells. He/She must possess an approachable personality, a passion for customer service, and work with his/her fellow workmates. The minimum educational requirement for a customer service representative is a high school diploma; however, a candidate must complete on-the-job training. A Customer Service Representative should also possess excellent communication and problem-solving skills.

Customer representatives typically earn higher pay than call center agents. On average, customer representatives earn a $6,171 higher salary per year.While both call center agents and customer representatives complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, strong customer service, and data entry, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between call center agents and customer representatives, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a call center agent might have more use for skills like "inbound phone calls," "schedule appointments," "health insurance," and "customer product complaints." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of customer representatives require skills like "phone calls," "windows," "technical support," and "product knowledge. "

Customer representatives enjoy the best pay in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $35,783. For comparison, call center agents earn the highest salary in the finance industry.In general, customer representatives hold similar degree levels compared to call center agents. Customer representatives are 1.4% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of call center agent

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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