Pay and conditions in call centres 2005

CALL CENTRES

The pay for customer service advisers typically ranges from £13,300 to £16,000 a year and the top-paying sectors are financial services, telecoms and utilities, according to a survey by Incomes Data Services.

Key results

Among the main findings to emerge from the IDS research are these:

Bonuses: Around three-quarters of the survey respondents paid a bonus or commission or operated a profit-sharing scheme. The only sector where bonus schemes were not widely used was the public sector.
Unsocial hours payments: Of those organisations that operate their call centres during evenings and/or weekends, almost half (47%) said they paid an additional premium on top of basic pay.
Starting pay: The average starting salary for a team leader was £17,900, while for a team manager the figure is £26,100.

What you will find in the report by Incomes Data Services

The ninth in an annual series begun in 1997 offers a detailed analysis of salaries paid to call centre operators and team leaders. The 140-page report includes information on:

Introduction and overview of trends

profile of the 2005 survey respondents
trends in employment levels
trade union representation.

Recruitment and retention

survey findings on recruitment and retention problems
staff turnover rates across the economy
unemployment rates in key call centre locations
addressing recruitment and retention issues
absence levels in call centres
initiatives aimed at tackling absence.

Case studies

Carphone Warehouse
Vertex
Which?

Analysis of basic pay

summary findings on basic salaries for all jobs
customer service adviser salaries
pay progression for customer advisers
team leader salaries
team manager salaries
pay reviews for call centre staff 2004/05.

Analysis of other terms and conditions

bonuses, commission and profit-sharing
shift and unsocial hours premiums
hours and holidays
other benefits.

Directory of pay and conditions

Listing of named organisations features pay structures, bonuses, hours, holidays, benefits, operating hours and employee numbers.

Want to know more?

Title: Pay and Conditions in Call Centres 2005, Incomes Data Services.

Methodology: The report is based on a survey of call centre managers conducted in summer 205.

Sample size: Data was obtained from 102 organisations running 220 call centres employing a total of 97,000 staff.

Business sectors: The main sectors represented are financial services, public services, retailing and telecoms and utilities.

Availability: To order your copy contact customer services at Incomes Data Services in London, tel: 020 7324 2599.

IDS is a leading UK information and research service on employment issues, providing a range of publications for employers, unions, government departments and other agencies. To find out more visit www.incomesdata.co.uk

Posted 10 October 2005