The study polled more than 4,000 organizations with call centers in 20 different industries. Budgets are growing in part because companies want their call centers to do more than they have traditionally. It could be a vice-president for customer service, head of marketing or sales, director of business development, or even a chief customer officer. Whatever the title, the best candidates for the job often are people who started their careers in call centers, recruiters say. That hands-on experience can help them deal with the job's common management challenges, such as controlling turnover and implementing technological changes.
Top candidates can command big bucks.
Several factors can sweeten the pay, including the number of call centers, the number of employees, and the complexity of the product or service being sold. The executive's skill in building strong ties to consumers helped land him the position, Haberman says. Those customers were allowed to suspend their monthly payments until they got back on their feet. Thank-you letters poured in from relieved people. There are people willing to pay for their experience.