Thousands Engaged In Call Centres

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday July 28, 2001

By ADRIAN SCARDILLI

Telemarketing is booming in the Illawarra.

According to ParkTrent call centre manager Rene Cross there are about 4000 people working in call centres in the region.

``The industry in the Illawarra is really taking off," she said. ``It's something that has been growing steadily over the years."

Call centres vary a lot in structure and purpose. They fall into two categories - outbound and inbound.

Outbound centres sell or advertise something. Inbound centres offer information/helpline type of services, such as phone or Internet banking.

ParkTrent is an outbound company, which specialises in investment properties.

To get an idea of how busy the industry is, consider this: each of the 180 ParkTrent call centre workers makes about 250 phone calls per five-hour shift, totalling over 30,000 calls per day.

Vanessa Comelli, 21, of Wollongong, has been working with ParkTrent for the past two-and-a-half years.

She completed a degree in early childhood due to the flexibility given by call centres.

``It's an excellent environment," Ms Comelli said.

``It's not your normal sit-down boring job. Everybody here has a fair bit of energy.

``There's a lot of choice in the job. I went to university and it fitted in with work easily because I worked 5pm to 10.30pm.

Workers at ParkTrent sit in a big room, which holds 80 workers at a time. The desks are split into groups of colours, identifying different teams.

In the past call centres have received criticism from unions over workplace issues, but things are changing.

``The call centre image gets badgered a bit but if you are in a call centre it is a fantastic career opportunity," Ms Cross said.

``With young people it gives them an excellent opportunity to develop.

``They start at entry level and don't need great skills. All they need is decent communication skills and the desire to excel."

Tele-workers are extensively trained to introduce their product without sounding like they are trying to sell something.

ParkTrent staff are internally trained on issues such as voice training and behaviour during their traineeships. And many are sent to TAFE to do computer courses.

Ms Comelli said tele-operators tried to build a rapport with the person on the other end.

``You introduce yourself then ask how their day was and then ask if they would like to come along to a conference about investment properties.

`` Sometimes you get people who say `Oh you are interrupting my dinner' or you simply catch them at a bad time.

``So our job is then to turn it around, which can be a bit of a challenge."

A ParkTrent call lasts an average of 48 seconds, but other companies such as insurance or banking outbound calls can be as long as 15 minutes.

Ms Cross said workers were encouraged to succeed by being offered a number of incentives.

``There are many awards and recognition programs," Ms Cross said.

``Our staff age ranges from 16 to 78 so it's important we try and cater for all of them."

Ms Comelli said a call centre employee had to balance hard work and enjoyment to succeed.

``To work in a call centre you need to have heaps of energy, be light hearted and keep people focused."

The base salary for ParkTrent call centre workers is $27,000 without incentives.

There are six levels to be promoted to, each with an increase in pay and responsibility.

Call centre workers in the Illawarra area are the second highest paid in Australia, according to a National Salary Survey conducted by Adecco recruiting.

The study of 3,500 workers revelas teleworkers in the Illawarra are paid between $30,000 and $40,000 second only to Sydneysiders, who earn $35,000 to $43,000.

Adecco's Wollongong branch manager Graeme Hodder said, "The survey benchmarks competitor demand for staff, recruitment strategies, renumeration levels and identifies regions that offer opportunity for call centre development."