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Job description: Telesales
As a telesales operator, you'll be working in a business or call centre, contacting potential customers by telephone. Your job is to try and persuade them to buy your company's goods and services, or at least accept a trial. You may also carry out market research.
Your working day is spent on the phone making outgoing calls based on a script. During each phone call, you're likely to:
- Describe the product benefits and any special offers.
- Give advice about how these may benefit customers personally.
- Persuade customers to accept a trial period or a visit from a sales representative.
- Gather and document information about the customer.
- Enter your notes into a computer, including dates for follow up calls.
- Take orders and arrange for delivery and bills to be sent.
The work is fast paced and intense, and you have only a short amount of time to build rapport with customers and explain the features and benefits of the product.
Hours and Environment
Full-time, you'll usually work 37 hours a week, but as businesses remain open at weekends and in the evenings, shift work is common. Part-time opportunities are widely available.
You'll usually work in an open plan office, with a sectioned workstation containing a computer and telephone headset.
Skills and Interests
To be a telesales operator you'll need:
- Excellent communication and listening skills
- A polite, confident and friendly manner
- Initiative
- Confidence using computers
- To enjoy working with customers and building relationships.
- A positive attitude.
- Flexibility and quick thinking.
- Perseverance and the ability to respect customers' answers.
- Good knowledge about all the company's products and services.
- To be well-organised and thorough, even under pressure.
- To enjoy working within a target-driven team environment.
- To understand and comply with the legislation relating to direct marketing.
Entry
There are no set entry requirements. Sales technique and personality are more important than academic ability. However, some employers may ask for some GCSE/S grades (A-C/1-3), or equivalent.
You may have to undertake practical telephone and keyboard tests as part of the recruitment process. Any customer service experience is also an advantage. Apprenticeships may be offered by some of the larger contact centres.
Apprenticeships which may be available in England are Young Apprenticeships, Pre-Apprenticeships, Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships. To find out which one is most appropriate log onto www.apprenticeships.org.uk or contact your local Connexions Partnership. There are different arrangements for Apprenticeships in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - visit www.careers-scotland.org.uk, www.careerswales.com or www.delni.gov.uk.
If you are older, you may often be welcomed. Organisations look for staff with maturity and experience that can develop an affinity with customers over the telephone.
Training
Training is usually provided in-house. It may include an induction period, with role playing exercises in a simulated environment, before making calls to actual customers.
You'll then usually spend a short period of time gaining experience without the pressure of achieving targets. However, when experienced you'll be expected to progress quickly. You may also be offered an apprenticeship in larger contact centres.
Once in the job, you can take a range of relevant qualifications such as:
- NVQs/SVQs in Telesales at Levels 2 and 3
- NVQs/SVQs in Call Handling at Levels 1 and 2
- NVQs/SVQs in Contact Centre Operations at Levels 1 and 2
- NVQs/SVQs for Contact Centre Professionals at Levels 3 and 4.
The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) offers two levels of qualifications:
- ISMM Level 2 Certificate in Sales and Marketing, which includes a written and practical test, or the Level 2 Award in Basic Sales Skills.
- ISMM Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Sales and Marketing, or the Level 3 Award in Advanced Sales Skills.
If you're working in financial services you may also need a qualification that meets the standards set by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
Further qualifications you can study for include:
- The Institute of Customer Service (ICS) awards for customer service practitioners, leading to qualified membership of the ICS.
- The Chartered Institute of Marketing courses on telephone selling techniques and telephone selling skills.
- The Institute of Direct Marketing Certificate in Contact Centre Practice.
Opportunities
There are approximately 57,000 telesales operators employed in the UK, with finance, retail companies and distribution centres the largest employers. Jobs are UK wide, with concentrated pockets of employment around cities and industrial parks, particularly in the South East.
If you're successful, you can achieve rapid promotion and salary increases. There are also often opportunities in larger organisations to move into team leader or sales management roles.
As the persuasion skills involved in telephone selling are vital to a wide range of business functions, it may be possible to move into a related job. These include face to face selling and customer service, complaints handling, buying, marketing and training.
Annual Income
These figures are only a guide. Rates of pay may vary, depending on the employer and where people live.
- As a new entrant to telesales, expect a basic starting salary of around £10,550 to £12,000 a year.
- The average salary is £12,945, but can reach £16,300 in some regions.
- Successful telesales operators may earn between £18,000 and £23,000.
The commission on target earnings can increase basic salaries considerably.
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