TEAM PLAYER: Call centre operative Venetia Pritty with some of her team members at Norwich Union Direct.

Call centre operative

Answers supplied by Kevin Carson,
tele executive at Norwich Union Direct,
the Direct arm of Norwich Union
Insurance, which is a division of Aviva,
the world's seventh largest insurer with
worldwide premium income and
investment sales of £28 billion.

What does the job entail?
Working in a call centre in the insurance industry involves a combination of servicing existing policy holders and selling new business to members of the public. An important part of the role is to provide good customer service which leads to retaining customers and boosts profits. You need to offer customers the best protection, a wide choice of cover options and also value for money.

What skills and qualifications are needed?
For all call centre work you need to have excellent communication skills and effective listening skills to ensure you provide accurate responses to the customer's needs. You need a team-orientated attitude and the initiative and drive to give every call the same level of enthusiasm.

What type of person will fit in?
Someone who is a team player and can take a personal approach, as service is tremendously important when dealing with customers. You need to care about people and their needs, be intuitive and adapt to people's changing circumstances and be able to help people decide what is best for them.

What are the pluses and minuses of the job?
Salaries are good, as there is usually the potential to earn bonuses on top of the basic salary. Call centres are often open during the evenings and weekends, which means employees are required to work a variety of shifts. This can provide flexible working patterns for people looking to work outside nine to five hours, but also means you might have to work some anti-social hours.

What opportunities exist for career progression?
There are good opportunities to advance your career and with appropriate training you can become a coach or team manager within the call centre.

What can I expect to earn?
Basic salaries start at about £9,250, which could increase to about £11,000 with bonuses. With further experience, basic salaries are about £12,700, increasing to £15,875 when bonus payments are included.

Any hints on getting a job in this area?
Check in local newspapers and with recruitment agencies for details of vacancies