Working in Call Centers: The Role and Realities of Agents

When you think of a call center, you might imagine agents glued to their headsets, talking non-stop. While the constant chatter is part of the job, call centers have evolved beyond just phone calls. Modern communication channels and tech are transforming the way agents work.  

But make no mistake — call centers can be intense. That's why so much of the innovation in this space is focused on making life easier for both agents and customers.  

Whether you're curious about how call centers really operate or what an agent's daily grind looks like, you're in the right place. In this blog, we'll bust some common myths about working in a call center, dive into the realities of an agent's role and explore how businesses manage the unique challenges that come with running call centers of all sizes, across any industry.

What is a call center?  

A call center manages both incoming customer queries and outgoing communications. But it’s not just about phone calls anymore — modern call centers use tech like voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), automatic call distribution (ACD), interactive voice response (IVR) and power dialers to streamline operations.   

Call centers handle everything from customer service and technical support to lead generation and sales. While phone calls remain a key channel, today’s call centers often juggle multiple modes of communication.  

So, what exactly do call center agents do? Let’s break it down:  

☎️ Handle customer calls  

Agents are the front line for answering customer calls. Whether it’s a billing issue, payment query or product question, agents need to know your brand inside and out to deliver high-quality service. The better they are at resolving problems on the first call, the less time is spent on follow-ups. 

❗Address customer grievances  

Agents must be skilled at handling complaints with empathy, patience and problem-solving chops. With the right knowledge base and training, they can resolve issues quickly or escalate them when necessary.  

Interesting Read: What is Customer Empathy: Learn from Industry Experts

📊 Conduct market research  

Agents often double as researchers, collecting raw customer data to help your business understand market trends. This data can fuel decisions on new product launches or business expansion. Read our blog on market research to take a deeper look into this. 

💸 Boost sales and revenue  

Outbound calls are all about sales. Agents need to understand customer pain points and needs so they can upsell and cross-sell effectively. The result? More revenue and happier customers.   

As tiring and repetitive as the job can sound, high attrition is a major challenge in call centers. In fact, disengaged agents are 84% more likely to leave. That’s why modern call centers must be smarter — leveraging technology to keep agents engaged, empowered and ready to deliver great customer experiences.  

Advantages and disadvantages of working in a call center 

Call centers offer unique benefits and experiences directly affecting agents' personal and professional trajectories. Let's delve into the advantages of working in a call center alongside the disadvantages: 

Related Read: A Day in the Life of a Gen Z Support Agent in 2024 | Sprinklr  

5 Myths and realities of working in a call center  

What’s the most common myth you’ve heard about call centers? Let’s debunk some of the outdated notions about what it’s really like to work in one: 

❌ Myth 1: Call centers are just about sales.

✅ Reality: Modern call centers are far more than sales machines. They offer personalized customer service, troubleshoot complex problems, conduct market research and work to ensure customer satisfaction by collecting valuable feedback. Sales might be part of the mix, but it’s just one piece of the larger customer experience puzzle. 

❌ Myth 2: Targets are unrealistic and unachievable.

✅ Reality: Targets are set with care and consideration. Plus, agents are never left to fend for themselves — there’s always support from the quality management team and supervisors. Training and skill development are central to boosting productivity and tools like automated call routing can lighten the load by streamlining workflows and helping agents meet their targets efficiently.  

❌ Myth 3: There are fewer opportunities for career progression.

✅ Reality: Call centers offer a solid springboard for career development. Agents acquire a wide range of skills — communication, problem-solving and tech knowledge — that are transferable across industries. Their in-depth understanding of products and services makes internal transitions smoother, while additional training and support can fast-track their path to managerial positions. 

❌ Myth 4: Working in a call center requires no specialized skill sets.

✅ Reality: Call center agents need a mix of both technical and soft skills. This includes top-notch communication, active listening, problem-solving and technical expertise. Domain knowledge is critical too — especially in specialized industries like AI or tech. For example, agents working in AI solutions must thoroughly understand the company’s offerings, from product features and technical specs to upcoming innovations. 

❌ Myth 5: Working in a call center is a 9-to-5 desk job.

✅ Reality: Call centers offer far more flexibility than that. Many have adopted remote work setups, allowing agents to work from anywhere and enjoy flexible hours. Since call centers often serve customers in multiple time zones, agents can work various shifts that suit their schedules, enhancing job satisfaction and work-life balance.  

How agents work in call centers (+Tips) 

While our blog, How to Start a Virtual Call Center in 7 Easy Steps (+ Go-live Checklist), can help you get started, here are a few expert tips to streamline your call center operations and elevate performance.  

1. Rely on automation tools to reduce monotony 

Let’s say an agent needs to log key details during a customer call — such as the reason for the call, actions taken and next steps. Manually entering this information can slow things down, especially when agents are handling back-to-back interactions. Enter call center automation: by pre-filling case dispositions, automation tools can capture important details in real-time, freeing agents to focus on what matters most — resolving the customer’s issue.  

Now, picture an agent dealing with a complex technical query. Not only do they need to troubleshoot quickly, but they must also maintain empathy and keep the conversation flowing smoothly. This is where the agent assist technology steps in. By analyzing the conversation in real-time, it suggests relevant past cases and provides step-by-step guidance to help the agent reach a resolution faster. This means less guesswork, quicker solutions and happier customers — all while keeping the interaction personalized and engaging. 

2. Prefer a unified view 

In today’s omnichannel world, customers expect seamless experiences across multiple platforms— whether they’re reaching out via phone, email, live chat or social media. That’s why unifying data from all these communication channels into a single view is essential for speeding up the resolution process and ensuring smoother customer interactions.  

With a 360-degree view of case histories and past interactions, agents can personalize conversations and solve issues without switching between multiple screens. This means agents are better equipped to resolve queries on the first contact, boosting customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Learn more: How to Improve Your Call Center Efficiency 

Good to know  

With Sprinklr’s omnichannel agent desktop software, your agents can manage multiple interactions simultaneously, thanks to instant access to full conversation histories and customer details — regardless of the channel. You can even help customers on new channels almost instantly without the hassle of rebuilding workflows every time you add a new communication channel.

3. Agents can monitor their performance in real-time 

Agents often face various challenges that impact their ability to deliver great service. Handling high call volumes, managing complex customer queries or simply trying to stay on top of fluctuating workloads are just a few examples. Without the right support, these pressures can affect key agent performance metrics like average handling time (AHT) and first-call resolution (FCR), decreasing efficiency and customer satisfaction.  

Modern call center technologies play a critical role here. Tools like real-time performance dashboards can provide agents and managers with immediate feedback, highlighting areas that need improvement. Automated monitoring systems can track AHT, FCR and other call center KPIs, alerting managers when agents struggle with specific tasks. This helps identify training needs, allowing for quicker intervention before performance dips become larger issues.  

4. Modern call center agents extensively use AI 

Agents face a variety of challenges, from handling high call volumes to managing complex queries. However, one of the most crucial tasks is maintaining a positive tone even during stressful situations. This is where AI can make a significant difference, helping agents to manage their emotional responses and provide better customer service.  

AI-powered features like speech analytics, sentiment analysis and real-time agent assist can help alleviate these burdens. For instance, agents can struggle to understand a customer's emotional tone, especially when dealing with difficult calls. AI-driven sentiment analysis can flag calls where customers sound frustrated, allowing agents to adjust their approach in real time and managers to intervene before an issue escalates.

Additionally, AI can monitor call quality by scanning interactions for compliance with scripts or procedures flagging any deviations for review. It can also track performance trends, helping managers identify which agents need additional training or support. 

5. Agents try to personalize as much as they can

Delivering personalized conversations in traditional call centers isn't easy. Imagine an agent juggling different systems to piece together a customer's history while maintaining a seamless and empathetic conversation. This fragmentation leads to delays, frustration and missed opportunities to connect with customers on a deeper level.  

Agents also face difficulty managing high call volumes, making it nearly impossible to remember every customer's preferences, purchase history or previous interactions. Without the right tools, conversations can feel generic and scripted, leaving customers feeling like just another number in the queue.  

However, things have changed today. Modern solutions like CRM integration with customer service, AI-driven insights and unified agent desktops allow agents to access a customer's full history — from past purchases to previous support tickets — all in one place. With these tools, agents can greet customers by name, acknowledge their specific concerns and even anticipate their needs based on prior interactions. This reduces the cognitive load on agents, allowing them to focus on building a genuine connection with the customer rather than getting bogged down in searching for data. 

6. Attend training sessions regularly 

One of the biggest reasons for regular call center agent training is skill enhancement. Whether it's mastering new software, learning to navigate complex customer queries or improving communication techniques, continuous learning ensures that agents can adapt quickly and effectively.   

Call center coaching also plays a vital role in helping agents improve their performance metrics, such as average handle time (AHT) or first-call resolution (FCR), by providing them with actionable feedback and strategies tailored to their specific needs.

But training shouldn't be one-size-fits-all. Different types of programs serve different purposes in shaping agents' careers and their learning curve:  

• Product knowledge training: Agents must stay informed about the new products or services. A well-trained agent with deep product knowledge can handle queries more confidently and identify upselling opportunities.  
   
• Soft skills training: Empathy, communication and problem-solving are key to providing a positive customer experience. Regular workshops on these interpersonal skills help agents navigate tricky customer interactions and enhance their overall service quality. 
    
• Technology training: As AI, automation tools and CRM systems become integral to call center operations, agents must stay ahead of the curve. Training on effectively using these technologies helps them manage higher call volumes and more complex tasks while delivering personalized customer service.  
   
• Leadership and career development programs: Training is not just about immediate job skills; it also lays the groundwork for career progression. Agents who receive consistent coaching and professional development opportunities are more likely to feel engaged and see a clear path for growth within the company. This, in turn, reduces agent turnover and boosts morale. 

Is working in a contact center better than a call center?

Call centers primarily focus on handling voice interactions. The scope of work is often more limited, with the emphasis on fast, efficient responses via phone. While this makes call centers highly specialized, it can also be repetitive for agents who must handle similar types of calls throughout the day.   

In contrast, contact centers offer a more dynamic and multifaceted work environment. They handle interactions across multiple contact center channels — phone, email, chat, social media, and even SMS. This omnichannel approach gives agents more variety in their daily tasks and allows them to become adept at managing different types of customer interactions.   

Whether working in a contact center is "better" than a call center depends on your career goals and what you're looking for in a work environment. Some advantages of contact centers include:  

• Skill diversification: Agents develop expertise in multiple communication platforms, enhancing both their technical and soft skills.  
• Career growth: Because contact centers utilize more advanced technologies, agents have greater exposure to AI, automation and data analytics, which can open doors to higher-level roles.  
• Flexibility: Multiple channels bring flexibility. Agents can often handle various customer inquiries simultaneously, improving their productivity while offering more varied work experience.  

On the other hand, for agents who prefer focus and mastery in a single area — voice interactions — a call center may provide a more structured and predictable work environment.

Empower agents with Sprinklr Service

Today, call center work is more dynamic and demanding than ever. Agents aren’t just fielding calls — they’re managing customer experiences. As we explored, modern call centers come with unique challenges, including high call volumes, the need for personalized conversations, and the pressure to hit performance targets. Yet, with these challenges come vast opportunities for personal and professional growth. From honing communication skills to mastering innovative technology, call center agents can build a rewarding, versatile career. 

Fortunately, tools like Sprinklr Service make it easier for agents to thrive. By streamlining workflows, unifying customer data and leveraging AI-driven insights, Sprinklr empowers agents to deliver seamless, personalized service — even during high-pressure situations. 

Book a demo of Sprinklr Service today and discover how it can transform your call center experience.