Call centre agent to after-sales service technician
A call centre agent already meets 26% of what the after-sales service technician role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
71.1/ 100
1 How much of what an after-sales service technician is expected to do is already part of a call centre agent’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the after-sales service technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An after-sales service technician role treats 5 of its required skills as things a call centre agent already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- characteristics of products
- characteristics of services
- create solutions to problems
- guarantee customer satisfaction
- provide customer follow-up services
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An after-sales service technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a call centre agent background worth leading with.
- already held characteristics of services business, administration and law
- already held characteristics of products engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held provide customer follow-up services assisting and caring
- already held guarantee customer satisfaction assisting and caring
- already held listen actively communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create solutions to problems communication, collaboration and creativity
All 6 carried skills, including the 5 the after-sales service technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn advise on merchandise features required
- still to learn contact customers required
- still to learn execute after sales activities required
- still to learn implement customer follow-up required
- still to learn implement sales strategies required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- still to learn customer service required
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn customer relationship management required
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with legal requirements required
- optional, not held provide information optional
- still to learn maintenance operations required
- optional, not held electronic and telecommunication equipment optional
- optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
- optional, not held keep records of customer interaction optional
- optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an after-sales service technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise on merchandise features practise this
- 02 contact customers practise this
- 03 customer service study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 6 skills that carry over
- already held characteristics of products knowledge
- already held characteristics of services knowledge
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held guarantee customer satisfaction skill
- already held provide customer follow-up services skill
- already held listen actively skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held consumer protection optional
- optional, not held solve technical problems optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held electronic and telecommunication equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held consumer protection optional
- optional, not held keep records of customer interaction optional
- optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
- optional, not held provide information optional
- optional, not held solve technical problems optional
26 held skills the after-sales service technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
- not needed by the target role answer incoming calls skill
- not needed by the target role apply operations for an ITIL-based environment skill
- not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
- not needed by the target role communication principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role credit card payments knowledge
- not needed by the target role e-commerce systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role e-procurement knowledge
- not needed by the target role educate on data confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role handle helpdesk problems skill
- not needed by the target role handle tasks independently skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role knowledge base knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform data analysis skill
- not needed by the target role perform escalation procedure skill
- not needed by the target role perform multiple tasks at the same time skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role prioritise requests skill
- not needed by the target role process data skill
- not needed by the target role provide ICT support skill
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
- not needed by the target role teamwork principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role think proactively skill
- not needed by the target role tolerate stress skill
- not needed by the target role use customer relationship management software skill
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn customer service required
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn customer relationship management required
- still to learn maintenance operations required
- optional, not held electronic and telecommunication equipment optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- optional, not held consumer protection optional
Other moves recorded from call centre agent
- live chat operator 59% covered · moderate
- ICT help desk agent 46% covered · substantial
- customer service representative 36% covered · substantial
- car leasing agent 35% covered · substantial
- sales processor 32% covered · substantial
- call centre supervisor 32% covered · substantial
- ICT help desk manager 30% covered · substantial
- customer contact centre information clerk 28% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a call centre agent become an after-sales service technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A call centre agent already covers 26% of what an after-sales service technician is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 5 of which the after-sales service technician role treats as required.
What skills does a call centre agent need to become an after-sales service technician?
11 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is advise on merchandise features.
How hard is the move from call centre agent to after-sales service technician?
Its learning distance is 71.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.