Call centre agent to ICT help desk agent
A call centre agent already meets 46% of what the ICT help desk agent role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.5/ 100
1 How much of what an ICT help desk agent 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 ICT help desk agent role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An ICT help desk agent role treats 9 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
- keep task records
- prioritise requests
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 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT help desk agent 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 provide ICT support working with computers
- already held perform escalation procedure communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held prioritise requests management skills
- already held educate on data confidentiality communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held handle helpdesk problems communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held answer incoming calls assisting and caring
All 15 carried skills, including the 9 the ICT help desk agent role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 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 use ICT hardware required
- still to learn solve ICT system problems required
- still to learn use ICT ticketing system required
- optional, not held implement a virtual private network optional
- optional, not held implement anti-virus software optional
- optional, not held use e-services optional
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn support ICT system users required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn ICT system user requirements required
- optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
- optional, not held information confidentiality optional
- still to learn assist customers required
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn keep up to date on product knowledge required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an ICT help desk agent role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ICT system user requirements study this
- 02 assist customers practise this
- 03 identify customer's needs practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 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 keep task records skill
- already held prioritise requests skill
- already held provide ICT support skill
- already held provide customer follow-up services skill
- already held use customer relationship management software skill
- already held answer incoming calls skill
- already held educate on data confidentiality skill
- already held handle helpdesk problems skill
- already held knowledge base knowledge
- already held perform data analysis skill
- already held perform escalation procedure skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn manage schedule of tasks required
- optional, not held ICT infrastructure optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
- optional, not held ICT infrastructure optional
- optional, not held implement a virtual private network optional
- optional, not held implement anti-virus software optional
- optional, not held information confidentiality optional
- optional, not held use e-services optional
17 held skills the ICT help desk agent role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations 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 handle tasks independently skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role listen actively 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 process data 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
5 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 ICT system user requirements required
- still to learn product comprehension required
- optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
- optional, not held ICT infrastructure optional
- optional, not held information confidentiality optional
Other moves recorded from call centre agent
- live chat operator 59% covered · moderate
- 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
- contact centre supervisor 27% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a call centre agent become an ICT help desk agent?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A call centre agent already covers 46% of what an ICT help desk agent is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 9 of which the ICT help desk agent role treats as required.
What skills does a call centre agent need to become an ICT help desk agent?
11 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with computers. The single most important is ICT system user requirements.
How hard is the move from call centre agent to ICT help desk agent?
Its learning distance is 57.5 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.