Call centre agent to sales processor
A call centre agent already meets 32% of what the sales processor role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.1/ 100
1 How much of what a sales processor 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 sales processor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A sales processor role treats 7 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
- have computer literacy
- perform multiple tasks at the same time
- present reports
- process data
What stands in the way is 13 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A sales processor 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 process data information skills
- already held e-commerce systems information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held perform multiple tasks at the same time management skills
- 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
All 10 carried skills, including the 7 the sales processor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 7 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 identify customer's needs required
- still to learn work independently in sales required
- still to learn ensure client orientation required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held negotiate sales contracts optional
- optional, not held show diplomacy optional
- still to learn issue sales invoices required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- still to learn process payments required
- still to learn use databases required
- still to learn use spreadsheets software required
- optional, not held manage digital documents optional
- optional, not held use e-services optional
- still to learn provide customers with order information required
- still to learn provide information required
- still to learn sales activities required
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held customer service optional
- optional, not held channel marketing optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held multimodal transport logistics optional
- optional, not held supply chain principles optional
- still to learn process order forms with customer's information required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a sales processor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 identify customer's needs practise this
- 02 issue sales invoices practise this
- 03 process order forms with customer's information 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held characteristics of products knowledge
- already held characteristics of services knowledge
- already held have computer literacy skill
- already held perform multiple tasks at the same time skill
- already held present reports skill
- already held process data skill
- already held provide customer follow-up services skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held e-commerce systems knowledge
- already held speak different languages skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held electronic communication optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held customer service optional
- optional, not held negotiate sales contracts optional
- optional, not held channel marketing optional
- optional, not held electronic communication optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held manage digital documents optional
- optional, not held multimodal transport logistics optional
- optional, not held show diplomacy optional
- optional, not held supply chain principles optional
- optional, not held use e-services optional
22 held skills the sales processor 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-procurement knowledge
- not needed by the target role educate on data confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role guarantee customer satisfaction 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 keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role knowledge base knowledge
- not needed by the target role listen actively skill
- 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 prioritise requests skill
- not needed by the target role provide ICT support 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 sales activities required
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held customer service optional
- optional, not held channel marketing optional
- optional, not held electronic communication optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held multimodal transport logistics optional
- optional, not held supply chain principles 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
- 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 a sales processor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A call centre agent already covers 32% of what a sales processor is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 7 of which the sales processor role treats as required.
What skills does a call centre agent need to become a sales processor?
13 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is identify customer's needs.
How hard is the move from call centre agent to sales processor?
Its learning distance is 68.1 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.