ICT help desk agent to call centre agent
An ICT help desk agent already meets 41% of what the call centre agent role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
58.3/ 100
1 How much of what a call centre agent is expected to do is already part of an ICT help desk 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 call centre agent role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A call centre agent role treats 6 of its required skills as things an ICT help desk 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
- use customer relationship management software
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. A call centre agent role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT help desk agent background worth leading with.
- already held perform escalation procedure communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide ICT support working with computers
- 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 6 the call centre 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 adapt to changing situations required
- still to learn communicate by telephone required
- still to learn listen actively required
- still to learn present reports required
- still to learn speak different languages required
- optional, not held think proactively optional
- still to learn handle tasks independently required
- still to learn process data required
- still to learn tolerate stress required
- still to learn perform multiple tasks at the same time required
- still to learn credit card payments required
- optional, not held e-procurement optional
- still to learn have computer literacy required
- optional, not held communication principles optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a call centre agent role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 handle tasks independently practise this
- 02 tolerate stress practise this
- 03 adapt to changing situations 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 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
- already held prioritise requests skill
- already held provide ICT support skill
- already held provide customer follow-up services skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held apply operations for an ITIL-based environment optional
- optional, not held e-commerce systems optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply operations for an ITIL-based environment optional
- optional, not held e-commerce systems optional
- optional, not held e-procurement optional
- optional, not held communication principles optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
- optional, not held think proactively optional
17 held skills the call centre agent role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT help platforms knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT infrastructure knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT system user requirements knowledge
- not needed by the target role assist customers skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role implement a virtual private network skill
- not needed by the target role implement anti-virus software skill
- not needed by the target role information confidentiality knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep up to date on product knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
- not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge
- not needed by the target role solve ICT system problems skill
- not needed by the target role support ICT system users skill
- not needed by the target role use ICT hardware skill
- not needed by the target role use ICT ticketing system skill
- not needed by the target role use e-services 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 credit card payments required
- optional, not held e-commerce systems optional
- optional, not held e-procurement optional
- optional, not held communication principles optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
Other moves recorded from ICT help desk agent
- ICT help desk manager 58% covered · moderate
- live chat operator 38% covered · substantial
- after-sales service technician 36% covered · substantial
- customer service representative 31% covered · substantial
- customer contact centre information clerk 30% covered · substantial
- technical sales representative in office machinery and equipment 28% covered · career change
- technical sales representative in chemical products 28% covered · career change
- technical sales representative in agricultural machinery and equipment 28% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT help desk agent become a call centre agent?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ICT help desk agent already covers 41% of what a call centre agent is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 6 of which the call centre agent role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT help desk agent need to become a call centre agent?
11 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is handle tasks independently.
How hard is the move from ICT help desk agent to call centre agent?
Its learning distance is 58.3 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.