Table 1Transition record

sales processortocall centre agent

A sales processor already meets 39% of what the call centre agent role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

From sales processor

39%

Overlap1

To call centre agent

10 Skills carried over

9 Required, not held

60.2 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 60.2

This move: 60.2 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the call centre agent role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the sales processor profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 10 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 a sales processor background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

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 8 the call centre agent role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 22 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held adapt to changing situations required
required, not held communicate by telephone required
required, not held listen actively required

optional, not held educate on data confidentiality optional
optional, not held handle helpdesk problems optional
optional, not held perform escalation procedure optional
optional, not held think proactively optional

02 information skills 2 required

required, not held handle tasks independently required
required, not held keep task records required

03 assisting and caring 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held guarantee customer satisfaction required

optional, not held apply operations for an ITIL-based environment optional
optional, not held answer incoming calls optional

04 working with computers 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held use customer relationship management software required

optional, not held perform data analysis optional
optional, not held provide ICT support optional

05 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held credit card payments required

optional, not held e-procurement optional

06 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held tolerate stress required

optional, not held prioritise requests optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 10 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held characteristics of products knowledge
already held characteristics of services knowledge
already held create solutions to problems skill
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 speak different languages skill
already held e-commerce systems knowledge
already held provide customer follow-up services skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 generic programmes and qualifications 2 supplementary

optional, not held communication principles optional
optional, not held teamwork principles optional

08 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held knowledge base optional

13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held apply operations for an ITIL-based environment optional
optional, not held e-procurement optional
optional, not held answer incoming calls optional
optional, not held communication principles optional
optional, not held educate on data confidentiality optional
optional, not held handle helpdesk problems optional
optional, not held knowledge base optional
optional, not held perform data analysis optional
optional, not held perform escalation procedure optional
optional, not held prioritise requests optional
optional, not held provide ICT support optional
optional, not held teamwork principles optional
optional, not held think proactively optional

24 held skills the call centre agent role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role channel marketing knowledge
not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
not needed by the target role customer service knowledge
not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
not needed by the target role ensure client orientation skill
not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
not needed by the target role international business knowledge
not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
not needed by the target role manage digital documents skill
not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
not needed by the target role multimodal transport logistics knowledge
not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill
not needed by the target role process order forms with customer's information skill
not needed by the target role process payments skill
not needed by the target role provide customers with order information skill
not needed by the target role provide information skill
not needed by the target role sales activities knowledge
not needed by the target role show diplomacy skill
not needed by the target role supply chain principles knowledge
not needed by the target role use databases skill
not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
not needed by the target role use e-services skill
not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
not needed by the target role work independently in sales 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.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held credit card payments required
optional, not held e-procurement optional
optional, not held communication principles optional
optional, not held knowledge base optional
optional, not held teamwork principles optional

Index

Other moves recorded from sales processor

Full index of moves from sales processor

Note

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.