Finding Satisfying Work in the Call Center Industry

After working in the legal, medical, education and local government sectors for more than 40 years, Ginger Bailey struggled to find a new position when she became disabled. The Kentucky resident sought a role where she could continue to help people, but now she needed to work from home.

“When I couldn’t pursue the jobs I did before, I was just at a loss,” said Bailey. “Fortunately, I found a non-profit organization, NTI, that provided me with the training I needed to qualify for a call center job. It has been a perfect fit for me.”

Bailey participated in NTI’s program that gives participants the tools required to do the job successfully. As NTI’s sole focus is training and assisting people with disabilities get work-from-home call center jobs, a key aspect of the training includes working in a remote test call center environment.

After going through the call center training, NTI placed Bailey in a job with Celgene, a global biopharmaceutical company, owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb. In her role at Celgene she assists patients seeking detailed information about the medicine they have been prescribed.

“I enjoy interacting with patients and at the same time I have the support of my team and group leaders,” she said.

“We frequently hear how much our call center agents love helping people,” said Alan Hubbard, NTI’s Chief Operating Officer. “There is great job satisfaction in being able to resolve a situation for people and giving them the help they need.”

“When we train people, we make sure that they are given the tools to be successful,” he added. “Their experience in the test call center, is invaluable. As they field calls, they learn the nuts and bolts of the position, this gives them an opportunity to see whether it’s a job they could fall in love with.”

When she started at NTI, Bailey realized that a call center job would provide the path she was looking for.

“I am doing something so satisfying,” she said. “In this role I am helping someone who has reached out for assistance. I’m very thankful for that.”

“The demand for call center agents is growing,” said Hubbard. “Companies are seeing the value of having their call centers based here and the move toward at-home jobs generated by COVID-19, has been a big boost to the industry.”

Even more appealing, is that the country is in the middle of a call center job boom. In 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted a 39 percent growth in call center jobs, expected to last until 2024. U.S. companies have steadily been bringing offshore jobs back home, and more companies provide for work from home positions. These changes were already developing before the COVID-19 pandemic, which has accelerated the work-from-home movement.

As call centers have been expanding, the job has been changing. For those who love their jobs, being able to be problem-solve is an added benefit.

“Customers can do so much with self-service methods,” Justin Robbins, of the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), told Software Advice. “When they’re calling to the call centers it’s often for more complicated issues. We need agents who aren’t just handling a simple ‘order taker’ role, but people who know how to problem solve; people who can think outside the box.”

Call center agents who love their jobs enjoy the opportunity to learn new things and face the different challenges on an everyday basis.

“The people that we train appreciate getting to get to know the organization they are working with,” said Hubbard. “People who love these jobs are comfortable solving problems and enjoy having the opportunity to continuously develop their skills.”

For call centers agents, it can be working for the government on a project, helping people with their medical needs, or getting answers to product questions.

“Call center agents who started with NTI’s training have gone on to work for a company or have come back to work for NTI,” said Hubbard. “As a nonprofit organization we work with a lot of different companies. Our agents have a chance to explore the options and find a company they would like to work with.”

Christopher Crawley, who now works in NTI’s human resource department, started out as an agent. Before joining NTI, Crawley had worked as a nurse before his disability forced a career change.

“I knew nothing about call centers,” he said. “I went through the training and found it was something I could do. I love it because something was always happening. It was never the same and I enjoyed that.”

NTI@Home is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, helping Americans with disabilities and their caregivers find full- and part-time job opportunities in remote call centers for government organizations, Fortune 500, and large and small companies. You can register to receive free job training and job placement service at www.ntiathome.org.

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This article is part of NTI@Home's #WorkforceWednesday series, celebrating 30 years of the ADA by showcasing employment opportunities available for the 1 in 4 Americans with disabilities.