What is typical for call centre jobs? Job characteristics, and service interactions in different call centres

Call centres have been one of the few booming branches in recent years. The main task of call centre operators is to interact with customers by telephone, usually supported by computer systems. It has been argued that call centre work is a modern form of “Taylorism”, because it is characterized by routine tasks, and low level of control for the employees. Moreover, it has been suggested that there is a high level of stress at work, both with regard to the work tasks and to the interactions with customers. In the present study a sample of 375 call centre employees from eight different call centres was compared with a sample of noncall centre workers (N = 405) in terms of job characteristics, job stressors, and emotional labour (emotion work). The results showed that call centre workers had worse job characteristics, but were better off with regard to most job stressors compared to representative comparison groups of no-service workers, service workers, and workers in human services respectively. Moreover, compared to the other groups, customer service representatives (CSRs) had to express less negative emotions, but were most frequently exposed to states of emotional dissonance. A comparison of the working conditions of the eight call centres revealed that in most call centres the working conditions could be substantially improved. In addition, various call centre parameters such as inbound vs. outbound, or inhouse vs. external service centres were examined. The strongest effects were found for the percentage of time spent on the telephone. With some exceptions, the results support the view that the majority of call centres have been established to organize mass service for customers, that the work in the call centres is characterized by routine work and low task control, and that call centre employees are required to suggest a “friendly smile” when they are on the phone.