Hays Contact Centres hit back at a Channel 4 documentary last night which highlighted the public’s unhappiness with call centres.

Paul Marriott, managing director of Hays Contact Centres, said what the Phone Rage programme failed to show was that standards in the industry had changed enormously over the last decade and working in a contact centre, once seen as a temporary job is now seen as a viable career choice.

Marriott added: "There are a number of reasons why service levels might have been poor. Ten years ago, many people – students for example – viewed getting a job in a contact centre for a few months as no more than a means of making a bit of extra money. It wasn’t a career choice. As a result, the sort of skills needed to make a good contact centre worker weren’t there, and there was a lack of commitment to the job," he explained.

"Locating contact centres off-shore was also very popular for economic reasons. Once businesses realised that UK customers were unhappy about this, they relocated the contact centres back to the UK but crucially, wanted to keep their costs at the same level. Now these businesses have woken up to the true cost of losing a customer, recruiting the best people for the job has taken priority."

Marriott said recruiting the right people who can genuinely add value to is "more vital than ever", but added: "Contact centres are no longer seen as a short-term employment option, but a real career choice. Salary and promotion prospects are excellent for the right candidate and that is reflected in the improved service levels many customers are now seeing."

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