Contact and Call Centres

A contact and call centre is composed of a team of people who communicate with current and potential customers or clients. Contact includes inbound and/or outbound calls, webchat, and emails.

On this page:

About the sector

Both call and contact centre roles are in high demand. Work is available in most capital cities and some regional areas. Some businesses operate contact centres within their organisations, others outsource this to specialist providers. Entry-level positions are available. Some businesses offer entry and preparation through traineeships.

The type of qualification that is relevant depends on the purpose of the business for which you work for. For example, some insurance companies offer traineeships in financial services.

Types of entry-level work

Call and contact centre work falls within multiple industry types, these include:

  • Administrative and Support Services
  • Electricity, Gas, Water, Waste Services
  • Financial and Insurance Services
  • Information Media and Telecommunications
  • Public Administration and Safety
  • Transport, Postal and Warehousing

Find out about the pay, projected growth, employment locations, skills and interests of people works as:

Training for entry-level work

The type of apprenticeship or traineeship you may do depends on the purpose of the business you work for. To find out about potential career pathways that can begin with an Australian Apprenticeship, visit the Australian Apprenticeship website.

Literacy and numeracy skills may be essential for this field. Use Australian Apprenticeships tools to check your literacy and numeracy skills for work in this industry:

You can improve your skills for entry level jobs by accessing free online digital literacy training at Microsoft Digital Skills Training.

On the Skills Road website you can find out about the tasks, skills and aptitudes associated with leading entry-level jobs including:

Jobs Showcase

Find out more about how to launch your career in the contact centre by watching this webinar:

The type of person who suits this work

This work suits people who:

  • are positive about work and their colleagues
  • have an interest in customer service
  • can communicate well in a team environment
  • can read and understand instructions
  • can complete tasks accurately
  • can work by themselves and stay on task
  • have strong computer and typing skills

Every employer is different. Some businesses may require additional checks. For example, if you are dealing with private information, you may be required to provide a police check.

Applying for jobs

Get free coaching on writing job applications, doing interviews and preparing for work at the Workforce Australia and Job Jumpstart website:

Finding vacancies

Online jobs’ boards can make finding a job easier. You can customise searches and apply with a few clicks.

Look for hidden vacancies with recruitment agencies, labour hire firms and on apprenticeship jobs boards on Jobs Hub