In order to become a call center supervisor, you will need some education in marketing and communications in addition to work experience in a customer service capacity. Leadership experience — that is, some familiarity with training and managing staff — is often also a requirement. Regular call center employees often rise to supervisory positions through demonstrated good work and high productivity. It is possible to become a call center supervisor without prior telemarketing or phone-based work, but this is more rare. The job usually demands a deep familiarity with call center environments, including personnel issues and conflict resolution.
Supervisors are management-level staff, which can make the job difficult to get without some experience and time in the field. Your first job out of school does not usually have to be in a call center in order to someday become a call center supervisor, though this often helps. Working to answer customer queries and solving problems over the phone are essential skills. Supervisors typically oversee lower-level workers, which makes intimate understanding of those workers and their tasks very valuable.
It is usually true that most any customer service experience will boost your chances to become a call center supervisor. So long as you can demonstrate that you have worked interfacing with the public, you will likely meet the basic requirements of many call center management postings. It is important to research a posted job's specific requirements in order to tailor your resume and highlight all relevant work experience.
Education is also important. Most call center supervisors have at least a bachelor’s degree, usually in marketing, communication, or sales. University-level education is not always required for more lower-level employees, which means that you may need to plan for your supervisory career at least a few years out.
Your application will be strengthened if you can also show a leadership position in prior employment. As a call center supervisor, you will be responsible for training, managing, and overseeing often large teams of employees. You will be a more attractive candidate if you have done this sort of work before, even if only on occasion. The main goal is to prove to the hiring manager that you have both the training and the experience needed to excel in the job.
Choosing a job that fits your expertise is also important. There are many types of call center jobs. Some are based in non-profit groups and are focused on soliciting donations, others are housed in global sales offices and are oriented towards making sales over the phone. A call center career may also be devoted to answering client questions or soliciting public opinion on anything from politics to personal spending habits. It will be easier for you to become a call center supervisor if you have an interest in the work that a given call center does, as well an aptitude for the larger career objectives of the supervisor position.