Call Center Salaries - How To Get A Raise

With home heating oil, gasoline prices and basic groceries at record highs, many call center reps are finding it harder than ever to make ends meet. Some who live in areas with no public transportation are even finding it difficult to get to work each day because they can't afford the gasoline for their car - and the price of gas is expected to go even higher this summer!

Now, more than ever, it's time to take a look at your current salary and make sure you are being paid a competitive salary for your call center job. There are many different resources you can use to learn what the competitive salary rate is for your call center job - just google "salary survey" and you'll find many listings. One of the more popular sites for salary information is Salary.com. Following are the U.S. national base salary averages listed for inbound call center reps (the different levels are primarily based on years of experience and the scope of responsibilities within the job):

Rep Inbound - Level I: Range = $21,956 - $35,552, Average = $28,246
Rep Inbound - Level II: Range = $24,589 - $40,114, Average = $32,145
Rep Inbound - Level III: Range = $28,294 - $48,942, Average = $38,197

It's important to keep in mind when reviewing these salary ranges that there are significant factors that determine whether the competitive salary for your specific call center job falls at the low or high end of the range. For example, the salary ranges listed above are base salaries (i.e. not including any other compensation such as incentive pay, bonus plans and/or health & retirement planning benefits). Other factors that determine the actual competitive salary for your specific call center job are the geographic location of your call center, the type of business your call center conducts, the skill level required to do your job, your specific job responsibilities, your years of experience and how well you are performing in your call center job. You can do a more customized salary search for your job at Salary.com.

Once you have a better understanding of your competitive salary range and what your boss would consider a "reasonable" raise, you can put a plan of action in place. I like the plan of action outlined on the website Soyouwanna.com. Here are the five basic steps listed there:

1. Make sure that you deserve it.

2. Prepare your strategy

3. Know when to strike

4. Read your boss

5. Avoid stupid mistakes

6. Go in and ask for the raise

Full details on each of these steps are found at So You Wanna Ask For A Raise? .

By far the most important step of all is the first step - "Make Sure That You Deserve It". For a call center rep that means consistently displaying high call quality, high productivity, excellent attendance, adherence to company policies and good interpersonal skills with your co-workers and management. If you have this first part in place with a reasonable expectation of what your competitive salary range is, the next five steps should be easy.