This call center agent job description is ready to copy, edit and post. It lists the real call center representative duties (working a phone or chat queue, logging every contact, resolving billing and order problems, and escalating the rest) along with the metrics agents are measured on. After the template: what the job is like hour by hour, U.S. pay data from O*NET, sample interview questions and tips for writing a post that attracts people who will stay.
Call center agent job description template
What a call center agent does
An agent's day is shaped by the queue. They log in at the start of a scheduled shift, set their status to available, and contacts arrive one after another, with short wrap-up time between them to finish notes. A typical hour might include a billing dispute, two address changes, a confused first-time customer and one caller who is already angry before the agent says hello.
O*NET's task list for this work centers on conferring with customers by phone to give information, take orders or record complaints, keeping records of each interaction, and checking that the fix actually happened. Its work context data is blunt: every respondent said they have telephone conversations every day, 73% face time pressure every day, and 42% deal with unpleasant or angry people daily. Agents work closely with team leads (for escalations and coaching), quality analysts (who score recorded calls) and workforce planners (who build schedules).
The job also varies by setting. An in-house support team at a growing company may give agents a wide range of issues and more freedom to solve them. A large outsourced center usually runs tighter scripts, stricter handle-time goals and more structured coaching, often for several client brands at once. Inbound service roles feel very different from outbound sales or collections, so make sure your post says which one you're hiring for.
Skills and qualifications
Most employers hire without a degree. In O*NET's education survey for this occupation, 55% of respondents said a high school diploma or equivalent is required, 17% said some college, and 14% said an associate's degree. Industry rules can add requirements, such as a license for agents who sell insurance, so check what applies to your line of business.
Salary
O*NET OnLine doesn't publish a separate occupation for call center agents. The title falls under the broader Customer Service Representatives group (43-4051.00), which lists "Call Center Representative" among its reported job titles alongside in-person and email service roles. Based on 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, O*NET shows a U.S. median of $21.53 an hour ($44,770 a year) for that group, with the 10th percentile at $15.27 an hour ($31,750) and the 90th percentile at $30.57 an hour ($63,590).
Because the group mixes entry-level phone queues with specialist service roles, many first-year agents will start below the median, while bilingual, licensed or technical agents often land above it. Location matters too: the California median is $23.83 an hour. Include an hourly range when you post. A growing number of states and cities require it, and agents compare offers from several call centers at once.
Interview questions for call center agent candidates
- "A caller says they were charged twice and they're furious. What are the first three things you say or do?" Strong answers acknowledge the frustration, verify the account and confirm the facts before promising anything.
- "You don't know the answer and there's a long queue behind this caller. What now?" Look for using the knowledge base, asking a lead quickly, or offering a callback, rather than guessing.
- "Tell me about a time you turned around an unhappy customer." The best answers follow STAR and end with a specific result, such as the customer staying or a complaint closed.
- "How would you handle a day when your handle time is over target?" Good candidates talk about learning from slow calls and asking for coaching, never about rushing customers off the line.
- Role-play: "I'm calling to change my delivery address." Listen for identity checks, a clear confirmation of the new address and a friendly close.
Our full call center interview questions page has more questions, sample answers and a scoring rubric. For screening calls in general, see our phone interview questions.
Writing tips for this role
- Say inbound or outbound in the first line. Service and sales calls attract different people, and mixing them up drives early quits.
- Explain the metrics in plain words. Instead of "AHT, FCR, CSAT," write "we aim to solve most issues on the first call, in about 6 minutes." Then add the acronyms for experienced agents.
- Be specific about remote rules. If agents work from home, say which states, what equipment you provide and what internet speed is required.
- Mention paid training up front. It tells newcomers they can succeed, and it widens the pool well beyond people with call center experience.
- Use both common titles. Candidates search "call center agent," "call center representative" and "customer service representative." Put your title first and a variant in parentheses. Our customer service representative template fits roles that are less queue-driven.
Screening call center agent candidates with AI
Hearing a candidate talk is the best early signal for this job, and an audio interview tests it directly. NTRVSTA's AI interviewer can run the first round live, as audio only or as a video avatar, at any hour, which suits candidates who are working shifts now. It adapts each follow-up to the answer it just heard, uses STAR for customer stories, can run in multiple languages, and reports scores for English proficiency and communication along with video snippets of key moments.
A fair caveat: if you hire agents by the hundred through text-message applications and chat scheduling, a conversational hiring tool built for that flow may fit better. See how AI interviews are scored to judge any tool's output.
Questions
What's the difference between a call center agent and a customer service representative?
Much of the work overlaps, and O*NET groups both under Customer Service Representatives. The difference is the setting: a call center agent works a phone or chat queue with targets for handle time, quality and adherence, while a customer service rep might also help people in person or by email at a slower pace. Use whichever title matches how your team really works, and mention the other one too.
Should I hire call center agents with no experience?
Yes, for most inbound support roles. Good agents come from retail, hospitality and food service, where they already handle upset customers. Test the things training can't easily fix: listening, typing while talking, staying calm and following a process. Leave specialized knowledge, like insurance or billing rules, to your training program.
Should a call center job post list metrics like average handle time?
Yes, in plain words. Candidates who've worked in a contact center will want to know how they'll be measured, and newcomers deserve to know too. Name the two or three metrics that matter most, explain them in one line each, and say how much time new agents get to ramp up before targets apply.
Want to hear how an adaptive AI interviewer handles a support candidate? Book a 20-minute demo with our team, or try a sample interview on your own first. You'll find more role templates in our job descriptions library.
