RIS ID
15852
Abstract
The number of call centres has increased rapidly over the last decade as technological advancements have increased the geographical reach and potential applicability of call centre operations to a wide variety of industries and business functions. These developments have been followed closely by an influx of research on various aspects of call centre operations. Issues associated with job quality have arisen from various call centre studies, often incidentally as researchers examine other facets of call centres and their functioning’s. However, there is yet to be a study that deliberately and systematically examines job quality in this context, despite it being widely accepted that job quality is an issue of increasing significance in this sector. This paper takes the first steps towards addressing this deficit by conducting a review of the extant call centre literature, and collecting and reporting on the findings that emerge which can be associated with the concept of job quality. A job characteristics approach is used to evaluate this evidence in relation to specific themes and categories derived through the job quality literature. Important links between the job quality and call centre literatures are highlighted; major issues associated with the quality of call centre work are discussed, and key gaps in the research are revealed. Finally, some direction for future research is proposed, particularly, the need for investigation in to the key determinants of job quality in the call centre context; .an examination of how job quality may be improved; and the impact of key job quality factors on employees and organisations.
Publication Details
Hannif, Z. Nadiyah. (2006). Job quality in call centres: key issues, insights and gaps in the literature. 6th Global Conference on Business and Economics (GCBE) Proceedings Lynchburg USA: Association for Business and Economics Research.