Call Center Employment 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A call center outsources its overnight support to a vendor in another country. What is this employment arrangement called?
- Offshoring (Correct answer)
- Insourcing
- Job sharing
- Flextime
Correct answer: Offshoring
Offshoring moves business functions to a vendor or facility in another country, often for cost or time-zone coverage.
Question 2: An agent's employment agreement includes a clause forbidding them from sharing customer data after leaving the company. What is this clause called?
- A confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement (Correct answer)
- A severance waiver
- A collective bargaining rider
- An arbitration opt-out
Correct answer: A confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement
Confidentiality or non-disclosure clauses bind employees to protect sensitive data even after employment ends.
Question 3: Which interview question would likely be illegal for a US call center recruiter to ask?
- Can you work weekend shifts?
- Are you planning to become pregnant soon? (Correct answer)
- Do you have experience with CRM software?
- Why did you leave your last job?
Correct answer: Are you planning to become pregnant soon?
Questions about pregnancy or family plans risk discrimination claims under Title VII and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
Question 4: A call center pays agents a base wage plus commission on sales made during service calls. What is this pay structure called?
- Straight salary
- Base plus incentive compensation (Correct answer)
- Piece-rate only
- Deferred pension pay
Correct answer: Base plus incentive compensation
Base plus incentive combines guaranteed wages with performance-based commissions or bonuses.
Question 5: What is the main employment purpose of an exit interview when a call center agent resigns?
- To negotiate a higher salary for the departing agent
- To gather feedback on why employees leave and improve retention (Correct answer)
- To formally deny the resignation
- To assign the agent's final sales quota
Correct answer: To gather feedback on why employees leave and improve retention
Exit interviews collect honest feedback from departing employees to identify and fix causes of turnover.
Question 6: An agent works four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days. What is this schedule arrangement called?
- A compressed workweek (Correct answer)
- Split shifting
- On-call rotation
- Zero-hours contract
Correct answer: A compressed workweek
A compressed workweek fits full-time hours into fewer, longer days, such as four 10-hour shifts.
Question 7: Which of the following is typically required before a US call center can legally monitor and record employee calls for quality assurance?
- Approval from the FCC for each recording
- Notice to employees, and customer consent where state law requires it (Correct answer)
- A federal court order
- Permission from the employee's family
Correct answer: Notice to employees, and customer consent where state law requires it
Employers must notify employees of monitoring, and one-party or all-party consent rules for customers vary by state.
Call Center Employment 5
A call center outsources its overnight support to a vendor in another country.
What is this employment arrangement called?