DID YOU KNOW?
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The number of U.S. contact centers will grow from 2,250 in 2000 to more than 17,000 by 2004.
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Of the estimated 15 billion customer contacts that took place in 2000, 85% were by telephone.
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Between 1999 and 2000, the total supply of industrial warehouse space rose from 6.1 billion square feet to nearly 6.5 billion.
MULTI MEGABUCKS
SQUEEZED FOR CASH? If you’re looking to make easy money (and who isn’t these days?), beefing up your multitasking skills may be your best bet. According to the Incoming Calls Management Institute’s Call Center Management Review, an agent who can handle e-mail, phone, and Internet contacts commands an hourly wage of up to $75. Phone-only agents, by contrast, make $60 an hour, tops — and that’s not so bad, either. Take these numbers with a pinch of salt, though: Median salaries for both positions come in at a dismal $12-$13, and if you’re unlucky enough to land a cheapskate employer, you’ll fall into the low-end pay scale of $6.75 an hour, barely more than minimum wage.
ALL PAID UP
| Logistics Costs in 2001 | % of sales | $/CWT |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 4.36 | 19.18 |
| Warehousing | 1.80 | 11.38 |
| Order entry/customer service | 0.55 | 3.70 |
| Administration | 0.36 | 2.40 |
| Inventory carrying | 2.07 | 23.62 |
| Total | 9.17% | $60.11 |
| Source: Establish Inc./Herbert W. Davis and Co. | ||