SOC 7211 Customer service occupations

Call and contact centre occupations Salary

Median salary £25,440 per year (2025). Based on ONS ASHE data.

Gross pay, before deductions. See take-home pay on £25,000 after tax and National Insurance →

For call and contact centre occupations, £27,035 is the typical (median) pay. That is well below the UK full-time median of £39,039 — -31% versus the national average. Experienced call and contact centre occupations (top 25%) earn over £30,163.

About this role

Call and contact centre operators handle inbound and outbound customer communications by telephone, email, webchat and social media. They resolve enquiries, process requests, handle complaints and provide information across multiple communication channels.

Key responsibilities

Handling customer enquiries across multiple channels
Resolving complaints and escalating when necessary
Processing orders, applications and service requests
Recording interactions in CRM systems
Meeting service level and quality targets

Qualifications and entry routes

No specific qualifications required. On-the-job training provided. NVQ in Contact Centre Operations and ICS (Institute of Customer Service) qualifications are available for career development.

Career outlook

AI chatbots are handling routine enquiries, but complex customer service roles remain. Omnichannel skills and emotional intelligence are increasingly valued.

Key skills

Communication Problem-solving Empathy IT proficiency Multi-tasking

Common industries

Financial services
Telecommunications
Utilities
Public sector
Outsourced contact centres

Data coverage

SOC code 7211

Data source ONS ASHE

Years available 2015–2025

Estimated jobs 35,000

Median Salary

£25,440

Mean Salary

£25,477

Jobs (000s)

35k

Data Years

11 years

Salary Range (2025)

P25: £20,589Median: £25,440P75: £30,163

P10: £13kP25: £21kMedian: £25kP75: £30kP90: --

Estimated Career Progression

Based on salary percentile distribution for this occupation

Entry Level

£12,686

0-2 years

Mid Level

£20,589

3-7 years

Senior

£30,163

8-15 years

Potential career growth: +138% from entry to leadership

Salary Trend (2015-2025)

Adjust for inflation

Nominal growth: +65.0%Real growth: +19.6%

Gender Pay Comparison (2025)

Gender pay gap: 1.6%

Full-time vs All Employees (2025)

All Employees

£25,440

Full-time Only

£27,035

Full-time premium: +£1,595

Call and contact centre occupations salary: common questions

How much do call and contact centre occupations earn in the UK?

Call and contact centre occupations earn a median of £27,035 a year (ONS ASHE 2025). The middle half earn between £20,589 and £30,163.

Is £27,035 a good salary in the UK?

What is the starting salary for call and contact centre occupations?

Entry-level call and contact centre occupations typically start near the lower end of the range. The bottom 25% earn up to £20,589, and the lowest-paid 10% earn under £12,686.

Have call and contact centre occupations salaries kept up with inflation?

Since 2015, median call and contact centre occupations pay has risen from £17,026 to £27,035 — +59% in cash terms, or +15% after CPIH inflation. That is ahead of inflation over the period.

Is there a gender pay gap for call and contact centre occupations?

Male call and contact centre occupations earn a median £25,700 and female call and contact centre occupations £25,291 — a gap of +2.0% in 2025.

Figures: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, gross annual pay. UK full-time median £39,039 (2025).