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All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source. |
SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY |
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE: |
National Certificate: Contact Centre and Business Process Outsourcing Support |
SAQA QUAL ID | QUALIFICATION TITLE | |||
93997 | National Certificate: Contact Centre and Business Process Outsourcing Support | |||
ORIGINATOR | ||||
SGB Marketing | ||||
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY | NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK | |||
The individual Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary for each Learning Programme recorded against this qualification is shown in the table at the end of this report. | SFAP - Sub-framework Assignment Pending | |||
QUALIFICATION TYPE | FIELD | SUBFIELD | ||
National Certificate | Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies | Marketing | ||
ABET BAND | MINIMUM CREDITS | PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL | NQF LEVEL | QUAL CLASS |
Undefined | 124 | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | Regular-Unit Stds Based |
REGISTRATION STATUS | SAQA DECISION NUMBER | REGISTRATION START DATE | REGISTRATION END DATE | |
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered" |
SAQA 9999/99 | 2021-07-07 | 2023-07-30 | |
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT | LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT | |||
2026-07-30 | 2029-07-30 |
In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise. |
This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. |
PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION |
Purpose:
This qualification is intended for persons who already work as Contact Centre and/or Business Process Outsourcing agents or who wish to join the contact centre and/or Business Process Outsourcing industry. The qualification provides an introduction to contact centre and/or Business Process Outsourcing operations. The qualification will equip learners with the underpinning knowledge and skills to be able to supply high quality customer service. Learners will be provided with competencies to handle both inbound and outbound interactions/traffic, within different types of operations of contact centre and/or Business Process Outsourcing. The qualification develops skills in the use of various communication channels e.g. telephone, fax, email, internet, intranet, multifunction devices, webchat, SMS and letters. The qualification also develops skills in dealing with walk-in clients. The qualification will also provide learning opportunities in the knowledge and skills required to perform back office processes and tasks. Learners will have the opportunity to learn, develop and practice the skills required to make an effective contribution in a general contact centre and/or Business Process Outsourcing environment. The qualification is the first in a learning pathway for people working in the call centre and/or BPO environments. Learners accessing this qualification will be able to work in call centres involving marketing, account management, sales, hospitality, tourism, emergency services, retail, telecommunications, financial services, credit control, etc. The qualification covers the foundational areas of the contact centre and/or Business Process Outsourcing agent's role in the workplace. On achieving this qualification the learner will be competent in: Rationale: The contact centre and/or Business Process Outsourcing industry is increasingly becoming more diverse, complex, and growing at a fast rate both nationally and internationally. Customer service is the key to success in the sector and this demands expert utilisation of technology which handles both basic and complex transactions. Contact centres and/or Business Process Outsourcing have become key business tools integral to the way organisations achieve their business objectives. Contact centre and/or Business Process Outsourcing is a growing industry requiring career development and progression opportunities. This qualification is needed to empower entry level employees to deal effectively with the public and to make a meaningful, positive contribution to customer satisfaction and to the image of the organisation. |
LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING |
It is assumed that learners entering this qualification are competent in:
Competence in a second South African language would be a great advantage. Recognition of Prior Learning: The qualification may be obtained in whole or in part through the Recognition of Prior Learning. All Recognition of Prior Learning is subject to quality assurance by the relevant accredited Education Training Quality and Assurance Body and is conducted by an accredited workplace assessor. Access to the Qualification: This qualification is open to everyone who wishes to pursue a career in Contact Centre and/or Business Process Outsourcing industry taking into consideration "Learning Assumed to be in Place". |
RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? |
Y |
QUALIFICATION RULES |
To be awarded the Qualification learners are required to obtain a minimum of 124 credits as detailed below.
Specialisations: People Supporting Process (Learning Programme ID 94082): |
EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES |
1. Provide effective customer service in a contact centre and/or Business Process Outsourcing centre.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of and use communication technology in a contact centre environment. 3. Capture data to track interactions. 4. Work effectively as a team member in a group to enhance team performance. Critical Cross-Field Outcomes: The Critical Cross-Field Outcomes are addressed as follows in the qualification: |
ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA |
Associated Assessment Criterion for Exit Level Outcome 1:
> Range: Various circumstances include but are not limited to handling objections, complaints, customers who are distressed, confused, aggressive and abusive. > Range: Communication breakdowns include but are not limited to communication difficulties with technology and the environment. Corrective action includes but is not limited to paraphrasing, clarifying and questioning. Associated Assessment Criterion for Exit Level Outcome 2: > Range: Written text e-mail messages, mobile phone text, SMS text, text chat from instant messenger conversations, MMS text and Web logs. > Range: Communication technology problems may include but are not limited to failures of site, ACD, Call Routing, PABX, LAN, IVR, CTI and VoIP. Associated Assessment Criterion for Exit Level Outcome 3: Associated Assessment Criterion for Exit Level Outcome 4: |
INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY |
This qualification and its component unit standards have been compared with similar qualifications including short courses and/or training programmes from various countries. The United States of America, India and the Philippines are regarded as having the best practice in Contact Centre and/or BPO service delivery. Comparability was also done with training given in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Scotland, and Canada.
International qualifications and courses offered in Contact Centre and/or BPO were examined to see how this qualification compared in scope, content, duration and qualification level. The Philippines: The Philippines is one of the world's leading markets for outsourcing business processes. The Call Center Academy (CCA) was established in 2001 to address the pressing need of providing employment opportunities for the call center and business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. The Academy offers an entry-level short course (International Call Center Proficiency ICCP) training program in line with the Training Regulations for Contact Centers of TESDA accredited by TESDA designed to help candidate trainees acquire the attitude, skills and knowledge required in a call center industry. The course content compares favourably with the South African qualification although it differs in terms of duration. The course details are as follows: The Call Center School: The Call Center School has worked with over 3,000 different call centers of all types and sizes. It offers a seven part programme comprising the five Core Curriculum and two elective programmes targeting frontline call agents as follows: Core Programmes The Power of One: The Difference One Agent Can Make: Vocal Makeover: Techniques for a Winning Voice: First Class Phone Manners: The Absolute Musts of Telephone Best Practices: Power Phrasing: Winning Word Choices for Effective Communication: Tyrant Turnaround: Going from Difficult to Delighted Callers: Electives: Email Essentials: Frontline Guide for Writing Effective Emails: From Service to Sales: Increasing Profitability through Customer-Focused Selling BPO Training Academy: The BPO Training offers a comprehensive call center training curriculum to fit the needs of those people who would like to work as a Call Center Agent or Technical Support Representative (Voice and non-voice). The company's strategic approach to BPO/Call Center Training professionalizes the career of call center agents who are considered the front liners of the industry. The Academy is registered and accredited by TESDA and an active member of the Business Processing Association of the Phillipines. It offers a comprehensive Call Centre Training (120 hours) program which provides an in-depth knowledge and hands-on practice with the skills required for immediate employment in a call center industry. The programme covers the following: United States of America (USA): The Call Centre Learning Solutions (CCLS) is a consulting and learning solutions firm providing training to more than 5,000 companies worldwide. It provides learning that is focused on the fundamentals, core skills, knowledge and competencies required for success in the call center. The following course is targeted to new agents who want or need a broader perspective of scope of the Call Centre and BPO industry's functions and roles and compares favourably with the South African qualification. The course details are as follows: Core: Electives: Velsoft: The institution offers a practical three-day workshop for Call Centre training. The organisation also offers courseware that can be purchased by interested persons. The course is intended to help Call Center Agents to learn to make the most of their telephone-based work, including understanding the best ways to listen and be heard. The course content is as follows: Edexcel: The results indicated that the United Kingdom qualifications authority has a Contact Centre qualification at Level III. The course is intended for Senior Contact Centre Agents, Team Leaders and Contact Centre Agents. The following content comprises the course: Mandatory Units: Optional A: Option A: Optional B: B (choose a maximum of two units): King's International College: Certificate III in Telecommunications (Call Centres): The course is 20 weeks/6 months full-time course. It provides a pathway for participants to gain skills and knowledge necessary to undertake tasks within various call centre operations. The following represents the units of competency that form the qualification which compares favourably with the South African qualification. ICTTC200A: Use telecommunications technology in receiving incoming and making outgoing calls in the call centre environment. ICTTC201A: Use basic computer technology to process enterprise/customer data in the call centre environment. ICTTC202A: Use specific enterprise systems to satisfy customer requirements. ICTTC204A: Provide quality customer service. ICTTC213A: Provide support and assistance to customers on matters relating to a particular product or service. ICTTC227A: Manage personal work priorities and professional development. ICTTC224A: Provide basic assistance to customers in relation to account inquiries. ICTTC229A: Establish and manage effective relationships within the call centre team environment. ICTTC234A: Develop and maintain a safe workplace and environment. ICTTC209A: Conduct data collection for market research, opinion polls and customer surveying. ICTTC205A: Manage and build on relationships with customers. ICTTC219A: Resolve complaints dealing with specific product/service. ICTTC220A: Resolve customer complaints. ICTTC221A: Resolve the more complex customer complaints. Comparisons were also done with countries that face similar social, economic and technological challenges like South Africa within the SADC region in particular such as Botswana, Nigeria, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, Nairobi, and Tanzania. The comparability focused on the qualifications and standards including learning programmes and short courses offered in the Contact Centre and/or BPO industry. Unfortunately none of these countries has been found to have qualifications and/or standards in place. South Africa therefore has been regarded as a leading country in providing training in Contact Centre and/or BPO service delivery. This qualification therefore provides a model that could be benchmarked by other countries especially within the SADC region. Conclusion: Comparing the South African Contact Centre and/or BPO support qualification and other qualifications including short courses or learning programmes, it is reasonable to conclude that the qualification compares favourably with courses in countries leading in this industry in terms of scope and content. The qualification falls well within the occupational profiles and training standards of Contact Centre and/or BPO Agents of the other countries. However, some of the programmes found are pegged at lower levels than the level of this qualification. |
ARTICULATION OPTIONS |
The qualification articulates vertically with the:
This qualification articulates horizontally with the: |
MODERATION OPTIONS |
CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS |
For an applicant to register as an assessor, the applicant needs:
|
REREGISTRATION HISTORY |
As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2012; 2015. |
UNIT STANDARDS: |
ID | UNIT STANDARD TITLE | PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL | NQF LEVEL | CREDITS | |
Core | 14348 | Process incoming and outgoing telephone calls | Level 2 | NQF Level 02 | 3 |
Core | 115772 | Use time management techniques to manage time in a financial services environment | Level 2 | NQF Level 02 | 2 |
Core | 13912 | Apply knowledge of self and team in order to develop a plan to enhance team performance | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 5 |
Core | 377460 | Collect and record information queries and requests from customers | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 6 |
Core | 377441 | Communicate with customers in a Contact Centre and BPO | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 10 |
Core | 377420 | Demonstrate an understanding of Contact Centre and BPO working practices | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 4 |
Core | 377401 | Handle a range of customer complaints in a Contact Centre and BPO | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 10 |
Core | 244589 | Identify causes of stress and techniques to manage it in the workplace | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 2 |
Core | 377421 | Manage in-bound and/or out-bound calls in a Contact Centre | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 8 |
Core | 110025 | Process data using information technology | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 5 |
Fundamental | 119472 | Accommodate audience and context needs in oral/signed communication | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 5 |
Fundamental | 9010 | Demonstrate an understanding of the use of different number bases and measurement units and an awareness of error in the context of relevant calculations | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 2 |
Fundamental | 9013 | Describe, apply, analyse and calculate shape and motion in 2-and 3-dimensional space in different contexts | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 4 |
Fundamental | 119457 | Interpret and use information from texts | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 5 |
Fundamental | 9012 | Investigate life and work related problems using data and probabilities | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 5 |
Fundamental | 119467 | Use language and communication in occupational learning programmes | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 5 |
Fundamental | 7456 | Use mathematics to investigate and monitor the financial aspects of personal, business and national issues | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 5 |
Fundamental | 119465 | Write/present/sign texts for a range of communicative contexts | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 5 |
Elective | 259639 | Explain basic health and safety principles in and around the workplace | Level 2 | NQF Level 02 | 4 |
Elective | 113918 | Explain the implications of the Financial Advisors and Intermediaries Services` Act, (FAIS) for employees in financial services organisations | Level 2 | NQF Level 02 | 2 |
Elective | 9302 | Access information in order to respond to client enquiries in a financial services environment | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 2 |
Elective | 244574 | Apply knowledge of HIV/AIDS to a specific business sector and a workplace | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 4 |
Elective | 264371 | Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of the payslip and its components | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 6 |
Elective | 10170 | Demonstrate understanding of employment relations in an organisation | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 3 |
Elective | 113915 | Explain the application of the basic conditions of employment act in an employment contract | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 2 |
Elective | 264377 | Identify and demonstrate understanding of different types of employment contracts and how this impacts payroll administration | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 8 |
Elective | 242863 | Identify basic employment rights and responsibilities and deal appropriately with own grievances and disputes | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 4 |
Elective | 116940 | Use a Graphical User Interface (GUI)-based spreadsheet application to solve a given problem | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 6 |
Elective | 242899 | Analyse the skills development legislation and apply it in the workplace | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 4 |
Elective | 117129 | Apply the regulations for disclosure that are required as part of the financial sales process | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 2 |
Elective | 116610 | Assess and allocate debt collecting accounts according to risk profile | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 6 |
Elective | 252213 | Carry out marketing administration within agreed parameters | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 6 |
Elective | 252248 | Certify certificates of origin and other commercial documents | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 7 |
Elective | 116606 | Communicate orally with relevant stakeholders in the recovery of debt | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 6 |
Elective | 116598 | Compile debtor correspondence in accordance with legislation and standard procedures | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 6 |
Elective | 117834 | Conduct exhibition telemarketing | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 2 |
Elective | 242897 | Define supplier specifications | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 5 |
Elective | 264339 | Demonstrate an understanding of critical ethical values in a payroll environment | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 8 |
Elective | 116608 | Demonstrate knowledge and application of ethical conduct in a debt recovery work context | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 6 |
Elective | 12164 | Demonstrate knowledge and insight of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS) (Act 37 of 2002) | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 2 |
Elective | 12745 | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of accounting practice and procedures associated with the collection of debts | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 6 |
Elective | 242584 | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act 2002 (FAIS) (Act 37 of 2002) as it impacts on a specific financial services sub-sector | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 2 |
Elective | 117117 | Describe standard insurance cover in terms of SASRIA | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 4 |
Elective | 377160 | Explain the fundamentals of the concepts of 'wellness' | Level 4 | Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L4 | 8 |
Elective | 259458 | Interpret classification systems in order to organise, retrieve and dispose of records | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 8 |
Elective | 116601 | Manage credit grantor portfolio | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 4 |
Elective | 116599 | Manage debtor portfolio | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 6 |
Elective | 13948 | Negotiate an agreement or deal in an authentic work situation | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 5 |
Elective | 10327 | Provide coaching to personnel within a Contact Centre | Level 4 | NQF Level 04 | 10 |
Elective | 10171 | Manage the capture, storage and retrieval of human resources information using an information system | Level 5 | Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5 | 3 |
LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: |
LP ID | Learning Programme Title | Originator | Pre-2009 NQF Level |
NQF Level | Min Credits | Learning Prog End Date | Quality AssuranceFunctionary |
NQF Sub-Framework |
80566 | National Certificate: Contact Centre and Business Process Outsourcing Support | Generic Provider - Field 03 | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | 124 | SERVICES | OQSF | |
94082 | National Certificate: Contact Centre and Business Process Outsourcing Support: People Supporting Process | Generic Provider - Field 03 | Not Applicable | NQF Level 03 | 124 | 2023-06-30 | SABPP | OQSF |
PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THESE LEARNING PROGRAMMES: |
This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here. |
NONE |
All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source. |