Call Center Agent Jobs in Chicago, IL
Call center agents in Chicago usually start at $18 to $20 an hour, with union Customer Advocate jobs at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and a bank contact center at Wintrust in Rosemont among the steadiest hirers. Current openings come first, then employers, pay and training.
Current call center agent Openings in Chicago, IL
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Call Center Agent Work in Chicago
Health Care Service Corporation, the parent of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, has posted Customer Advocate openings for call centers in Pilsen and Morgan Park. Its postings describe the job as about 90 percent phone work with members and doctors' offices, full-time and union, with six to eight weeks of on-site training before a hybrid schedule. Pilsen is a short trip on the CTA Pink Line; Morgan Park sits on the Far South Side near Beverly.
Wintrust trains its Customer Contact Center Representatives on site in Rosemont, a stop from O'Hare on the CTA Blue Line, then lets them work remotely on evening shifts that end at 8 p.m. Hospital systems add scheduling and access-center work: Rush has posted Access Specialist roles for the Rush Access Center. With Chicago's jobless rate at 5.5 percent in July against 4.6 percent statewide, prior customer service experience helps an application stand out.
Top Chicago Employers Hiring Call Center Agents
These employers have posted call center and contact center roles in the Chicago area on their own careers sites:
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois - the health insurer hires union Customer Advocates for on-site Chicago call centers at $18.50 an hour to start.
- Wintrust - the bank hires Customer Contact Center Representatives at $19 to $20 an hour plus bonus eligibility, trained in Rosemont.
- Rush University Medical Center - the Illinois Medical District system staffs the Rush Access Center with Access Specialists who schedule patients by phone.
- SRAM - the Chicago-based bike component maker hires Rider Support representatives for phone and email support at $22 an hour.
- Robert Half - the staffing firm fills inbound call roles, such as online banking support in Des Plaines at $19 to $24 an hour.
Call Center Agent Salaries in Chicago
- Entry level: about $18 to $20 an hour for new agents at insurance, banking and healthcare call centers.
- Experienced: roughly $21 to $27 an hour after a few years, or in specialized queues such as billing or technical products.
- Senior or lead: $28 to $34 an hour or more for senior agents, quality analysts and team leads.
These are estimates drawn from federal wage data for the Chicago metro, where the median for customer service representatives is about $22.65 an hour, and from ranges Chicago employers post. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois posts a Customer Advocate range of $18 to $31.11. Evening and Saturday shifts, bonus plans, union status and bilingual skills all move pay, and inside city limits nobody can be paid under the $17.05 Chicago minimum.
How to Become a Call Center Agent in Chicago
Illinois has no license for call center work. Employers look for a high school diploma or GED, accurate typing and some customer-facing experience: six months for a Customer Advocate at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, one to three years for Wintrust's bank contact center. Paid training runs five to eight weeks at the big employers. To sharpen computer skills, City Colleges of Chicago offers a free Saturday Computer Basics class at Malcolm X College on the Near West Side, and the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership's American Job Centers help with resumes and hiring events.
What the Job Involves
Call center agents take inbound calls, and sometimes chats and emails, from customers or patients. They verify identity, look up accounts, answer questions about bills, benefits, orders or appointments, fix what they can on the first call, and document each contact. Agents work from a queue with scheduled breaks and are measured on handle time, quality and customer satisfaction.
Skills Employers Look For
- Clear phone voice and active listening
- Fast, accurate typing and data entry
- Ability to navigate several screens at once
- De-escalation with frustrated callers
- Bilingual English and Spanish, valued by several employers
- Steady attendance on evening and weekend shifts
Career Path and Advancement
Chicago agents typically move from the phones to senior agent, then to team lead, quality assurance or workforce scheduling. At an insurer the path can lead into claims and member services; at a bank, into branch or treasury support roles across a large branch network; in a hospital system, into patient access leadership. Some agents move sideways into technical support once they learn the products.
Related Careers in Chicago
If call center work interests you, these related Chicago roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do call center agents make in Chicago?
New agents at Chicago insurance and banking call centers commonly start at $18 to $20 an hour. The metro median for customer service representatives is about $22.65, and senior agents and leads can pass $30.
Do Chicago call center jobs let you work from home?
Many do after training. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois moves Customer Advocates to a hybrid schedule after six to eight weeks on site, and Wintrust reps work remotely after five weeks of on-site training in Rosemont.
Do you need experience to get a call center job in Chicago?
Usually a little. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois asks for six months of customer service or office experience, and Wintrust prefers one to three years. Retail, restaurant and front desk jobs all count as customer service experience.
Are Chicago call center jobs union?
Some are. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois lists its Customer Advocate I role in Chicago as a union position. Wintrust's contact center posting does not mention a union, so ask about it during hiring.
What shifts do Chicago call centers run?
Expect some evenings and weekends. Wintrust has posted an 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekday shift with every other Saturday, and says agents can bid for other shifts later on.
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