Career advice · Updated October 2026
Customer Care and Call Centre Jobs in Kenya: What Employers Want and How to Get Hired
Customer care is one of the most common ways into formal employment in Kenya. Banks, telcos, insurers, hospitals, e-commerce firms and utilities all run contact centres, and Nairobi’s business process outsourcing (BPO) firms answer calls, chats and emails for clients in Europe and North America. For many school leavers and graduates, call centre jobs in Kenya are a first salary, a first payslip with NSSF and SHIF deductions, and a stepping stone into operations, sales, quality, training or team leadership. This guide explains what the work involves, what employers actually ask for (with examples from real Nairobi adverts), how the hiring process works, and how to stay clear of fake offers.
What the job involves
Customer care work falls into a few types:
- Inbound support. Answering customers who call, chat or email with questions, complaints or technical problems.
- Outbound calls. Calling customers to verify information, follow up, collect payments, run surveys or sell.
- Back-office and processing. Updating records, handling tickets and data entry linked to customer requests.
- Multichannel or “omnichannel”. Switching between phone, email, chat and social media messages during a shift.
A recent Teleperformance advert for an Operations Customer Expert in Nairobi described the role as responding to customers by phone, email and chat, resolving complaints, keeping records of interactions, and doing data entry and research to fix customer problems. Expect most roles to involve a mix of talking, typing and working across several computer systems at once.
What employers ask for: real examples
Requirements vary by employer and client, but two current or recent Nairobi adverts show the pattern.
International customer service (Teleperformance)
The Teleperformance advert (now closed) asked for:
- at least one year of customer service experience;
- a degree or diploma in a related field;
- a typing speed of 40 words per minute with 90% accuracy or better;
- C1-level English with excellent grammar;
- working knowledge of Word and Excel;
- flexibility to work day and night shifts.
Outbound calls for international clients (SALIX)
A SALIX Data Africa advert for Customer Service Processors (outbound calls) lists:
- a certificate, diploma or degree from a recognised institution;
- strong spoken and written English and basic computer skills;
- previous customer service, call centre, outbound or CRM experience as an advantage, and English-Spanish bilingual ability as a bonus;
- a Certificate of Good Conduct issued within the last six months;
- living in, or being willing to move to, listed areas so the commute to the office is reliable;
- a smartphone that can run Microsoft Authenticator and Duo Mobile;
- a permanent shift aligned to US Eastern Time: 4:00 PM to 1:20 AM Kenya time from November to March, and 3:00 PM to 12:20 AM from March to October.
New hires start with a 6 to 8 week paid training programme, and trainees who meet the performance standards may then be considered for full-time employment.
What this tells you
- Entry is open to non-graduates at some employers; a certificate or diploma can be enough.
- English is tested, not assumed. International accounts often set a level, such as C1 on the common European scale.
- Typing speed and accuracy are measured.
- Night shifts are normal on international accounts, and you must be able to get home safely after midnight.
- Documents matter. Have a fresh certificate of good conduct ready. Business Radar explains how to apply for a certificate of good conduct, and our clearance certificates checklist covers the rest of the paperwork employers request.
- A second language is a real advantage. Spanish, French, Arabic, Portuguese or German can open doors to more accounts.
How hiring usually works
BPO and contact centre recruitment tends to be fast and high-volume. The usual stages are:
- Online application on the employer’s careers portal. Many review applications on a rolling basis, so apply early.
- Assessments. Typing tests, English grammar and listening tests, and sometimes a short numerical or reasoning test. Practise with our free aptitude test practice.
- Voice or phone screening to judge clarity, accent neutrality, tone and listening.
- Interview, often including a role-play with an “angry customer”. Use the STAR method to describe times you calmed someone down, solved a problem or met a target.
- Training on the client’s products and systems, with assessments before you go live.
Skills that make you stand out
- Calm under pressure. You will meet frustrated customers. Listen fully, acknowledge the problem, and explain what you will do.
- Clear writing. Many teams also handle chat and email. Short, correct, polite sentences matter.
- Speed with systems. Practise typing daily with free online typing tests until you consistently pass 40 words per minute at high accuracy.
- Understanding the numbers. Contact centres track measures such as average handling time, first-contact resolution, customer satisfaction and quality scores. Showing you know these terms in an interview signals you are ready.
- Discretion with personal data. Agents see names, phone numbers, account details and sometimes payment information. Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019 applies, and employers expect strict confidentiality.
Your rights on shifts
Shift and night work are legal, but your employer must still follow the Employment Act and the wage regulations on hours, rest days, overtime and leave. Our guide to working hours and overtime in Kenya explains the limits and how overtime is paid. Ask at offer stage how transport is handled for late shifts, how overtime is approved and whether you will be on a probation period; our guide to probation in Kenya explains your rights during it.
When you get an offer, check what the gross pay leaves you with after PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and the housing levy using the net salary calculator, and compare it with the salary checker.
Avoiding fake call centre jobs
“BPO jobs” are a favourite of scammers because demand is high. Watch for these warning signs:
- You are asked to pay for training, registration, a uniform, or “placement” before starting. Genuine employers recruit directly; the SALIX advert above describes a paid training programme, meaning trainees are paid, not charged.
- The “employer” communicates only by WhatsApp or a free email address and cannot give a physical office.
- You are offered a job without any test or interview.
- The offer promises unusually high pay for little work, or “work from home” with no clear employer.
Check any suspicious advert with our fake job advert checker and read how to spot fake job adverts in Kenya.
Where to find openings
Current roles are listed under customer service jobs. Check the careers pages of BPOs, banks, telcos and insurers directly, and set up job alerts. Keep a simple list of where you have applied with our applied jobs tracker so you can follow up.
On your CV, put customer-facing experience first, even informal work such as shop attendant, M-Pesa agent, church usher or campus helpdesk volunteer. Mention languages, typing speed and any systems you have used. Our guide on how to write a CV in Kenya shows the layout, and the CV checker flags gaps.
Key takeaways
- Customer care and BPO roles are a common route into formal jobs, and many accept certificate or diploma holders.
- Employers test English, typing speed and accuracy, and listening; international accounts often need night shifts.
- Have a recent certificate of good conduct ready, and highlight languages and any customer-facing experience.
- Never pay to get a call centre job, and check your hours, overtime and net pay before you accept.
Frequently asked questions
What qualifications do I need for a call centre job in Kenya?
It varies by employer. Some ask only for a certificate, diploma or degree plus strong English and basic computer skills, while others want a degree or diploma and at least a year of customer service experience. A recent certificate of good conduct is often required.
What typing speed do call centres in Kenya require?
Requirements differ, but a recent Teleperformance advert in Nairobi asked for 40 words per minute at 90% accuracy or better. Practise until you pass that level consistently.
Do call centre jobs in Kenya involve night shifts?
Often, especially on international accounts. One Nairobi advert for outbound calls set a permanent shift of 4:00 PM to 1:20 AM Kenya time from November to March and 3:00 PM to 12:20 AM from March to October.
Should I pay for call centre training to get a job?
No. Genuine employers recruit and train directly. Treat any request to pay for training, registration or placement as a red flag and check the advert before going further.
Related jobs in Kenya
- Customer Care & Photography Assistant · Sheffield Steel Systems
- Client Services Call Center Assistant Internship · Cytonn Investments
- Retail and Customer Insights Analyst · Diageo
- Call Center Agent · 4G Capital
- Customer Performance Field Officers · M-KOPA Solar
- Front Office Agent · Fairmont Hotels & Resorts