TRICKS OF THE TRADE: HOW TO BE A TOP CALL CENTER AGENT

Growing your career in a call center is all about standing out. The competition in this industry is intense what with an estimated 700,000 Filipinos currently employed as call center agents. More than a decade ago, following scripts and being functional with the necessary technology may have been adequate for agents to get by but these days, there is definitely more to being a call center agent than just having a great telephone voice. Today, I will be writing about the skills and and qualities required for one to become an efficient, proficient and effective call center agent.

Since I am not a call center agent by profession, I will be speaking from my experience as a customer on the other line. I regularly receive calls from and have had my calls handled by call center agents. I've been disappointed and frustrated with many agents but there have been a handful of exemplary ones that have gone the extra mile. I've found that the agents that have made me feel valued and reassured after putting down the phone have similar qualities that are worth emulating. 

Taking inspiration from arguably the world's most famous fictional top Secret Service agent, I've come up and compiled a list of 007 characteristics I believe one must have to become the James Bond of call center agents! 

I present to you Tricks of the Trade!

tricks of the trade : 

-special skills and knowledge associated with any trade or profession

-clever methods that help you to do a job better or faster 

Let's break down the 007 characteristics and talk (pun intended) about them for a bit!

Be knowledgable. It cannot be stressed enough. Knowledge of the brand, products and policies of the company you represent is extremely important especially if your job involves resolving customer issues. Your performance relies on your product knowledge. If you know the ins and outs of your craft, you will be able to handle customers better and wrap up calls faster. It takes time and effort but if you have the willingness to learn and persevere, knowing your product like the back of your hand will make you an outstanding call center agent. 

Listen. Working in a busy call center is a demanding job that requires effective listening skills. Avoid interrupting the customer and give 100% of your attention to his/her concerns. When you listen, customers feel acknowledged and understood. This greatly reduces confusion and misunderstandings, making customers more open and cooperative.

Stay calm. Despite how good you may be, handling irate and angry customers is all part and parcel of being a call center agent. An agent that can stay calm and composed despite tempers rising is a major asset to any company. (Plus points of you can soothe the client as well!) Learning how to handle tough situations requires empathy and practice. Instead of taking their heated remarks personally, try to remember that these customers have most probably been either let down by the company or by the previous agent they spoke with. As a result, you have become the recipient of their anger. To stay on top of things, stay focused on the situation. Allow customers to express their concerns, acknowledge their frustrations and offer solutions once the opportunity presents itself.

Be proactive. The last two things a customer wants to hear is "I don't know." and "I'm sorry. It can't be done."After gathering pertinent facts from the customer, isolate the problem and demonstrate a positive can-do attitude. A call center agent is all about giving timely assistance and lending a helping hand. Provide an accurate answer or effective solution that can be implemented then collaborate with the customer to choose a solution that will best suit their needs. After all this, be sure to keep you customer updated on the progress.

Be productive. How fast can you answer the phone? How quickly can you resolve an issue? Time is gold, especially in the BPO industry. Call times and wait times will be used to evaluate your efficiency as an agent. To maximize your productivity, it is essential to guide the conversation in a positive direction. Take active control of the call to avoid going off-course and to keep both you and the customer focused on the problem at hand. 

Stay true to your word. No one likes to be let down after being given assured right? Refrain from giving false hopes to customers just to appease them. When you offer solutions, be certain that they can be carried out and implemented. Meet your customers expectations (or better yet exceed them!). By keeping your word, customers will remain loyal, happy and satisfied.

Be flexible. When working at a call center, you never know what the deck is going to deal you. That's the great part about the job. It's exciting because you can be guaranteed that the next interesting customer and challenging problem are right around the corner! You will be interacting with different customers with different personalities every day. So despite your training module, there is really no "one size fits all" approach to dealing with customers. Being resilient and flexible will help you stand out as an agent. Use ingenuity to overcome difficulties. Not only will your customer appreciate you for it, the company will also see you as a valuable asset. 

There you have it -- the seven characteristics that will make you a top call center agent! Products and services change constantly but these basics will remain the same if you want to be a model call center agent.