If you are a call center agent, you probably know how stressful and demanding your job can be at times. Call center agents need to maintain the right balance between providing excellent customer service to clients and meeting the targets of their company. That’s why most companies usually hire skilled and experienced agents to handle the requests of their customers. Every call made by a customer is different and call center agents need to have the right skill set and experience to handle such calls effectively.
In this post, we are going to share with you the qualities that call center personnel must possess. However, the qualities that we will cover cannot be taught but acquired with self-learning and practice. Let’s get started!
Qualities that cannot be taught but call center personnel must have
Knowledge retention and recall
A good memory is indispensable in the call center environment. Agents need to memorize and remember every important piece of information about their business. Customers want accurate answers immediately. A lack of conviction or hesitancy on the agent’s part lessens the customer’s belief in the accuracy of information. Call center agents should recall information instantly since customers don’t have all the time to wait as they look for answers. Most organizations usually test and evaluate the ability of prospective candidates to recall information before hiring them.
Handling pressure
In the call center environment, there is immense pressure. Most call centers tend to have high turnover rates due to pressure. You’ll have to deal with angry or frustrated customers daily. And this can affect your productivity and performance at work. You need to remain calm despite what’s happening in your environment.
Speed and efficiency
Successful call center agents are usually fast and efficient. This means that they can help a lot of callers in a short period. Organization leaders love such agents because they help in increasing revenues and profits. While speed is an important factor, it should never come before customer satisfaction. Callers love agents who pick up their calls and answer their questions quickly. They don’t want to be on the line longer than it’s needed. And, they need their queries to be resolved effectively.
Emotional stability
Great agents always keep their emotions under control regardless of whether they are dealing with a highly irate or friendly caller. An agent will likely deal with an irate caller every day. Therefore, they need to manage their thoughts and emotions. When you give an angry response to an angry caller, you’ll worsen the situation. You can easily diffuse the negative energy by remaining calm and providing a solution that will satisfy the caller. You should always be professional at all times to provide high-quality and consistent customer support.
Empathy
One of the most important qualities that a successful call center agent should possess is empathy. Being warm and friendly to all your callers will go a long way in building rapport and improving your productivity. Agents should always convey a genuine understanding of the concerns of their customers. You can achieve a lot if agents show empathy for the problems that a customer is facing. From a caller’s perspective, there’s nothing as frustrating as dealing with someone who is not interested in what they have to say.
Team player
In our modern world, cloud-based and virtual call centers software employ agents located in different parts of the world. Therefore, it’s easy for an individual to work alone. However, successful call centers usually have agents who work as a team by making the most out of their software solutions. Agents should always foster relationships with their colleagues to provide support when it’s necessary. Organizations will greatly benefit when they encourage their agents to work together to achieve a common goal. Teamwork promotes smooth operations and enhances efficient customer service. Team members should support each other as much as possible to relieve the load of management.
Optimism
Call care agents have to deal with different people every day to get the job done. And this is not easy especially when you consider the high number of irate customers who are going to call. To achieve their goals, call center agents should be optimistic. By thinking and feeling positive about your work and the people you interact with, you’ll easily turn a negative experience into a profound experience. Optimism doesn’t just apply when you are working. You’ll need it in every part of your life.
Ability to multitask
During peak hours, call centers usually get busy. Therefore, the ability to work on several tasks simultaneously will come in handy. You’ll need to listen to your callers, take notes, answer their questions and work on any other urgent task that comes up.
Organization
As we said earlier, call centers are usually busy at peak hours. Therefore, an excellent organization is essential not only for the entire company but the agents themselves. To answer questions accurately and solve problems in your environment, you’ll have to stay organized. The organization simply means putting everything where they are supposed to be. One of the best times to organize your workspace is in the evening before heading home or early in the morning before you start working.
Problem-solving
Back in the day, call centers used to provide their agents with scripts to use when answering callers. While a few organizations use this procedure even today, it is a dangerous one because it limits the ability of an agent to respond to unusual requests or queries efficiently. Callers will have to be put on hold and listen to the IVR system music for the agent to find good solutions. Call center agents should easily solve their callers’ problems. This requires creativity to come up with a solution that will satisfy the caller while protecting the reputation of the organization. Creative problem solving can only be developed with experience.
Communication
At the cloud call center, communication is everything. And a huge part of communication is active listening. To become a successful agent, you have to be a good listener. You need to listen to your callers to answer their queries accurately. You also have to use clear and simple language and have etiquette. No one wants to listen to you as they peruse their dictionaries to understand your message. Keep everything simple. And be polite when you are communicating with your callers even when using WhatsApp API.
Let’s start developing these qualities
These are the most important qualities that call center agents need to nurture every day in the workplace. And the best part about them is that you can acquire them with self-learning at your own pace. Which quality will you start developing today?
