Customer care representatives or call center employees play a vital role in establishing a company’s reputation. They do so by becoming the voice and face of the company by handling inquiries, requests, and many other duties that encompass the job profile. According to the BLS, this domain is expected to grow at a rate of 15% in the next 5 years.
Individuals prefer to work in a call center for quick money and instant experience. Jobs in BPO’s like Convergys are considered highly lucrative because of the market standing of the company.
Before we go any further and delve into the nitty-gritties of what makes a customer care representative stronger, it’s imperative to throw some light on his organizational role and responsibilities.
Basically call center employees need to:
Process returns and exchanges
Answer questions about services and products
Do cashiering at times
Handle customer complaints
Resolve service issues and refer customers to higher management
Have an in-depth knowledge about the company’s procedures and policies along with the services and goods that are offered
Answer phone calls efficiently
Make payment arrangements with clients and customers
Explain company policies to update customer accounts and track lost shipments
Work the night shift whenever required
Chat online with customers
Respond to mail enquiries, and interact with customers through social media portals like Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Work in the outbound department and contact customers to give new information
This is but a glimpse of what the job profile truly entails. The work is difficult as it takes a massive chunk out of your daily 24hrs. With constantly changing shifts, duties, and absolutely no free weekends, call center employees have their work cut out for them.
Social obligations become scarce with time and the workplace becomes your humble abode. It is but logical to think that since you are stationed in a building for hours on end – making and taking calls – you might as well devise strategies to improve productivity and stay on top of things. The way you engage at work, address customer issues, and collaborate with colleagues could impact the productivity of the call center as a whole.
Call center employees work in several capacities so they might address this topic differently. However, here are some key productivity-boosters which could come handy to all:
Figure Out your Flaws
Ask your quality analyst to brief you about your performance and identify any recurring trends.
If you have failing or low scores in a particular category, ask the manager to give you tips on how to improve.
If poor communication skills are holding you back, take coaching classes immediately.
Based on the results of the trend analysis conducted by the QA, identify the cause of your performance issues.
Create a Plan of Action
Once you have identified your flaws, fabricate a plan of action to eradicate them as soon as possible.
Work with your supervisor to glean information about available resources and easy avenues.
Enroll in up-training or additional training sessions to upgrade your professional and communication skills.
Request job aides or reference materials for quick perusal.
Interact with an outstanding colleague to understand the proper way of handling interactions.
Request Feedback
A good employee not only takes criticism constructively, but requests prompt feedback for personal and professional growth.
If you feel you are struggling to perform, ask your manager to give some extra attention.
Express your specific needs to get the best possible help from the management.
Take Stock
Score and measure the performance on every call.
Keep a database of every call – when it came, how much time it took to answer, who answered it, how long it lasted, the category of the call, and to whom it was transferred.
Use tools like LogMyCalls or HyperQuality to score calls.
Stay Focused
Know the requirements of the company by heart.
Ensure that you hit targets while creating an environment for self-development.
Combine the extrinsic and intrinsic motivational techniques to inspire people rather than shun them.
Learn to Segment
Start segmenting customers by improving the routing of your IVR options so as to match the right agent with the right customer.
Do so to enhance customer satisfaction as he will now speak to a skilled agent who can best answer his queries.
Segmenting will give you time to address more pressing tasks.
Sharing is Caring
In the event of a good call, hold a group discussion so that everyone can listen to it.
This will motivate others to demonstrate the same performance, while upgrading your credibility at work.
Create criteria’s that define a good call. This will ensure smooth categorization, thereby saving time and augmenting the productivity of the company.
Leverage Idle Time
Finish the “off-phone tasks” in less than 3 minutes.
If you feel stressed, request to take short breaks so as to breathe easy.
Eat a snack or take a walk to boost productivity.
Conclusion
The key to performance in a call center is motivation and training. Metrics, however, define the level of success. A call center employee needs to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction. In order to achieve this benchmark he needs to be in complete control of his faculties to guarantee increased success.
By encompassing the aforementioned boosters in your daily schedule, I am sure you will achieve the pinnacle of success by upgrading your productivity to the best possible level.