−….. Did you ask where I am working? In a Call Center, now they say Contact Center.
− Oh well, you answer the phone. Rather an easy job, isn’t it?
− If you knew…
What goes on behind the job of a phone agent?
(No need to say that in the following he stands for he and she, ok?)
Among different requirements you have to meet for this job there is a specific physical capacity, namely to have a good voice. As phone agent you have to speak by phone all day long, vocalise properly, and control the tone and intensity of your voice which is your main working tool.
And there are quite a few psychological and human qualities a phone agent needs to have. First of all let’s mention patience. The agent will answer a large number of calls during his working time, for instance in customer attention. He must remain polite in any situation, either if the caller wants simple information or if he complains, reasonably or unreasonably and why not to say it, sometimes even rudely. The phone agent must never lose patience but carefully listen and answer with courtesy. One could say that a phone agent stays in the line of fire and he is the one who receives an angry customer’s “shot”.
A phone agent has to be quick on the trigger. To mention again customer attention, when a difficult situation comes up he has to evaluate promptly the importance of the matter and decide one or another way in order to resolve the problem at earliest possible. This requires the phone agent to be a mature person, capable of understanding and be in tune with the caller, and furthermore to have good speaking abilities.
But of course not always one has to deal with complaints. Phone agent is a varied job and not at all boring. Although the phone agents of Teléfono Permanente are specialised in different areas (within ‘Inbound Call Answering’ for example you may be trained for appointment schedule of doctors, order taking and ticket sale or technical service), each agent has to attend a variety of businesses within the sector he is assigned to. Therefore he has to fully concentrate at any moment and follow a specific guideline for each incoming call. Furthermore he has to adapt almost daily to changes and new requirements, and be ready to learn new software applications from time to time.
Concerning the field of Outbound Calls you have to add specific sales skills and persuasive power, and even more patience if any possible.
Thats all. Not too much, is it?
Absolutely perfect performance of the Call Center technology, i.e. telephony and data processing system, is an essential requirement. However, what defines the Call Center as a whole is the team of people, each staff member taking part of it.
At Teléfono Permanente we are very proud of our team and of having satisfied customers. And last not least… the customers of our customers are not aware they are talking to a Call Center Agent.