What makes a perfect inbound call center agent? With all the drastic changes that occurred in the industry, how do workers present themselves as skilled inbound call center agent in these challenging times?
And for the businesses, how do you find the agents for your call center with enough versatility and resilience to tread these challenging times?
In this article, we discuss the skills and qualities that companies should look for when hiring inbound call center agents in 2022.
What is an inbound call center?
Inbound call centers are a type of contact center that specifically handles incoming voice calls from customers. Existing and potential customers who call a company are directly channeled into their system.
Inbound call center agents handle a high volume of calls and address all customer service requests. Inbound calls can be about a product purchase, service inclusions, billing, refund, subscriptions, and many more.
An inbound call center performs a vital role in businesses of all sizes. When complaints and requests are addressed properly, it increases customer satisfaction and customer retention.
Skills inbound call center agents should have
As with any type of job, there are certain attributes that inbound call center agents should have in order to perform the job well. These are not only hard skills but also personal qualities that enable individuals to excel and deliver high-quality service to customers.
If you’re looking for inbound call center agents for your growing business, here are the skills you should keep an eye on.
Digital proficiency
Inbound call center agents should be fast when it comes to the technical navigation of computer systems. They should be adaptable and independent in using software tools to deliver efficient service to customers.
Having digital proficiency allows them to work with common tools such as customer relationship management (CRM) and help desk systems. This also includes being able to locate customer information, process their details, and follow a specific workflow on every call.
Organizational skills
Every call center company heavily relies on data analytics. With an increasing number of data getting in and out of your databases every day, agents should be able to organize each customer’s call based on their issue.
For example, if the agent resolves a customer inquiry about billing, they should properly record that on their profile. If the problem was resolved, it should reflect in the documentation.
Effective communication
This skill should be a cakewalk for every inbound call center agent. Communication is the essence of being a customer service representative — to be able to convey their ideas and solutions clearly even over the phone.
Good communication skills also mean that they can level themselves with the customers in terms of pace, tone, and vocabulary.
When communication is clear and effective, it leaves all parties involved satisfied. By delivering messages clearly, inbound call center agents can perform a workflow faster and more accurately.
Empathy
Call center agents aren’t robots, and it is usually what makes inbound calls highly preferred by most consumers. Without the quality of being empathetic, it may be hard to distinguish between human agents and AI.
A good call center agent would know how to align their emotions with the customer’s feelings. It helps agents do their job better because they understand where the customers are coming from.
Process-orientedness
Call center businesses operate in a very streamlined and process-oriented manner. Agents have call workflows to follow and data that should be observed.
For example, in cases where the agents have exhausted all efforts to address the issue and all fine-tuning still didn’t work, it has to be escalated to upper management. Agents should know when, who, and how to pass on the requests immediately to resolve the customers’ concerns.
Problem-solving skills
Customers come to you because of a problem. It’s a golden rule in all inbound call centers that you don’t leave them empty-handed.
The right candidates would go the extra mile and not resort to lazy steps just to end the call quickly. They should be able to come up with the right decisions to solve a problem, utilize the right tools, and make reinforcements when necessary.
Finding the right talent for your inbound call center
As people’s lifestyles change, customers’ demands evolve too. That’s why companies should be able to adjust and equip themselves for these changes. If you run a call center company, make sure to find the right set of people that can meet these demands.
The good thing is these skills can be taught and developed. To better assess the skills of a candidate, conduct pre-employment examinations that put their computer literacy and problem-solving skills to the test.
Then, during the interview, ask questions pertinent to understanding their personality and culture fit to your company.
