What Skills Make a Good Call Center Worker?
All businesses need to communicate effectively with their customers. An increasing amount of this communication now takes place online, either live or via email and messaging services.
Many customers prefer to hear a human voice however, whether they are making a complaint, seeking information or looking to make a purchase. This is where call centers come in. Almost all major companies maintain call centers and they provide an essential link between the business and their customer-base.
If the idea of a call center job appeals to you, you will usually need at least some of the following skills and qualities:
Outgoing personality
Given that you will spend the majority of your day talking to complete strangers, an outgoing personality is a must. You should also be energetic and project enthusiasm – even if you don’t always feel it. Communication skills are complementary to an outgoing personality and it’s important to be polite and respectful while building up a rapport.
Ability to work under pressure
Call centers are often hives of activity and very noisy. When people around you are also talking, you must be able to tune out the background noise and concentrate on your own calls or administrative tasks. You should also be able to deal calmly, sensitively and politely with complaints and customers who feel they have a grievance with the company.
Attention to detail
Good communication is not just about getting your own point across. As well as a good talker, you should be an attentive listener. It may sometimes be difficult to understand the issue or problem a customer is trying to get across and the little details are often very important.
Problem solving abilities
Depending on the nature of the call, you might sometimes have to think on your feet in order to deal with a customer as effectively as possible. Call center workers can’t always field every query and solve every problem.
You also need to judge when it’s better to pass a customer on to more specialized or senior staff. Few people enjoy being put on hold and passed from pillar to post however, and it’s generally best if you can resolve issues yourself.
Basic IT skills
As well as making and taking calls, call center workers will also be required to keep records and sometimes to look up information and references when dealing with a customer. Basic IT skills can help with both these tasks. There have also been recent reports on the use of video recording at call centers and this may be another area you want to look into.
