Mehedy Hasan Sahad

8 Important Skills One Must have To Become a Successful Call Center Agent --Mehedy Hasan Sahad Call center agents are the front-liners who represent a company to the customer level on the phone. They are the ones who respond to customers’ calls, listen to all of their problems, and give solutions. So as representatives of a company, they are supposed to make customers happy and save the company’s interest at the same time. This is a tough job, I must say, satisfying customers as well as saving the company from defamation. To serve the company and customers, they must have some qualities or traits. They need to be versatile and equipped with a strong skill set to handle the complexity of this job. Here are some most important skills one must have to become successful in this sector. Patience Patience and self-control is the key to success in this sector. Call center agents are hired for receiving customers’ calls and listening to all of their problems. Most people contact a call center because they have complaints or questions about a product or service. Listening carefully and giving services is the main job here. Customers may be frustrated or angry during a conversation with an agent, so patience is an extraordinary trait an agent needs to have. An agent should give customers a chance to explain their situation in full and never react negatively to an unhappy customer even if the customer asks ridiculous questions or talks dirty. Sometimes angry customers use slang or vulgar language to irritate an agent, the agent must be patient at that time too. He or she should pacify the customers with his good behavior. If the agent fails to do so, the customer will turn away from the company for good. Communication The main responsibility of a call center agent is to communicate with the customers efficiently. Keeping conversation clear and productive, maintaining professionalism, and conveying the right message to the customer are the signs of fruitful communication. Customers rely on the call center agents to get their service or solution to their problems, so the purpose of agents will be valueless if they fail to satisfy customers. Active Listening Call center jobs are all about hearing customer’s problems or questions and satisfying them with the best answers. Therefore, an agent should have active listening skills. This allows an agent to hear what the caller is saying. If a customer wants to explain the situation he or she is facing, an agent needs to hear every part of it carefully and attentively so that the agent can come up with the right solutions for the problems. If an agent isn’t attentive or can’t focus on the call, he or she may miss an important detail. This may end up making the customer even more frustrated and angry, which can make a difficult situation even worse. Thus, attentive listening is essential to showing respect for customers’ opinions and offering them the best solution. Empathy It may sound weird at first, but empathy is a trait one needs to have to become a successful call center agent. Empathy is a trait that helps an agent make a good relationship with a customer. It means that an agent is agreeing with a customer and can feel his pain. To deal with a frustrated or angry customer, agents have to think from the customer’s perspective by putting themselves in the customer’s shoes, allowing them to understand why the customer is frustrated or angry. Positive Attitude A customer might be furious while talking to an agent, but it is mandatory to stay calm and maintain a positive attitude. Using reassuring and positive language makes an agent seem confident which will make a customer trust the agent to handle the situation properly. Problem-solving Problem Solving skills refer to one’s ability to come up with an effective solution to an issue. An agent gets numerous complaints and concerns every day, so it is necessary for them to be a problem-solver. This means an agent has to think quickly and come up with the best solutions. An agent’s ability to act on their own ideas and thoughts will make the job easier for them. Technological Skills Call center agents should be familiarized with the latest tech devices and softwares which are needed in a call center office. Many technological devices are required to operate a call center, so the agents need to know how to operate those devices. Besides, there are plenty of modern softwares which are used to reduce sound noise, refine audio, and detect the caller’s location and device. Agents must be familiarized with those softwares to do their jobs effectively and efficiently. Multitasking Call center agents are often required to do many things at the same time. To handle this tough job, they need to have the ability to multitask. Being able to multitask means being able to handle a variety of responsibilities at the same time. While on the phone, a customer may ask a difficult question or can ask the agent to look up something in the company’s database for the customer. It requires inputting data and searching for the answer on the computer while maintaining the conversation with the customer on the phone at the same time. Therefore, to do their work efficiently, agents should be good at multitasking. Customers appreciate great service. As representatives of a company, call center agents are the ones who are tasked with a great job of serving customers over the phone, satisfying them, and making them return customers of a company. Hence, they must have all the skills to serve customers and make them feel valued while maintaining professionalism and adhering to the company’s regulations.