Hiring is one of the most important processes there are in a contact center, why? because call center agents are the ones that talk with our customers live and action, many times they are who listen to their concerns, persuade them to buy, help them solve problems and questions they might have, and so on.
If you care about customer service and customer experience you know the importance of having prepared agents that can offer an excellent service to your customers. That is why you need start looking for people with specific traits when it comes to hire a call center agent. Here are some of the most important characteristics you should look for in your possible candidates.
Communication Skills
When we talk about this, we talk about everything that involves communication, either oral or written; what you say and how you say it, and even more important how good you are at listening. The main task of a call center agent is to communicate with customers, that is why it is so important to hire people with great communication skills. Excellent grammar, positive language, active listening, and persuasive skills are characteristics that call centers agents need to offer a great customer service.
Empathy
Empathy is nothing more than sensing and understanding the feelings of the other. As we have said in previous articles, empathy is really important to offer exceptional customer service, because emotions play a big role in the client’s decisions and perceptions. When the call center agent can understand them, they will offer more customized and effective service. We believe empathy is something you can develop in your agents but the truth is that it is much more difficult to train soft skills, like empathy than technical knowledge, that is why it is so important to hire people with strong empathy.
Emotional Intelligence
As important as it is to understand customer's emotions, it is also important to understand our own emotions, and know how to manage them. When call center agents speak with people that show negative attitudes, they can feel stressed, specially with difficult customer situations. Other way to feel down is with sad customers stories, letting their personal emotions interfere with the service level they are offering. That is why it is so important for call center agents to have emotional intelligence to remain calm, positive, and know how to deal with their feelings.
Adaptability and Flexibility
Another skill you should take into consideration when hiring a call center agent is adaptability and flexibility. Call center agents experience many different situations during the day, and are always speaking with a wide diversity of people, adding that sometimes they also need to be switching channels and systems. They need to easily adapt to each call and offer a personalized experience to each customer. Call center agents also need to be multitask, although not every person has this ability, to be multitask you don’t only need to do several things at the same time, but to do them correctly. Agents need to speak and listen to the customer, while taking notes, and at the same time be looking for information. A call center agent with this ability will facilitate their work and reduce their stress.
Tech-savvy
This might not be an obligatory skill but being tech-savvy will facilitate training, work and efficiency. Contact centers are very involved in the use of information technology and other new technologies. Being tech-savvy is about being good at using technologies and understand how to use new technology features. For that reason, is very convenient to hire tech-savvy agents. Here at CCSI, we apply a computer and typing test, and for those that not get a high score in these test, we offer training to ensure efficiency for our clients.
At Call Center Services International we take the hiring process seriously, meaning we want to hire the right agents for you. Our candidates go through a series of tests including a psychometric evaluation and 2 interviews; one with our Human Resources team that look for this kind of qualities, and one with your nearshore supervisor to make sure they meet your desired profile as well. Contact us to learn more about how we help U.S. companies succeed in Mexico.