Being a call center agent is stressful and demanding most of the time. Being one requires you to maintain a professional attitude and, most importantly, patience. It is expected that you maintain the right balance between meeting their needs of service and providing the best customer service to your clients. This is why most hiring call center companies look for someone who is more than capable of carrying on with the job. With that, if you are planning to apply as one, start impressing your employer with your resume; start with a good resume example, and you are good to go. Hence, if you are aspiring to be one, here are the top 8 qualifications you must possess to become an effective call center agent.
1. Communication Skills
It may seem obvious, but it’s worth mentioning. Communication is one of the key skills needed to become an effective call center agent. This includes the ability to fluently speak in English and, most importantly, the ability to convey the message to address the concern immediately and to be a patient listener who shows great compassion and empathy to their clients. It is essential to remember that having good communication skills increases customer satisfaction.
2. Capability to Handle Pressure
On average, call center agents to handle a bunch of huge volume calls in a day, and most of the time, some clients cause too much stress on the agent. In addition, call center agents handle clients’ queries and concerns in a very immediate response. With that, they are greatly expected to remain calm, and composed, handle stress effectively, and not lose the quality of provided service. Thus, the essence having the capability to handle pressure is one of the basic but most needed qualifications to become a call center agent.
3. Problem Solving Abilities
Call centers are usually the ones who resolve issues with our everyday concerns like the bank, bills, and questions we find answers to. Usually, agents are provided with a set of scripts to help them handle common inquiries, but there are certain times when some clients have questions that are uncommon for agents to encounter, and that is when agents are expected to come up with an immediate but effective solution to the problem. Most agents put their clients on hold to think of a solution that can be used or to ask someone more capable to provide a solution, but let me tell you that the longer you put a client on hold, the lower their satisfaction may be. Hence, it is always essential for one agent to have such skills.
4. Empathy
One of the most important qualities one call center agent must possess is empathy. You may deal with different clients in a day, and most of them carry a different concern as someone they rely on to give them a solution; showing empathy and patience is really the key to building a healthy relationship with the client.
5. Emotionally Stable
If you plan to be a call center agent, you must be emotionally prepared to handle a variety of customers on a daily basis. Truthfully speaking, you will encounter clients that are beyond friendly. There will be a time when you will be assigned to a very angry and frustrated client, and as professional as you are expected to be, you should be able to keep your feelings intact and remain with a positive approach. Otherwise, your angry response to the frustrated client will not resolve the issue but only make matters worse, which could even affect your career and the reputation of the company.
