Working in a call center is just like working for any other industry. You always have to be ready to serve with a smile. This friendly tone brings out all the good things in the call.

From the moment you delivered your opening spiel until you say your closing statement, the customers will rate you based on how you relate with them, more than the information that they got from you. So even if you delivered bad news during the call, they will still thank you for telling them the truth in a polite manner.

Is this something that you can do once you start to work in a call center?

If you are one of those call center agents who would like to take a break from taking calls for eight hours, then the concept of long weekend will definitely bring a smile on your face. But do you need to wait for legal holidays in order to rest your body and voice from answering calls? You can do it soon, just take note of your schedule.

Make sure to ask your team leader and call center project scheduler for available (leave) slots on date when you want to take a leave. This will avoid any interruption or delay in call center operations that might cause account problems in the long run. Make sure to plot the (leave) dates accordingly and accomplish the tasks that you need to finish before going on a vacation with your family and friends on a long weekend.

But if you do not have leave credits yet, it is better to save your vacation ideas until you have earned your leave credits. That will surely make everybody happy.

Are you assigned to take calls from customers who have concerns over social security disability? If that is the case, let me share some tips on how to handle these types of calls:

• Listen to all the information that will be given to you
• Verify information as needed, especially if these details have numbers, complicated spelling etc.
• Be sensitive with your tone, these callers have concerns over claiming disability insurance so make sure to show empathy as needed in the call
• If you need to, give information and or instructions in small ‘batches’, like name and contact number, next date to call back and contact person to look for
• Make sure to confirm with the customer if he understand the instructions given to him
• Inform your caller what you will do for them as you end the call

Do you have some more to add to the list? Feel free to share these in the comment section below this post. Thanks.

Note: This is a sticky post to help you or your friends land a call center job. Feel free to check below for my other posts in this call center blog.

Having a call center job seems to be fun, enjoyable and provides a steady income for most people. But there is also the other side of call center jobs that you would like to know before you apply. Working in the call center industry is not all fun and games; it is actually very hard work and will ask a lot from you.

While the initial salary, salary increase, benefits and bonuses are all very attractive, you may want to consider a few things first before you apply in a call center company. You’d want to make sure that you know that you are getting into especially if you got accepted. Here are the things you need to know before applying for a call center job:

Type of Service

In the process of your application, you will be asked call center interview questions for the company to gauge what type of service will fit you best. There are 2 types of services: inbound and outbound. These are two very different services and choosing the right one for your skills and qualifications will do wonders for the company.

With inbound calls, you will be the one answering phone calls. Callers usually have something to ask about, needs help with something or will raise a concern. Inbound customer support agents should be knowledgeable about their products, able to handle complaints and has the ability to address problems fast.

On the other hand, outbound agents are assigned to make unexpected phone calls to random people offering them new products. Outbound agents should be very patient in case these people get irate because of these unexpected calls.

Quotas

Some call center jobs have quotas especially for outbound call agents. Quotas are meant to be met every month and sometimes, if an agent doesn’t reach his/her quota sales, he/she will be under probation or will be let go. There are also what you conversion expectations. Let’s say an agent is assigned to call 10 customers a day and the company has a conversion rate of 30%. This means that the agent should have at least 3 successful sales in a day to meet the conversion expectation.

Commissions

Aside from the benefits and bonuses, call center agents also have the opportunity to earn big every month because of the commissions. Call center companies offer big commissions to motivate outbound call center agents to achieve more sales. Although outbound call center agents may find this more challenging, they have more opportunity to earn big sum of money at the end of the month.

Work on Holidays and Weekends

Call center companies are usually up 24/7 and 365 days in a year regardless if it’s on a weekend or a holiday. If you are willing to work in a call center, this is already something you need to anticipate. While there are other agents that do not like this kind of schedule, some call center agents who won’t do anything during the weekend or the holidays take this opportunity to earn more cash.

These are just some of the things you have to look forward to when applying for call center jobs. As you can see, these jobs can be pretty demanding but can also be very rewarding. There are other things to consider so make sure you read part 2 of this article that I will be posting soon.

Of course we have our own opinions and I really respect that. I am just talking about the article that I read today about fresh graduates finding jobs and the opinion as well of Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

Meanwhile, Baldoz advised new college graduates not to be choosy in finding employment.

“It is practical to accept the first available job and get the needed experience. The graduates need to acquire skills that are relevant to the key employment generators and to land jobs,” she said.

You can go and look for jobs that best represent the education that you got, that’s fine. But if the opportunity isn’t there yet, check out those call center jobs and you might find the opportunity that you are looking for.

Working as a call center agent is just one of the positions you can apply for in a BPO company. Go for it and do your job well. Then after a year or two and you have proven yourself worthy to be considered in another post, then be assertive and apply for that position. The next thing you knew, you are already doing the job of your dreams.

Part of every call center work is to face the computer every shift as they talk to their customers over the phone. That is why part of every call center application are tests to measure an applicant’s knowledge on using computers.

But what if you want to apply for a call center job and you need to brush up on your knowledge in using the computer? Here are some ways on how you can prepare for this computer based assessment.

• Use gateway computers in your library for this purpose. If you are still studying, your can allot some of your free time in between breaks to research and use the library’s computer to research on shortcut keys that you need to remember, other tips in using the system and typing test exercises if you need to also review on your typing skills
  
• Go to the nearest Internet shop and pay a small fee. This is the most convenient option if you don’t have access to computer and Internet at home. Also if public libraries are far from your place.

• Another option is to revive your old PC. If your old unit can still work for basic computing and Internet use, then I suggest talk to your parents about the idea. Shell out some cash for repair, apply for Internet connection and off you go

Of course, computer applications and basic usage are part of most of the call center training, that is after you get hired by the company. But of course, it is to do your own homework especially if you believe that you find it challenging to use one.

Sure, there are other ways to go about it, but what is important is that you exerted some effort in familiarizing yourself on how to use the computer even if the main challenge is not having these tangible resources in the beginning. As soon as you landed a call center job, save some money, buy yourself a desktop or a laptop so you can be at par with other call center employees who have their own units and are computer savvy.

Note: This is a sticky post to help you or your friends land a call center job. Feel free to check below for my other posts in this call center blog.

Call center training hits local government units this time. I just read from this site that Marikina City government (with the help of their partner companies) is going to facilitate 100 hour free call center training for their residents.

This great opportunity will certainly open new doors for Marikina residents to think about pursuing their career in the call center. Would you like to take advantage of this free training?

Please prepare the following requirements:

• Voter’s identification card or certificate of registration with Comelec; barangay clearance;
• Latest community tax certificate (cedula);
• High school diploma (for high school graduates); and
• Certification from college/university (for college students).

Marikina residents between 18-45 years old are advised to register from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m.-5p.m. at the Center for Excellence, 2/F, Marikina City Hall , Brgy. Sta. Elena, Marikina City.

Do you want to have an advanced reading of the topics that might be discussed in training? Hop on to these free call center articles for more information:

• Tips on how to answer these top call center job interview questions
• How to observe common courtesy in your scheduled call center interview
• How to practice speaking in conversational English before you apply for that call center job
• How to answer this call center interview question on in connection with your previous employer
• How to select a practice buddy to answer common call center interview questions
• What are these call center behavioral interview questions that your future employer might ask

• How to smile in your calls to ensure good call handling experience with your future callers
• List of redundant phrases that call center agents should improve on
• Four easy ways to deal with irate customers on the other line
• The best way to practice your typing skills
• A simple tip to pass your call center job application for technical accounts
• How to dress well in your job application for a good first impression

If you are looking for a break in doing the usual call center job tasks then this opportunity might be the one you are waiting for.

Honestly, I am very excited to share this to you especially since I believe that a lot of us know the site Multiply. Yes, you heard it right, according to the email I received on my inbox today, Multiply opened a new office in Manila and is hiring for different positions to fill in, including Customer Service Representatives.

So before you jump for joy and prepare your resume, here are the requirements for the customer service representative job post (descriptions from their email message):

-image from multiply-

So, do you have what it takes to apply for the job? Wow, now make sure to prepare the usual stuff to bring in the interview, like your resume and other necessary paperwork, identification cards and read top ten call center interview questions just to give you a review on the possible questions that might be asked of you. Although the job description was more for the Internet savvy person to take the job, it will help if you are ready to show them that you can also take some calls (like the usual call center work) if that will be part of your responsibilities with them.

You can also get a trusted person to be a practice buddy so you can comfortably answer these call center interview questions and answers while you are also preparing your own Multiply account. Yes, you read it right. It is not part of what they are looking for (that you have your own account with them) but I believe that if you can show them that you have a Multiply account and you know very well how to go about having one then I believe this is of great advantage to you.

So remember to be the most prepared and confident applicant today, smile and you can be a step closer to your dream job in one of the biggest social networks here in Asia. Good luck.

Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation to share this job opportunity with you guys. Just want to share this good news sent from my email today.

Whenever there’s news about typhoons hitting the country, we have to make sure that our safety is our primary concern. Same thing goes with your call center as they also help their call center agents come to office or arrive home safely after work.

How do you keep yourselves safe on the road? Here are some tips:

• Always listen to the latest news regarding the latest weather situation through company bulletins
• Make sure to bring extra money, clothing, bottle of drinking water and food on your bag, you’ll never know when you’re going to need it
• Enable your mobile phones to call, this means to charge your phone’s batteries and have enough credits to call someone in emergency situations
• Also stash an umbrella (three folds is okay, but the longer umbrella is proved to last longer). This goes even if you have your car going to work (better to be safe than sorry)
• Keep the number of your call center hotline or your immediate supervisor’s number to inform them if you will be late or absent or if you need some immediate help in nearby areas

So those are some helpful tips to remember to keep you, call center employees safe on the road. Can you add more to the list?

Do you know if your call center gives you a health card as part of your benefit package?

In my opinion, that should be one of your concerns to consider as soon as you decided to apply for a call center job. Health concerns in a call center environment is no secret. Working for eight hours (or more) taking calls can easily drain your energy, especially that you have to take care of a lot of metrics while doing that.

Also, you are doing multitasking jobs while being timed for each interaction. Add the odd shift that you need to attend to as that adds stress up to a certain level. These things might not be a big deal for now, but this is something that we should all consider if we are working for a very dynamic work environment like that of call centers.