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.

Working in the call center is easy if you have the right tools up and running for you to use for the entire shift.
But what if your computer gets busted while you are in the middle of the call. Here’s what you can do:

• Flag your supervisor and ask for help
• Let them call helpdesk if you are still in the middle of the call
• If the customer asks, tell him what happened and what you can do about it
• Provide options to your customer, if they are willing to wait or if you can give a call back (if this is allowed) instead
• (your suggestions here)

Call center wallboards? Yes, major call centers have these wall boards all over big, wide operations floor. But why do they have these installed on their walls.

• to inform their staff on the latest updates in operations and processes
• to give instructions as agents start or end their shifts or take their breaks in between
• to share statistics, especially for monitoring purposes
• to provide reminders on changes in their real time operations

This is a great help to call center agents so they don’t need to raise their flaglets in the hopes to get the attention of heir supervisor or manager. Just imagine the pain of waving endlessly for support while your customer is waiting for your answer on the other line. Having these wallboards also minimizes the unnecessary noise and distraction of these agents as their questions are already answered by just looking at these wall boards for information.

Are you new to the presence of these boards on your floor? Don’t worry, you will be given information on how these work as you will be given proper training on how to interpret those data that you will see before you even hit the floor and take calls.

Please answer any or all of these questions on the comment section of this post:

Do you also have call center wallboards on your operations floor? What are the usual types of information do you see? What help does it give to your work as you answer calls on the floor?

Call center employee satisfaction is one subject that most of the call center employees would love to talk about. This is something that matters to them most especially when they are evaluating their existence in the company. Call center offices are seen almost everywhere in the metro and this industry continues to grow in size and number, thus the challenge to keep their star employees from leaving.

So how do these call center companies keep their star performers from leaving and working in the next call center around? What do you have in mind? Feel free to drop by your ideas on the comment box below.

Have you felt the earth moved a bit in your call center this Tuesday morning? Here is one part of the news from yahoo for more information:

Several residents in Metro Manila and nearby provinces in Luzon were jolted Tuesday morning when a magnitude-4.7 quake hit the area. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato Solidum Jr. said the quake was initially recorded at 10:10 a.m.

If you did, what were you asked to do? Were you given instructions on how to manage your calls while this is happening?

Most call centers should follow a standard operating procedure so that the employees are guided on what to do should in times of emergencies like fire, earthquake and others as specified in your SOP document. Proper information should be part of your New Hire Orientation Training as well as some call center earthquake drills to help your call center staff adjust accordingly should this situation happens again.

Which brings me to ask you this? Have you participated in an earthquake drill in your call center before? What were your main takeaways from the experience? Feel free to share your tips here.

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

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.

Do you really want to get that call center job? Well, aside from presenting yourself well  in the scheduled interview, you must also answer the top call center interview questions. Don’t you agree?

Now, after checking that blog post, your next step is to have a practice buddy to help you be more confident in answering these call center interview questions. But what should you look for in a job interview practice buddy?

Your practice buddy should be willing to:

• Do the role
• Spend time to be in your practice sessions
• Objective enough to suspend judgment
• Provide tips on how you can improve the way you answer these interview questions
• Encourage you to keep trying until you are confident enough to show up in an interview scenario

Now, do you already have a practice buddy? Who can be one?

• Parents (especially those who are working in a similar call center or business process outsourcing environment
• Other relatives who were once employed or are working in BPO
• Your co-trainees (if you are already attending a call center training)
• Others who you trust to meet the requirements mentioned above

Remember to approach them first and lay all your cards so expectations are clear from the start. This is only for your practice buddy to help you in assessing how you answered those top call centre interview questions and not to provide detailed feedback on your grammar slips and accent opportunities (although it will be a great benefit if your practice buddy is someone who is credible and knowledgeable enough to do that for you).

photo: Stefano Valle/ Free Digital Photos

If you have been taking calls as a call center agent, you must know that customer satisfaction is key to your success as a front runner of the account that you are representing. You even take a lot of customer service training interventions to make sure that you are going to do the right thing.

But how do you really know that your customers were glad that they had you on the line? Here’s some points:

• Your customer asks for your name again, especially before the call ends and expresses pleasant experience with you on the line
• You generally hear all positive remarks are from them
• They will ask for your specific shift so they can sync their calling time when you are on board
• They will ask for your manager so that they can give you a commendation
• They will tell you that they will spread the word around about you being very helpful

See? Those are just few clues to determine that call center agents indeed foster positive contact center experience on the call.

Can you add more to this short list? Please place it on the comments section today.

photo: Stefano Valle/ Free Digital Photos

When people get in touch with call centers to check on their credit reports, they know that they have to spend for it, as this is a vital information needed in a lot of things related to their finances.

Also, all these information should be held in strictest confidence because all these figures are really of personal nature. It is like they are entrusting their secrets to you with regard to their personal finance, so respect those facts and figures to uphold the integrity of the call centers that you are working for.