Customer service agents are the backbone of any telephone answering service. Every member of call centre staff needs to have certain qualities, to help them put customers at their ease while keeping the conversation informative and professional. Below we share the top 5 qualities that every customer service agent needs.
1. Excellent communication skills
Effective and positive communication is a vital quality as a call centre agent. This, of course, means being able to convey ideas and solutions, but it also means that you need to be an active listener. You need to speak clearly, and it is always best to use basic language that your customer understands.
2. Excellent organisational skills
Working as a call centre agent requires the ability to juggle different tasks. It is vital that you have excellent organisational skills which can be helped by utilising the correct software. The call centre agent needs to be able to talk to the customer, take notes, and find the relevant information to assist them with their needs.
3. Flexibility
One of the huge benefits of working as a call centre agent is the variety of customers that you will encounter. Some customers can be challenging, others chatty, while others may be grieving. It is vital that you are flexible to meet these differing needs, during any hour of the day.
4. Welcoming and friendly
Call centre staff are the first port of call for any company. First impressions count, so it is important that call centre agents are both welcoming and friendly. All interactions should remain positive and friendly and instil confidence in the service user. Within the care and funeral call handling service, an empathetic and comforting manner is also required.
5. The ability to keep calm
Every call centre agent needs to keep their cool under pressure, and this can be particularly challenging when dealing with callers who are angry or upset. It is important that you remain calm, helpful and respectful, and are able to diffuse any potentially explosive situation.
Nurturing these skills in your contact centre staff is vital to delivering the best customer service. To gain more information about using Frontline’s outsourced telephone answering service, then please do contact us today.