subject: Answering Service Irritant: Shyness [print this page] Answering Service Irritant: Shyness Answering Service Irritant: Shyness
The answering service department is susceptible to losses. Resources are wasted in the inbound call center department because of several reasons. One of the primary ones would be the inability of the BPO agents to make the most of the opportunity. The fault doesn't really lies with these faltering call center agents. It lies with the recruiters who got them on board.
There are a ton of agents out there who are not suited for a telemarketing job. Persisting with them not only hinders progress. It also makes it impossible for the business outsourcing center to make any headway in customer care. The question is, how do you screen candidates out? Look at how confident they are in handling inbound calls. Are they hesitant in picking up the phone? Are they twisting the phone cord nervously while they talk? It's important to read into these gestures because these are tell-tale signs.
A nervous or shy answering service agent is as good as non-existent. In fact, this breed of inbound call center agents can be more damaging to the brand reputation of the client. Customers feel wary when they talk to BPO agents who don't have the information or the data at their fingertips. Doubt creeps into the mind of the caller when the agent cannot answer questions clearly and promptly. This is even truer in case of financial services. Would you trust your money with a telemarketing agent who isn't sure of the interest percentage? The answer, from all quarters, will be a resounding no.
Let's dig in a little deeper. The loss of resources happens due to answering service attrition as well. It could be that the inbound call center agent leaves on his/her own. But more likely you had to fire the person because the BPO agent was not being able to deliver. This puts a brake on the flow of the project. It stalls work and you will have to look for other ways to compensate the vacancy. You may just have to hire new call center agents. If you had been careful about hiring, the trouble with getting rid of the agent and getting someone else on board could have been avoided.
The trouble with a face-to-face interview is that people change their behavioral pattern when they are on the phone. You may challenge the theory saying that you conducted a free and fair interview while hiring for answering service. You might feel that you made the right choice then. You may have been right. But on the phone, it's a different ball game altogether. Conduct phone interviews when you are hiring for telemarketing services. Ask them questions that a normal customer would ask.
Check for lack of confidence. If they stutter and stammer their way through, or just use fillers like you know', you can be rest assured that the person is unfit to sit at an inbound call center. Be insightful and tricky in the questions you ask. This will help you pick only those call center agents who are equipped with marketing abilities and acumen to take you forward.
