1. Identify Necessary Qualities
- The first step in hiring call center employees is to identify the necessary qualities that will enable them to perform their job effectively. These qualities may include:
- Strong communication skills
- Ability to multitask and manage time effectively
- Empathy and active listening
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Good problem-solving skills
- A positive attitude and willingness to learn
- Make sure to identify the necessary qualities for the specific call center role you are hiring for.
2. Conduct Behavioral Interviews
- Behavioral interviews are a great way to assess a candidate's abilities and qualities. Instead of asking hypothetical questions, ask questions that relate to specific experiences that the candidate has had in the past. For example, ask questions such as:
- Can you recall a time when you had to deal with an irate customer? How did you deal with the situation?
- How have you dealt with a difficult situation in which you did not know the answer to a customer's question?
- Can you tell me about a time when you had to learn a new process or system? How did you deal with the change?
- These questions can help you assess the candidate's ability to handle difficult situations and their adaptability.
3. Practice Role-Play Exercises
- Role-playing exercises can be used to simulate a customer interaction and evaluate a candidate's communication and problem-solving abilities.
- Give the candidate a scenario and ask them to act out how they would handle it. This can help you understand how they would handle real-world situations on the job.
4. Assess Language Skills
- Language skills are essential for call center representatives who will interact with customers.
- Examine the candidate's language abilities, including fluency, grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. You can accomplish this by having them speak in the language that they will be using on the job or by administering a language assessment test.
5. Check References and background
- Checking references is an essential step in assessing a candidate's qualifications and abilities. Verify their previous working experience and skills by contacting past employers or colleagues. Inquire about their interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities, and overall job performance.
6. Post-hiring process
- Once the screening and hiring process has been done, start with introducing less workload and low-difficulty calls to newly-hired agents. This helps less experienced agents adapt to the new environment gradually. Below are some practices you can follow when you hire freshers for your call center.
Route easy-to-manage customer calls to recently onboarded agents
- After completing the hiring process, it is important to train your new employee by routing simple calls to help them solve basic queries. This will help them feel more confident in handling complex issues, and it should be included as part of their training.
- If you are using virtual call center solutions like TeleCMI, you can take advantage of their automatic call routing system, which directs calls to the most suitable agent based on their skills. This can eliminate unwanted transfers and improve customer satisfaction.
Offer real-time coaching during calls
- Customers always expect call center agents to respond promptly and provide accurate information.
- It can be challenging to expect this level of performance from new hires as they need time to acquire the knowledge and skills required to respond promptly.
- However, with TeleCMI's real-time monitoring dashboard, you can use the call barging feature to listen in on active calls to ensure that the new agent is providing correct information to the customer.
- Additionally, the call whispering feature allows you to speak with your new agent in real-time without disturbing the customer in case they provide any incorrect information.
- This enables you to provide timely training to new hires without compromising the quality of customer service.
Closing thoughts
- Evaluating the qualities of call center agents before hiring and providing them with effective training is a crucial process. This ensures you hire candidates who can represent your company and provide exceptional customer service.
- To achieve this, it is essential to follow some tips, including identifying the necessary qualities, conducting effective interviews, and making informed hiring decisions.
- Once you've found the ideal candidate for your needs, you can use TeleCMI's contact center solution to provide efficient training by utilizing a variety of advanced features that assist agents in training quickly and effectively.
- With TeleCMI's cloud contact center solution, you can access a range of advanced features that simplify customer service and outbound sales operations, such as personalized training, performance analysis, and a real-time monitoring dashboard.
- By utilizing these features, you can assist your agents in developing the skills required to provide high-quality customer service.
- To learn more about TeleCMI's cloud contact center solution, sign up for a free trial or contact us for a complete demo.