TIPS ON - HOW TO BE AN EXCELLENT CALL CENTER AGENT

How to be an excellent call center agent

 

How to be an excellent call center agent in the Philippines

So you’ve got a job at a call center in the Philippines. Congratulations! You may be nervous—and that’s only natural. Dealing with customer service calls can be challenging, but it can also be extremely rewarding. 

To make sure your customers are satisfied and your bosses are happy, follow our tips for working in a call center:

Always be professional.

Being a call center agent in the Philippines is an important job, and it requires you to always have the best attitude and demeanor. This is why it's important to keep your language and tone professional. You should avoid slang, contractions, emoticons, or abbreviations at all times because these things can make you sound less educated and less serious about your work. In addition to speaking well of yourself in this way, being respectful and polite towards customers will help them feel more comfortable talking with you for long periods of time.

Strike a balance between patience and assertiveness.

Patience and respect are key to a productive working environment. You’re dealing with people, after all.

But don’t let customers walk all over you! If they’re being aggressive or rude, be assertive—not aggressive. Remember: patience is important in this industry, but so is assertiveness.

Sometimes it takes more than just “assertiveness” to get through a rough conversation with an angry customer (or even an annoyed one). That's when having patience is most important—and why learning how to use it will help keep your cool under pressure when things go awry in the call center environment.

Call center TIP: Remember that you’re offering a service.

Remember that you’re offering a service. As a customer service agent in the Philippines, you are not the customer—you are the service provider. This means that you need to have empathy for your customers and appreciate their frustration with your company. You also need patience because no one likes being on hold (even though we all do it), so treat each caller like they matter and show them respect even if they're not treating you with any at all. Finally, be assertive when you need to say “no” or ask questions about things like billing information; don't let yourself get pushed around by angry customers who think that yelling at someone who can't physically see them makes them seem justified in their complaints.

Call Center TIP: Do not transfer the call over to someone else.

Even if you think you have a better idea and might be able to help the customer, it is your job to make sure that they reach the correct person. Even if you think someone else has more experience or knowledge about a certain topic, don’t interrupt them.

It can be difficult for people who are used to working in call centers where everything is laid out explicitly for them, but remember that every service provider around the world wants their customers to have an easy time when they call up with questions. Your job is not only to answer questions and provide information but also help customers reach those goals of having great experiences with your company!

Call Center Tip: Take ownership of the problem.

When you join the call center, you are the first point of contact for customers. You will be the person who will resolve their issues and get them to hang up (hopefully in a good mood).

This means that you need to take ownership of fixing any issue that occurs during a conversation with a customer. This can be anything from being unable to understand what they are saying to not being able to solve their problem. If something goes wrong, don't blame it on anyone else; step up and fix it yourself!

Call Center Tip: How to handle angry customers.

Let the customer vent.

When a customer calls in, they may be upset or frustrated about something, and sometimes it's important to let them get their feelings out before you start working on solving their problem. You can do this by summarizing what they say in your own words: "I'm hearing that there was a misunderstanding about how much time should be included in your parking pass." And then ask them if that's correct: "Is that right?" If they agree with what you've said, repeat back what they tell you until they give you another piece of information or ask for clarification on something. This process shows that not only are you listening carefully but also taking an active role in understanding the problem fully before moving forward.

Call Center Tip: How to be a professional call center agent.

A call center job is not a popularity contest. Your job isn’t to be liked, it’s to get the job done. Even if you don’t like the customer or think they are rude, there is a way for you to handle it without making it personal. You can be friendly and helpful without being fake or over the top about it!

If one of your coworkers is having a bad day or taking out their frustration on another coworker, don't let that affect your work ethic. If someone is rude to you, politely inform them how their behavior is affecting others in the team such as yourself and inform them they need to change their attitude before they continue speaking with any other member of our customer service team
Call Center Tip: Show empathy for customers

Avoid using canned responses—be a human!

Canned responses are impersonal and can come off as robotic. They aren't helpful to the customer, nor do they help build trust or relationships between your business and its customers. Not only that, but they're also a bad idea from an efficiency standpoint: why even ask all those questions if you're just going to turn around and feed them into a computer anyway?

Instead of being an automated response machine, try actually talking with your customers over the phone. If there's something about their order that doesn't seem right or needs clarification, let them know! After all, these people called you for help because they didn't know how else to get it. Be human; be friendly; be helpful; forge relationships with these people who have entrusted their hard-earned money into your hands.

Call center agents use their brains, and Filipino Call Center agents are smart.

Call Center Tip: Use your common sense.

The best tip when working in a call center in the Philippines is to use common sense.

Don't be afraid to ask for help when you don't know something. In fact, it's probably better if you ask for help sooner rather than later. You don't want to get stuck on a call with an angry customer who's demanding an answer from you and all you can say is "I'm sorry, but I don't know." That could make things worse!

Don't feel obligated to do anything that goes against what's in your company's policy or call center guidelines (although admittedly sometimes these policies are made more strict by management out of paranoia). If a customer asks for something that would violate their rights as a client or break some other rule in place at your job, politely tell them no and offer an alternative solution instead—like trying another department within the company if possible.

How to be the best call center agent in the Philippines?

These tips aren’t just helpful while working in a call center. They’re relevant to any kind of customer service job, and many different kinds of situations in life as well. Being professional is a good idea no matter what the situation, and being assertive but patient can help you convince people that you know what you’re talking about. 

Most importantly, remember that the goal for anyone involved in a dispute or conflict is to get it resolved as quickly as possible. Keep these basic tips in mind next time you have to deal with an irate customer or difficult coworker—and don’t forget to take a deep breath before responding!