Technology is advancing at a rapid pace. Many simpler types of calls that were once fielded by live agents are now being handled through different channels. A call to find out when a bill is due or what a balance is will often be deflected to a self-service medium, meaning the issues that do reach live agents tend to be more complex and emotionally charged.
The best contact centers are recognizing this, and they are making some modifications to how they operate to ensure that the experience that folks get when they call on the phone is not only satisfying from a pure data perspective, but that they get the right information quickly, and are able to form a positive relationship with the representative with whom they are interacting.
Using Call Center Assessments to Identify Capable Agents
Maximizing the customer experience is the end-goal of any well-crafted customer service skills assessment tool, and mounting evidence shows the implementation of call center simulations is saving organizations valuable capital and time by helping them avoid poor hiring decisions in the first place.
Thank about it: call center employees are under a tremendous amount of pressure to provide answers and resolve complaints. Add to the mix a customer that has experienced a long wait time or being transferred among several departments, and it’s easy to see how a conflict could erupt if the agent on the other end of the line isn't equipped with the skills and abilities to handle such interactions.
During an interview with FurstPerson, Mark Miller, Senior Director at the Contact Center Practice for J.D. Power and Associates, explained that today’s call center representatives not only need to have a high emotional IQ - they also need the ability to rapidly problem-solve and essentially diffuse ticking time-bombs.
With complex issues and emotionally-charged calls becoming the norm for agents, how can your organization find, hire, and keep talent capable of fielding these calls while forming and maintaining relationships with your customers, and promoting customer loyalty?
The first step is to test the knowledge, skills and abilities of your candidates in an environment that mimics that in which they'll be working with a call center skills assessment. More than a simple multiple choice test, human resources professionals are now relying on evidence-based call center simulation tests that place candidates into real-life scenarios that help evaluators to gauge their likely reactions on the job, to difficult customer service issues and questions.
Customizing Your Call Center Simulation to Find the Right Fit
The most effective call center simulations are those that are customized to reflect the types of customers agents will be interacting with, as well as the types of inquiries they’ll be receiving. After all, real job success in a call center requires a mix of skills, customer service knowledge, and job motivation. The customer service skills assessment that will work best for your company will depend on a variety of factors. Just like every employee is different, so is every company, and the right assessment will cater to the unique needs of your individual organization.
Reaching out to your call center may be the only interaction that customers have with a representative of your company. And with a greater number of emotionally-charged customers on the other end of the line, it’s imperative to take a close look at how successful your call center is. What changes can you implement to reduce the stress placed on your representatives and create a team that thrives in your environment? Adding a customer service skills assessment to the hiring mix may be just what you need to get the right infusion of talent into your call center.
Learn more about how call center simulations can help you find, hire, and keep agents capable of handling difficult calls and forming lasting, lucrative relationships with customers by downloading your free copy of the whitepaper below.
Topics: Contact Center Hiring