I want to be a Call Center Agent

So you want to be a Call Center Agent

Call Center in the Philippines is booming as we know it. Even with the Global Crisis that we have. So it make sense that most of us is aiming to be a call center agent.

I'm sure you are asking yourself what does a call center agent do? This is my question four years ago before I joined the call center industry.

Before we go to he details we need to learn a few things first.

If you are planning to apply as a call center agent, decide first what position will suite you.


Technical Support, Customer Service, Sales Representative

Technical Support helps customer with their technical needs. Take me as an example. I work on a computer company so as one of the technical support agent I will help customer on fixing and using the computer, software and hardware over the phone. You got it! This is for the tech savvy's and savvy wanna be cause you can always learn. Base on experience technical support representative has higher pays than customer care and sales reps. The arsenal that we have here will be technical product knowledge.

Customer Service helps customer with account problem, issues on billing, payments, and most importantly complains. If you have faint heart, you may want to consider technical support agent or sales representative because most of the customers that you will be taking it is angry and irate, why? Because most of the time they have been pass from one department to another. Customers here are cursing and shouting.

Sales Representative I guess this one does not need any proper intro, they sell parts and service. This positions pay is usually as high as customer service but they have incentives. Usually the have quotas to beat., like they need to sell let's say one computer a day, or they need to reach $1000 a week. On top of their salary they have incentives. NOTE: some of my colleagues from technical support transferred to sales, so I guess this is the second best option.

Besides the 3 basic position, there are 2 types of calls that they can do.

Inbound Call Center Agent

This is where I belong, we receive inbound calls. A customer in the United States has purchase a computer and needs help on how to turn it ON (I'm not kidding, this happens). He dials the technical support number, I will pick up and help him.

Outbound Call Center Agent

Mostly this are for sales representative, cause they have a list of prospects that they want to sell to, so they call the prospect customer and ask them to buy computer, toilet seats, flowers, everything. All outgoing calls is called outbound call. Let's say the person who called me that needs help on turning On the computer somehow gets disconnected, I will do an outgoing or outbound call for that person so that we can continue.

HOW DOES IT GO?

A sample of how a technical support agent helps a customer. We will use Dell Computer as an example.

Joe customer that owns a computer.
Jam the technical support.

Jam: Thank you for calling DELL, this is Jam. How may I help you?
Joe: Hello, this is Joe I'm having a problem with my dell computer.
Jam: I will be happy to help you Joe, before we proceed do you have the service tag (service tag is a unique number on the computer that identifies the model and owner)
Joe: Service Tag is ABC12D1.
Jam: Thank you Joe. I'm pulling out the record. So this is a desktop computer?
Joe: Yes
Jam: How can we help you with this desktop computer, Joe?
Joe: The computer does not turn On.
Jam: Alright, let's see whats going on with this computer. Is it working before?
Joe: Yes
Jam: Any changes made or hardware added on the computer before it stopped turning ON?
Joe: Nothing has been changed or added. The computer stopped turning ON after my wife did a general house cleaning.
Jam: Okay. There could be something wrong with the cable connection. Let's check and make sure that the power cable is plugged in properly.
Joe: Alright, I'm checking right now. Oh! I think I know what is the problem, my wife unplug the power cord and forgot to put it back.
Jam: There you go! alright so plug it in see it turns On.
Joe: Yeah its turning on now and working.
Jam: Great! alright. Is there anything that I can assist you with Joe?
Joe: No, nothing else, thanks for your help.
Jam. My pleasure. Thank you so much for calling DELL. Have a nice day.
Joe: You do the same. Thank you. Bye.
Jam: Good Bye.

This is a very simple example on how a technical support helps a customer. In the real world the some calls and issues are complex that it takes more than an hour to fix a certain technical problem. The longest that I heard is 8 hours in one call.

If you want to hear a real call, in real life check this out, click here