The Most Valuable Call Center Agent Skills

Call Center is the front line of any company. And there is not only a goal of helping the customer to solve some issue. It directly impacts sales, brand awareness, reputation, and overall success. 

In one of the recent researches about sentiments for shipment delay, made by Mitto company, it is said that for most customers, an unqualified call center agent's response is worse than the delay itself. Over 55% of customers canceled the shipment order because of a bad customer experience.

Soft and hard skills: what's more important

While many call centers pay lots of attention to the hard skills of the new agents, such as technical, bilingualism, and previous experience with channel platforms and telephony systems, there are other good ideas to look at.

Of course, we cannot ignore core requirements such as the ability of an agent to have a high-quality conversation with the customer and keep the conversation and handling time metrics on the appropriate level.

A good agent should also demonstrate:

• Deep understanding of our services or products

Quality of the knowledge base and how we can train everyone in customer service to use it - is one of the basic steps in making a great team. At that point, good training and onboarding strategies become valuable.

• Experience in working with CRM and other databases. Every year new IT solutions appear, especially when we talk about CX. That's why it is a strong advantage if your call center agents know at least some of them and can quickly adapt to new ones.
• Exceptional literacy. There are a lot of solutions for checking spelling and grammar in chats but most of the pricing models are not adapted for call center environments and thus companies don’t use it.

It is essential for any call center agent. We cannot accept that our customers would get a mediocre level of service just because our agent was skipping school.

But let's be honest, in the age of technology and self-education services, even a kid can learn to use call center equipment and be proficient in standard dialogue scripts. Or it's even better to hire youngsters born with high-tech in their blood.

So, what about soft skills? How to understand which of them could drive business growth?

These are five soft skills based on different surveys and expert opinions:

1. Patience

No doubt, this skill should be one of the significant capabilities of a call center agent.

It means that this person is ready to spend as much time on clear, polite explanations and careful listening as required to solve any question or case.

And it is harder to do than to say! Especially when call center representatives have to follow strict KPIs: Average Handling Time, First Call Resolution, Average Speed of Answer, etc.

2. Empathy and emotional intellect

Some things are congenital, but some aren't. Scientists and psychologists are still departing about a person's ability to acquire it. Modern and in some ways spoiled by a variety of services, the customer is sensitive to details like voice tone, phrases to support, and the readiness of agents to put themselves in another person's shoes. And for those responsible for customer experience to a first approximation, it is indispensable to be empathetic.

Some things are congenital, but some aren't. Scientists and psychologists are still departing about a person's ability to acquire it. Modern and in some ways spoiled by a variety of services, the customer is sensitive to details like voice tone, phrases to support, and the readiness of agents to put themselves in another person's shoes. And for those responsible for customer experience to a first approximation, it is indispensable to be empathetic.

3. Flexibility

It is hard to underestimate the importance of this skill. Almost every employer says that flexibility is one of the main criteria for hiring. When it comes to communication with the customer who has the privilege to be in any mood, there is plenty of space for flexibility. Moreover, flexibility helps one learn and adapt faster to changing circumstances beyond the scope of professional activities. The flexible agent is resistant to stress and unexpected situations. And we all know that customer service is pretty stressful.

4. Ability to go above and beyond

Going the extra mile is always a valuable quality, especially in the customer engagement area. A client will always appreciate an agent's effort to go a little bit further than it should be by standard procedures. This skill is closely related to the ability to think ot-of-the-box. Managers sometimes are scared of it, but it can bring excellent results in good hands.

5. Positive attitude

A positive way of world perception can be a helpful skill. A positive agent will likely find a better solution for the customer. They would be more patient and stable. A positive and motivated team will save you from staff turnover and fewer resources for hiring and onboarding.

Try to check the person’s enthusiasm for something except work when hiring. It may seem irrelevant but it will show the personality.

The ideal Call Agent: who is it?

What do you see when you think of the perfect Call Center Agent?

In nearest future, many human functions and activities will be displaced by technologies. But human wants to communicate human. So the Call Agent of the Future is someone intelligent but kind and patient, flexible but with a strong motivation. This person has a high velocity to adapt to any new technology and is capable of listening and learning.

Learn how to train soft skills in a call center without the management overhead.