How to survive a call-center job, tips!
I recently started a seasonal call center job for one of major big box stores. I had always heard terrible things about working at call centers but I thought this place was going to be different because the pay was a little more than minimum wage with pretty good benefits, for a seasonal job. But now I’m starting to realize just how awful I am at answering real-life phone calls. I have answered phone calls in other jobs but never anything this complicated. I’m learning about performance metrics, QA, scripting…and how we have to pass our call evals with at least 88% or higher. I am required to up-sell, push customers to apply for the store’s credit card and provide at least 2 rebuttals if they decline. My training group transitioned to the sales floor yesterday where I took my first retail store call, and the customer and store associate were so rude and difficult. I have dealt with some awful people in my face-to-face retail jobs, but never to this extent. I need to this income especially this close to the holidays while I continue to look for another position.Can anyone offer some tips or suggestions on what I can do to survive at this position until the season ends in January or I can find another job. Hopefully sooner than later.
Handling difficult customers can be draining if you allow yourself to get caught up and lose sight that their angry and frustrated with the company and not you. Easier said than done especially when you’re getting calls back to back in know but Don't Take It Personal! Use the tools available to try to resolve the issue the best you can, offer options, and then let go. Let the metrics manage themselves. Don’t think about how much time you're on the call with each caller and how quickly your resolving their issue. As you get more experience you will be able to identify the more common issues during the first few seconds of the call and have the solution or process halfway done before the customer finishes explaining. Trying to manage metrics and customer service with these jobs takes years of experience and even then good results are difficult to maintain. Use your time off wisley. When out of work..don’t think about work! Plan your time to do things you enjoy and offer stress relief.
The key to survival in a call center is good listening skills. You will be better at solving issues and positioning sales but being able to effectively identify what the customers want quickly is the key to meeting your metrics. Give it some time..