Training the Younger Generation of Call Center Reps
1 Jul, 2007
By: Judy McKeeQuestion:
Is "cool," cool? Is "sweeeet,” sweet, is “solid” good and is “clutch" the new cool? My trainees are mainly young and all want to say what I think is unprofessional. I am a seasoned trainer, but I need advice. How do I teach professionalism and still remain “cool” myself?
---Crazy, Confused Trainer from Connecticut
Answer:
Dear Crazy,
The real question is, when is "cool" not cool? Trainers with years of experience know the key is to stay young in mind and heart, but remain professional. So, develop a program that includes words such as, “excellent,” “absolutely” and “exactly” as a response instead of "cool." Agents need a replacement word that conveys enthusiasm, which is what they are trying to do. These words will also "acknowledge" the customer and make the customer “feel” right, which is what "cool" is supposed to do. There is an exception: if you are selling to young people, and your product is contemporary music or videos, for example, then it''s okay to say “cool.”
It is also extremely important to convey to your trainees that they have accepted a professional position and it is time to adjust to the accepted standards of the professional business world.
They must also know that the most important thing is to listen to customers. If customers don't like how they are being treated and how information is being conveyed to them, the trainees are responsible for letting the company know what they are encountering --- and then it is time to make a change! Consider the customer and be appropriate. The point is to take care of the customer, not to be cool.
Question:
I am of legal age, yet my company treats me like I am seven years old. They monitor every call and say it’s for training purposes. The thing is, I’ve yet to see a training program based on my “dings.” How do I get the coaching I need and the “feeling” that I am “okay” without this constant dinging sound in my ear whenever I read a monitoring form? How can I ask for the training I need?
---Dingy in Delaware
Answer:
Dear Dingy,
Welcome to the real world of call center monitoring. Ask your manager to demonstrate a perfect call for you. Ask to be allowed to tape record the call and promise, on your word of honor, to listen to the tape until you can emulate it perfectly.
Ask your supervisor to let you self-correct. Tell her that in just three months you will be the best agent she ever had if she will be a positive coach and role model. Just find the monitoring form, reveal your true adult nature and do it the supervisor’s way. You will take home a healthy check and show your maturity in the process.
Question:
I am young and this call center is old fashioned. I was written up the other day for having music playing in my cubicle. This is where I live. Isn’t a person’s cubicle, her castle? Can’t I listen to my own kind of music? I am falling asleep with the elevator stuff they play over the PA system. Why can’t I listen to Bon Jovi, Pink Floyd, Sheryl Crow, Sting, Spinal Tap and Melissa Ethridge?
---Music Lover from Memphis,
Answer:
Dear Music,
First, know that many, many call centers do not allow music of any kind to be played because it can compromise the professionalism of the customer experience. If you are mainly answering Internet issues, that’s one thing. Live calls are another issue. If you are answering live calls, you must be sure you are using a noise-cancelling microphone and be sure to shut off the music when you are engaged with a customer.
There are exceptions, though. Places that sell CDs, i-pods and other music players say music CDs and DVD sales went up by leaps and bounds when they played music in the call center that was upbeat and changed by the hour as to genre: hard rock, easy listening, country, classic rock, leaving no type a special place but all types equal time.
The bottom line is you want results and not to “sing the blues.” If your center fits into a category that benefits from background music, ask your call center manager to update to the “Top 40” as long as the words and the music are kind and friendly.
