Overcoming in a Multitasking Environment

The call center is a multitasking environment. As a customer service representative, there are things that we do along with other tasks. Most of the time we are faced with the job of reading a script, encoding details, preparing a response, reading web applications, and thinking of solutions for the customer. Wow... Those are not easy done alone. What more if you do them together?

So how do you survive in a multitasking environment? How do you prepare yourself to do the job or jobs? What does it take to be effective in such a work?

Here are some tips to help you out in this fast-paced workplace:

1. Get enough sleep.
     It is important that your mind is well charged in preparation to work in a multitasking environment. You have to have an alert brain. Giving responses to callers is not that easy. Let alone you have to help them in their situations. With a sleepy head, you cannot think of accurate solutions for them. You may not be able to come up with proper assessments of the customer's situation. And of course, decision-making is impaired.

2. Always keep notes of what you do.
     It always pays to keep track of how you were able to help out a customer in a specific situation. Sometimes, those situations tend to happen to other people, too. It would be great to have a reference on how similar situations were solved. And, if there is a variation, keep track of it as a new obstacle that you overcame. Take specific notes on what the problem was, what caused it, how persistent it was, what solutions were tried, which one worked, and how effective that solution was. There are many things in life that we may encounter sporadically, such as rare terms like innocuous, vet tech, or sycophantic. But when we encounter such stuff, we must make sure we remember them for future use.

3. Keep your composure.
     It is imperative that a customer service agent works well under any kind of pressure. As a CSR, you get to be shouted it at, complained on, played around with, and worse, you get profanity. But these are not occupational hazards. There are regular scenarios in an unpredictable environment. You have to keep your calm, be patient, and let go of unfavorable situations. When you are multitasking, other than the usual activities, you must also keep pacifying yourself whenever you are faced with irritating customers.

Be ready for anything and anyone. A multitasking environment is difficult to deal with but not impossible to work on. Just smile!

by: Jonathan Daoana

Handling Irate Customers

There is nothing more disturbing than having an angry customer on the other line using profanity. Many customer service agents spend so much time that even the Average Handling Time (AHT) gets burned to the ground. What I would give to get through a day's shift without someone shouting on the other line. Oh well, not every day is a great day at work.

We have got to learn though that there are ways that we could appropriately deal with such languages. Now it doesn't take a college degree to know that you have to ease these people from their crises. I don't need to have a degree even with college scholarship to learn that. I know that some customer service agents would try to pacify the customer at once so as not to aggravate the situation. Some would even go through the whole process of "soothing" the customer's unruly tantrum. But remember, these moves will not actually get the customer to cooperate.

There are customers whose main objective is just to whine. Some call because they are frustrated over something. There are those who call because they believe somebody mistreated them. And of course, there are those who are angry but just need assistance at the soonest possible time.,

So, how do we deal with irate callers? Here's a four-step technique that is effective in handling such cases.

1. Tell the customer that there is no need to be angry and use profanity.
     Let the caller not that you are there to help them if they would allow you to do so. Being angry and using profanity cannot help their situation right now. Also, let the customer know that if they would calm down, you can more accurately give them the assistance they need. This move is the shortest way to pacify the customer without treating them like a child with a tantrum. Treat them like a baby and they will believe they have control of the call and you as well. Continue on with the call.

2. Tell the customer that you will release the call do not stop with the profanity.
     Give the caller a stern warning that if the use of foul languages do not stop, you will be forced to release the call at once. Customer service agents should allow themselves to be verbally abused. It is just right that customers using such words should be told that the call will not continue on, There is no way the customer can be assisted if he or she is just there to harass the agent. The call will be worthless. No assistance can be given, and no one will gain anything out of it.

3. If it continues, tell the customer that you are now releasing the call.
     At this point it is always best to end the call. It will be pointless to continue on if the customer will not allow you to help them. So politely tell the customer that due to the language used and the attitude exhibited, you are now terminating the call. It is actually the customer's discretion if he or she would call back or wait until he or she has calmed down and them make another call.

4. Report the situation to the superviser.
     After all that has happened let your immediate supervisor know what has transpired so that the team will be given information that such a customer is bound to call back and that precautionary measures should be made to appropriately deal with this person.

I know this will helps!


by: Jonathan Daoana

How To Become a Customer Service Agent

The Customer Service Relations (CSR) industry is a fast-paced environment that transcends all businesses and industries. Every company needs to have a customer service section that deals with assisting people in various ways. This could either be in sales, complaints, collections or simply inquiries. It may or may not be an easy task but someone in the company has to do it.  And we are talking about customer service either on a face-to-face or phone setting.

Many people do not consider customer service employment as a career. They believe it's just a part-time job that you can get into while studying in school or even taking up education in an online course. In short, people do not think of this job as something with a future. But the truth is companies will always need this section for a lot of reasons. So getting into this job may mean a bright tomorrow for some individuals.

So how does one become a Customer Service Representative? Well you definitely have to have some skills. Here they are:

1. Patience
The CSR industry is truly a very chaotic world. Some people demand prompt assistance and some just want to whine. But a person in this industry must have patience that is more than the usual for most people. Not all demanded information are readily available, sometimes you would need to interact with other departments and the info you need may not be there when you want it. It is a bit frustrating, believe me, I know. But when you want to give accurate information, you must be willing to wait for it.

2. People Skills
This industry is all about relations and relationships. Companies are exerting a lot of effort in customer relations management. Customers need to be attended to, taken care of, and given accurate services. They need to be increased in number and also retained as a loyal customer. These are all possible through proper customer service provision. So the CSR personnel must have good people skills. This can be manifested as friendly, accommodating, and helpful. It is the ultimate task then of every CSR agent to take good care of customers to ensure a great professional relationship with them. Not an easy task when your company has thousands of customers!

3. Practical Decision Making
It is important for a CSR practitioner to have great decision-making skills. Every choice matters. Every move affects the way we deal with customers. A wrong step could always mean disaster. This can lead to loss of customers. It is important that we provide customers with accurate assistance to ensure customer delight. Just as in any other job like being a doctor, engineer, or accountant, or architect, a CSR personnel must provide what the customer wants and needs. Making the right decisions will ensure that the customer gets the best service possible. For sure, the customer is going to come back for more! Isn't that great?

These are the top skills needed if you would want to consider a  career in the customer service industry.  It may not be easy, but it sure is rewarding!

By: Jonathan Daoana