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Call Centre

SUNDER RAMACHANDRAN

Enough experience

I was a verbal faculty for the past three years for entrance examinations like CAT, IELTS & GRE. Will a call centre accept me as a voice and accent trainer? I do not have a degree in literature but have a wonderful experience of classroom training. Aditi Shenoy

Contact centre training is extremely dynamic and challenging in nature. As a Trainer, you need to utilise effective presentation skills including creative training techniques and adult/accelerated learning techniques. A degree in linguistics is preferred but not mandatory, as long as you have excellent written and verbal communication skills. You must also possess a flexible attitude and be adaptable to foreign cultures (especially North American). With a background in training young adults on verbal communication skills, I think you are fairly positioned to start a full time training career in the BPO domain.

Nasty colleague

I am working as a trainer in a leading call centre. My co-trainer plays nasty by presenting manipulated records that she is a better trainer which necessarily is not the case. How should I handle this situation?

ABC

Conflict management is a key skill that all trainers need to posses. Co-facilitation can often be challenging as adult egos come into play, particularly when you are collaborating with a tenured trainer. I would recommend the following:

a) Get your training manager to observe your performance in the classroom and form an objective opinion about your training skills. Getting your boss on your side can save you trouble if things turn sour with your fellow trainer.

b) Initiate a candid conversation with you co-trainer and understand her perspective. It appears that she feels threatened by your presence in the classroom. Remind her of the common goal i.e.: learner's outcome.

Finally, co-training works best when trainers are collaborating rather than competing with each other.

Info please

I would appreciate if you could give details of Web sites, blog's, Chat Rooms and any further References on the B.P.O Domain Ranging From Call Taking to Call Analytics and agent Recruitment.

Zanil Hyder

Sure Zanil, with the industry catching the attention of the global corporations, there is no dearth of information on all the domains that you are interested in. Some of the good online resources that I would recommend are:

www.globaloutsourcing.org - A resource center for off shoring community

www.bpowatchindia.com - Info: on Indian BPOs and industry updates.

www.callcenterops.com - Contact center metrics and industry trends.

In addition to this, you could also visit the NASSCOM site (www.nasscom.org) for more information. As far as information goes, your possibilities end where your imagination does - Happy browsing!

Chance for commerce?

I am a second year (B.Com) student and I am also pursuing a course in computer hardware and networking from Jetking. Are there any job opportunities for commerce graduates with a networking background in the BPOs?

Avinash Kumar

A lot of BPOs in the voice segment cater to leading technology companies and regularly hire people with a networking background. So, there are plenty of job opportunities for you in the sector. The job profile typically includes troubleshooting and maintaining the client's network devices. I would recommend that you also equip yourself with some industry recognised certifications like CCNA, Sun certification etc. This would give you a wider spectrum of jobs to choose from.

Rule out rudeness

If the agent is rude, who's at fault - the agent, or the customer? Or both?

Shantanu Das

Hopefully neither. The fact is customers have become more demanding. Competition is fierce and service often is the differentiating factor. In short, customers want the same things they always wanted. The problem we are seeing today is our phone representatives aren't always aware of customers' expectations. If they don't know what customers expect how will they deliver? Rude behaviour is often triggered by a sudden negative stimulus. We need to dig deep to understand the real picture.

Sunder works as a trainer with a leading global BPO on customer service, sales, communication and coaching & training skills. If you have any questions, write to sunder.ramachandran@gmail.com

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