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Call Centre

Keeping a tab

What are the ways that we can suggest our clients to get regular feedback about the way agents are handling customers.

It's a small contract and the client is not too keen on investing in heavy technology?

Sakshi Pradhan

A variety of methods can be used to understand how agents are handling customers. The most common include, receiving daily reports on key performance attributes, having access to call recordings, directly monitoring agents remotely on a random basis, surveying customers handled by agents and evaluating their feedback and having access to real-time performance data via the Web.

Rewarding agents

What are your recommendations as far as non-monetary recognitions for agents is concerned? We have a reward and recognition system but would like to take some initiatives at the team level.

Vatsya Hussain

There are many strategies, which can be adopted. The idea is to make appreciation a part of the culture. You can consider the following:

Have your boss or a senior executive from the company write a thank you note for a job well done.

Call an employee into your office just to thank her; don't discuss any other issue. This will come as a surprise and employees would appreciate this gesture. Try Post-It rewards - Leave Post-It Notes on an employee's computer to thank or praise them.

Ending the contract

Apart from the communication and cultural differences, are there any other reasons because of which clients are terminating outsourcing contracts with Indian companies. I need this information for a report that I am currently working on.

Rajneesh Vats

Clients take back contracts due to dissatisfaction with the arrangement. The most common reasons cited for ending the partnership were -the outsourcer did not meet performance objectives as established in the SLA, trouble building a sense of team and commitment to the parent organisation's mission/values and hidden costs -- outsourcing arrangement costs were more than what has planned.

Communicating beyond words

I am a call centre trainer and have heard varying ideas about the importance of body language over the phone. Some colleagues disapprove of the concept. Sangeeta

Body language does play a very important role even in telephonic communication. It applies to any interaction where both ideas and feelings are involved. Body language gets manifested in the form of tone, inflection and volume during telephonic conversation. So the elements of voice quality (tone, inflection, pitch, rate and volume) are directly influenced by an agent's body language (Posture, attitude, expression etc).

(If you have any questions, write in to - sunder.ramachandran@gmail.com)

Sakshi Pradhan

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