Maximizing the Productivity of Your Call Center

Let's face it—distractions happen in the workplace, and there’s simply not much we can do to completely avoid them. As much as people may enjoy their jobs, every workplace occasionally suffers from days where productivity is lower than normal. This is particularly true at certain large call centers, where employees might feel as though they’re just another face in the crowd.

At TeleDirect Call Centers, we have made specific efforts to maximize productivity in our workplace by keeping our employees engaged through our business and its processes. The following are some of the efforts we've found to be effective in getting the most from our customer service representatives, and we'd like to share our knowledge with you:

• Get your employees involved. Arrange different types of contests, or possibly days devoted largely to fun activities. These ideas allow your employees to interact with other people in the company outside of their department. This serves as a reminder that there is more going on in the company than what they’re doing, and gives them a sense of being an important part of a team. Plus, people just enjoy having a good time!
• Reward people for a job well done. Employees like to be told they’re doing a good job, especially when it comes from a superior. It really increases people’s sense of motivation to know that all of their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. This is especially effective when congratulating people in front of other employees, by giving an Employee of the Month award or simply giving public recognition of their hard work.
• Break the monotony. Working in a call center can occasionally grow monotonous, so find ways to occasionally change up the daily work life of your employees.
• Avoid micromanagement. People should know that their managers are there for them should they need anything, but managers also shouldn’t interfere too much in their employees’ work. It often comes off as insulting and even a bit condescending. Employees will get much more work done if they are not being constantly badgered.

At TeleDirect, we know the importance of keeping employees happy and motivated at our call center, and because of that our productivity is constantly at high levels. If you’re looking for a call center full of enthusiastic, hard-working employees, contact us today to learn how to get started!

Forming a Long-Term Relationship with Your Call Center

When working with a call center, it's important for companies to find centers that make the day-to-day operations of a business as easy as possible. And, just like with any business relationship, once you find a great call center, it's important to build a long-term bond with that company. If you are sure that the work you are choosing to outsource is a great long-term investment, then it’s important to find one high-quality call center and stick with its services.

Forming a long-term relationship with your call center not only ensures that you will consistently have high-quality customer service representation, but it’s also simply a smart financial option. While call centers like TeleDirect make it as easy as possible to get started, there can be some growing pains associated with moving all of your call center services from one provider to another. That's why we see ourselves as partners to our clients, integrating seamlessly with their business processes and procedures.

Perhaps most importantly, no matter what length of time you plan on using a call center, you’re placing a high level of trust in its services. If you feel like you can trust a call center enough to use them for a short period of time, then you should be able to feel the same way about using them for an extended period of time, as well. If you don’t, then chances are you’re using the wrong call center and you need to look for one that better suites your needs.

Here are some questions to consider when trying to choose that perfect call center for your business: 

• What is their approach to customer service? 
• Do they put forth a culture and attitude that is consistent with your business? 
• Do they provide a high level of training for their customer service representatives? 

These questions and more should all be a part of the backbone of your call center research.

TeleDirect wants to be that company that you can trust for the long haul. Check out our website today, and feel free to get in touch with us should you have any questions.

How to Get Certified to Become a Call Center Representative

Have you been considering working as a customer service representative for a call center? You’re not alone—many people are attracted to customer service positions and greatly enjoy them. But before you begin the application process, there are a number of things you should consider, ranging from necessary personality traits to the proper training.

Here are some items you should put on your checklist before you apply to any call center CSR position:

• Have the right kind of personality. A call center representative should be friendly, outgoing, and eager to help and meet new people. If you are the kind of person who is easily frustrated or prefers to be alone, this might not be the job for you. You should be able to deal with happy customers, as well as the ones who are not satisfied.

• Make sure you have the necessary skills. It is optimal to be comfortable with multiple computer operating systems, have good problem solving skills, have a solid memory, a strong attention to detail, and more. Being a call center representative is more difficult than many people first anticipate. There is also currently a great demand for bilingual representatives, particularly those who speak Spanish.

• Set a plan for where you’d like to see your career go. Do you have a particular call center where you would like to apply? Do you have aspirations beyond a job as a call center representative? Is this something that you actually want to do? These are all questions that you should be able to answer for yourself.

• Seek out the necessary training. There are numerous training and certification programs for call center representatives, and some companies require different training methods. Your certification will differ if you are a home representative as opposed to an office representative. How do you decide whether to do home or office training? That depends on personal preference, but if you have small children at home, for example, you may be more inclined to work from home.

Are you interested in learning more about the training required to become a call center representative? Contact TeleDirect Call Centers today!

Why Being Personal and Relatable is Important for a CSR

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that customers want to be treated with respect and care, but truly exemplary customer service should go above and beyond what is expected. 

At TeleDirect Call Centers, we believe it is important for our customer service representatives to be as personal and relatable as possible when on a call with a customer. Being as friendly as possible to customers can only do great things for your business; a customer who has a great customer service experience is more likely to have return business with your company or recommend your company to other people.

Are you having a little trouble figuring out how to go above and beyond the call of duty in terms of customer service? Here are three simple tips on how you can personalize your customer relations to keep your customers satisfied and ready to come back for more.

• Make a connection. If you create an emotional connection with your customer, the call will be much more personal. For example, if your customer is calling to complain about a product not working, you could share a brief story about a similar predicament you found yourself in, how you felt and how you then resolved the problem. Doing this rather than rehashing a textbook-style answer shows a customer that you can really relate to their situation.

• Offer some deals with your product/service. People love getting things for free, especially when they’re not expecting it. It makes them feel special and important, and it shows that your company cares about their business. Whether it’s simply a coupon or an extra item, people will appreciate you going the extra mile.

• Don’t dance around the issue at hand. Just because you are going out of your way to be friendly and personal doesn’t mean you should stray away from the entire point of the call. Make sure that you answer their questions immediately and as thoroughly as you can, while still keeping the other ideas above in mind. As much as people will appreciate our kindness, they most likely don’t want to stay on a customer service call for long!

At TeleDirect, we take great pride in the fact that our call center is staffed by friendly, responsive, and eager CSRs who know what it takes to guarantee customer satisfaction. To learn more, visit www.teledirect.com today!