Typical Customer Contact Center Representative Competencies
To perform well in a call center/customer care center, employees must possess some very special competencies or capacities/abilities to perform required job tasks. Because of the specific requirements of the job, organizations must look for candidates possessing many of these typical customer contact representative competencies as possible. It is essential that call center/customer care center personnel have strong interpersonal communication skills, be organized, able to problem solve, and have a strong sense of the importance of their function as the “face” of the organization.
The following are some common competencies that employers look for in applicants desiring to work in a call center/customer care center. These are listed in alphabetical order and vary in importance depending on the organizational mission.
Business acumen. An understanding of the relationship between their jobs and how they impact the business and customers.
Contact management. Ability to control customer interaction once they contact the representative through a variety of assigned technology.
Change management. Ability to adapt to and handle changing situations and customer and business environments.
Conflict resolution. Ability to use effective interpersonal skills to resolve difficult customer-provider interactions.
Cross-selling. In environments where selling of products and services is a business focus, the ability to recognize potential customer needs and opportunities to sell or up-sell to customers.
Decision making. Ability to gather and analyze information, then apply appropriate interventions to resolve and issue or come to a decision.
Interpersonal communication. Ability to actively listen, question appropriately, provide feedback, and use customer communication skills to build and strengthen customer relationships.
Managing diversity. Cultural diversity knowledge and the ability to interact with a variety of people from various backgrounds in the workplace.
Managing stress. Ability to maintain a calm demeanor and mental state when situations and emotions escalate to higher levels when interacting with a customer.
For additional call center/customer care center competencies, ideas, techniques and strategies for enhancing customer relationships, and information on ways to build solid interpersonal communication skills, check out How to Be a Great Call Center Representative. In this self-study course book, you will find hundreds of powerful ideas for improving knowledge and skills that can aid in meeting customer needs, wants and expectations and lead to greater customer satisfaction and retention. You also receive a certificate from the renowned American Management Association.