Contact centers are important organizations. In addition to offering customer service, resolving customer concerns, and making sales, contact centers are often one of the first points of contact a customer has with a company. Because of this, it’s incredibly important that every agent employed within a contact center possesses the following traits:

1) A detail-oriented mindset

When contact center agents become complacent, the entire system falls into disrepair. A bored or disorganized agent can’t provide outstanding customer service and is ill-equipped to deal with customer concerns. That said, successful contact center agents need to be able to pay close attention to detail. This will help avoid needless mistakes and ensure that customers are happy with their contact center experience.

2) Organization

Depending upon the purpose and volume of the contact center, agents may take hundreds of calls a day. Because of this, it’s important that each agent is organized and able to multi-task efficiently. In addition to handling a high volume of calls, contact center agents must also be able to execute multiple tasks at once, such as taking notes, updating the CRM, and conversing with customers. If the agent is highly organized, there’s a lower chance of making mistakes during this process.

3) Friendly persona

A contact center agent’s main job is to talk to people, so it makes sense that any great agent needs to be friendly. This is especially important because, again, a contact center is often the first point of communication a customer has with your company. If that first impression is made by a frustrated, unfriendly agent, there’s a high likelihood that the customer will not be satisfied and that your bottom line will suffer as a result.

4) Ability to cope under pressure

In addition to a need for organization, contact center agents also need to be able to function well under pressure. When an agent is flustered or confused, it’s impossible for that person to adequately help a customer. This may, in fact, be why customers state that contact center agents only answer their questions 50% of the time.

In order to produce a great customer experience, agents need to remain calm, cool, and collected in the face of frustrated customers or complex issues. When they are able to do this, the entire contact experience will go much better. 

5) Ability to communicate effectively

That a contact center agent needs strong communication skills may seem like it goes without saying, but all too often contact center agents are unable to communicate effectively. Effective communication can help a contact center agent avoid misunderstandings with customers, ensure customer satisfaction, and resolve problems effectively.

Keep in mind, though, that effective communication also entails an ability to listen to the customer and come to an adequate solution. In order to communicate effectively, an agent will need an adequate yet simple vocabulary and a willingness to participate fully in resolving the customer’s concerns.

6) Adaptability

Adaptability is paramount for a contact center agent, especially in contact centers that utilize different technological platforms or use many systems to complete calls and provide service. More and more contact centers are moving over to a cloud-based SaaS and, if your contact center has yet to do so, you’ll need to ensure that your agents are capable of learning the new system quickly and efficiently. 

When agents are able to adapt quickly, your entire contact center is positioned to be more agile and better able to serve its customers, which can help increase efficiency and bolster your bottom line.

7) A great memory

In order to provide the highest level of support to a customer, successful agents need to be able to retain what they’ve learned and recall the details of previous calls. Additionally, they need to be able to memorize specific details about your company and protocols. If an agent is unable to handle a call on his or her own, it’s imperative that that agent know to whom to transfer the call. When an agent is able to memorize and retain this information, the agent has a better chance of pleasing your customers and reflecting well upon your company.

8) A passion for customer service

According to HelpScout, 85% of companies that offer high-quality customer service are likely to outperform their competitors. There is no underestimating the importance of great customer service and, in order to provide it, contact center agents need to truly care about your customers and their concerns. This trait alone will help ensure happy customers, quality transactions, and great word-of-mouth recommendations, all of which are good for your entire company.

Conclusion

Contact center agents work an important position and it’s imperative that they possess a set of traits that will help make them good at their jobs. These traits include adaptability, a friendly persona, and a great memory, among others, and they can help ensure that your agents and your contact center as a whole are functioning as efficiently as possible. To learn more about making your contact center stand out from the competition, contact Spice CSM today.