Thursday, August 9, 2012

How To Ace Your Interview At a Call Centre

By Emily Collins


It really isn't as easy as it's often made out to be to get a job in call centre. A company is interviewing you with the expectation that will represent them if you get the job. Therefore, you need to have the skills needed to successfully communicate with their customers and clients.

There are obvious attributes that one needs to demonstrate - communicability, tactfulness, and a confident telephone manner - but don't assume that you can just walk in and get a job. Here are some of the things you need to consider.

Interpersonal skills and customers

This is a little different from just being able to communicate. You'll be speaking to customers and clients from all walks of life depending on the company that you work for. You wouldn't use the same phone manner when talking to a ninety-year-old woman about paying a bill as you would when asking a student for charity donations. It is important to be patient and tolerant.

Meeting Targets

Those making outbound calls will soon discover how important both target setting and meeting is. Employers favour staff who are both quick and make the most of their time at work. In a call centre this means meeting a steady rate of calls, or perhaps even meeting a set target. Targets are set within reason, but it could jeopardise your job if you don't meet them. In the interview, mention that you are good at setting and achieving targets.

Learn the basics

As well as computer literacy, conduct a bit of research on how a contact centre actually works, as well as researching information on business telephone systems in general. Most systems work the same way, so even a rudimentary knowledge will make you stand out from the crowd. Understand that you are not using a traditional landline, but a sophisticated digital system. Learn important terms, such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). You may not need to know this information in the long-run, but it could give you an advantage if asked during the interview.




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