Call Center Employee (Retail)

Call Center Employee (Retail)

Call Center Junkie

7 Years Experience

St Joseph, MO

Male, 27

I have been working in the Call Center retail Industry in the Sales and Customer Service aspect for 7 years. In the retail part, i have handled everything from tv and internet service through cell phones and beyond. I enjoy what I do because I get to talk to new people every day from all over the country and the world. Ask me anything, while i'll never claim to have seen and done it all, I have enough experience that I can usually figure it out if I don't already know it.

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Last Answer on April 13, 2015

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When someone complains about a rep to a supervisor, how much effect does that acutally have? How many complaints before there'd be some sort of discipline of that rep?

Asked by Dhot over 9 years ago

It's honestly situation based. If a customer complains about a representative, most companies will, regardless of the situation, listen to the call. Then, based on the company's standards and disciplinary process, they will decide how to move forward if the rep did indeed conduct themselves inappropriately.

I have been involved in the discussion of many of these calls. I have seen the outcome where the rep was given a verbal warning all the way up to and including termination for ONE bad call. Most companies take these situations seriously and do try to keep their reps in the understanding that if you mistreat the customers, you will be removed from the company.

It all depends on the situation

Other than being a good listener which seems obvious, what traits would you say are required if you want to get into telephone customer service?

Asked by igotstripes over 9 years ago

Computer literacy is very important' especially nowadays. I also look for agents (when im involved in the process) that have the ability to think quick on their feet, think outside the box, and have the ability to keep a positive attitude. A lot of the customers have a negative attitude and one company I worked for previously was so aggressive with their expectations that people would have to be put on anxiety medications because they felt so pressured.

The reason I am able to be successful in this industry is that I don't let those things get to me. I fully understand the reality of the world and business and frankly, don't care to put myself under that much stress. i take everything everyone says with a grain of salt and when I am not hitting the metrics I need to, I focus on implimenting the feedback im given and leave it at that. As long as an agent is doing those things, its very difficult to be fired in this industry.

i also feel like you need the ability to accept feedback constructively and not as an attack. If you cant take critisizm well, you will not last long at all. Additionally, having a good set of ethics and a good moral code help. It is always very tempting for some to do things that are unethical or immoral to make an extra buck. Don't do it or you will get caught, and most companies are not afraid to assist to make sure the person is prosecuted for fraud if need be.

So in short, Computer literacy, a positive attitude, good time management skills, able to accept feedback well, a good moral code, and an understanding of what ethics mean is important. Also, good people skills are mandatory. if you dont like people and take everything seriously, do something else with your life because the call center industry will be a living hell for you.