Before going ahead, i would like to tell you that i have 2 years experience in call center and very much familiar of this field.
What is Call Center ?
See the definition provided by wikipedia which creates confusion
"A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers.
Outgoing calls for telemarketing, clientele, product services, and debt collection are also made.
In addition to a call centre, collective handling of letters, faxes, live chat, and e-mails at one location is known as a contact centre."
And now look at my following simple definition.
"A call center is an office where a company's inbound calls are received or outbound calls are made."
Why Companies open Call Centers ?
These are major 4 factors which forces any leading company for opening a call center.
1) For Customer Satisfaction.
2) Instant Resolution of customer's problems or Quarries.
3) To improve "Brand Name".
4) To Increase sales (In case of outbound call center).
Career in Call Center-
Population and Education increases day by day. Every year thousands of students come in the market to get a good job. And Generally...see what happens
domains yahoo
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com
1) 20 to 25% of them can get a right job with reasonable salary.
2) 28 to 35% of them start a own business (Or settle in father's business).
And whoever fails to get a good job, joins Call Center.
Yes, This is the only field where anyone can get a job (At executive level 1) instantly anytime
(On daily basis, hundreds of employee gives resignation or gets terminated and that's
why call center demands for executives "24 x 7"). if he/she has good communication skill, basic knowledge of computer, 10Th passed & minimum typing speed 30 wpm.
Positions :
1) Executive.
2) Senior Executive.
3) Back office executive.
4) Assistant Unit Manager.
5) Unit Manager.
6) Assistant HR Manager.
7) HR Manager.
8) Assistant Operation Manager.
9) Operation Manager.
10)Department Head.
Now learn why i m telling you for not preferring call center (For level 1).
1) Taking customer's call : Taking customer's call means "To talk of Speak with customers on call (which is also called "Log in time"). and in most of call centers, log in time must have minimum 8 hours. Now think about waste of energy & health (74.90 % employee always complains about headache or migraine).
2) Shift time: This not a government job that we go to office at 12 O'clock instead on 10 am and return at 5 pm instead of 6 pm. Company decides employee's shift timing on weekly or monthly basis. Call center has 24 x 7 service to its customers, so they arrange shift time in such a way that any time customer can get resolution. In most of cases lady employee gets morning
shift (6am to 3pm, 7am to 4pm, 8am to 5pm or 9am to 6pm) and Gents employees gets (1pm to 10pm, 2pm to 11pm, 4pm to 1am 5pm to 2am, 6pm to 3am, 7pm to 4am, 10pm to 7am).
Now think about your social life (specially male) if you want to join call center.
3) Job Safety: Call center always ask for performance. Here performance means
a) Quality of calls. (How you handle the customers).
b) Feedback from customers by email or sms. (In call center term it is called "ICE" (I forgot it's full form)).
c) Call duration. (Average call handling time-In call center term "AHT" (Average Call handling time).
d) Wrap up. (Entry of customer's querry in computer).
e) Upselling : To sale the company's product on call.
Let us see all descriptive :-
a) Quality of calls : Every month call quality department listens some recorded calls which have been taken by executive (This is called "Call Barging"). They monitor whether you provide full, sufficient, satisfactory information to the customer. If they find even a single call of rudeness or insufficient information, they marked such calls as"Fatal calls". Quality dept report such a call to Unit manager. Unit manager gives notice to employee & sometimes he terminates.
b) Feedback from customers by email or sms: If you are using sim card of any mobile company and if you ever made call in customer care, you may receive sms after disconnection of call indicating that "If you are satisfied, please send "yes" or not please send "No" to xxxx number. (toll free)".
Too many "No" takes employee to door of termination.
c) Call duration : Even if you are performing well in "Quality of Call" or "Ice" but your call duration period is higher than company's expectation, still you have chances to get terminated.
d) Wrap up : After disconnection of call from customer side, employee makes the entry in computer for "why customer came ? & what resolution he provided to him ?"
Employee gets constant call in call center and that's why sometimes he was unable to do wrap up. company decides criteria like 80%, 90% wrap up necessary.
4) Your future in Call center : If you want to go up from level 1 to level 2, you need to do extra hard work, (Hardly 22% can achieve it).
Still you are planning to build career in call center, nobody can stop you.
You can get my free e-book (Call center ends career) by sending email to shaikhstonevilla@yahoo.com
Thank you.
Sam.
