https://www.talkdesk.com/resources/webinars/ Hiring an excellent call center agent is never an easy task. Candidates can be screened based on a variety of criteria, such as personality, skill, fit and motivation, during the hiring process. Regardless of your list of prerequisites, it's helpful to know exactly what makes a successful agent. Here are some of the top qualities of a successful call center agent.

7. An agent’s mission is to provide the highest
quality support to customers.
To accomplish this, they need to be able to
learn and memorize a good amount of
information about your company.
By the time they get up and running, they
should at least know the ins and outs of your
product or service and be on board with your
brand’s philosophy.

8. They should know when they can’t resolve the
issue and who to transfer the call to if that is
the case.
As time progresses, they should be able to
remember answers to frequently asked
questions and troubleshoot with ease.
If your candidates do not appear to be the type
to be able to quickly learn and retain
information (or have a proven track record of
doing so), hiring them could ultimately impact
the quality of your support.

9. Quick Tip:
When onboarding new agents,
provide information about your
company culture, mission, core
values, vision and the way the new
hire’s role fits into your company
achieving its goals.

11. Being a call center agent can sometimes be
monotonous. Agents often answer the same
questions and receive the same complaints day
after day.
The danger with this is that agents can become
complacent as a result. Agents that fall into this
trap assume they understand the customer’s
issue, without checking in, and offer a quick,
canned response.

12. Consumers say that, on average, agents only
answer their questions 50% of the time.
(Source: Harris Interactive)
Make sure your team stands above the rest by
checking in with the customer to make sure
their issue is resolved to their satisfaction
before ending the call.

13. Quick Tip:
During the hiring process, if a
candidate has errors on their
resume, isn’t well groomed, or
appears sloppy in some way, pass
them up for someone who appears
to pay more attention to detail.

15. Agents that work in a busy call center should
be incredibly organized.
They need to be able to juggle multiple tasks at
once (e.g., checking the knowledge base,
updating the CRM and taking notes in your
helpdesk) all while attending to the customer’s
needs.

16. Staying organized will help reduce errors
during this process, ensure that the agent is
completing after call work efficiently and allow
them to address the customer’s needs more
effectively.
To make sure your agents are organized, hire
people who met all application process
deadlines (i.e., arriving to the meeting on time,
submitting requested materials, etc.) and have
a track record of being organized.

17. Quick Tip:
Once they are on the team, make sure they
have the tools (i.e., call center software that
integrates with your business tools and an
effective CRM and helpdesk solution) and
the environment they need to stay
organized. These things can make all the
difference in customer satisfaction and
your bottom line.

19. Not only do agents in a busy call center handle
dozens of calls per day, they also interact with
customers with challenging personalities.
To make sure your agents are flexible enough
to meet the needs of your diverse customer
base, you should hire agents that can go with
the flow.

20. They should be able to handle a chatty
customer one moment and an angry customer
the next. They should be able to roll with the
punches and let the bad stuff slide off of them
with ease (after providing a solution, of
course).
In addition, you may also need to have some of
your agents work challenging hours: holidays,
nights and weekends. Make sure that you
remember this when scouting out new agents.
Flexibility is key.

21. Quick Tip:
Teach your agents best practices for
dealing with a difficult customer on
the phone. They’ll be sure to
encounter one, so they better be
prepared.

23. Agents are the front line of your company.
Make sure they are projecting a warm and
friendly image and your customers will rave
about their experience.
When hiring, make sure that your agents can
go the distance with a friendly attitude.
Once you have hired your team, make sure you
cultivate a culture that encourages friendliness
and discourages burnout. Your customers will
thank you for it.

24. Quick Tip:
You should have a “10 Commandments of
Call Center Etiquette” you can share with
new team members. Get some ideas here.

26. A high quality agent isn’t easily flustered. Some would
argue that this is one of the toughest jobs to maintain,
due to the number of frustrated callers agents interact
with on a daily basis.
A good agent will remain calm when someone is yelling
at them over the phone or when they have a Chatty
Cathy on the other end of the line who simply won’t let
them get a word in edgewise.
Keeping their cool throughout all of these situations and
not letting the frustrated callers get to them personally
will get any call center agent far in the industry.

27. Quick Tip:
During the hiring process, ask them
how they handle pressure and
check in with their previous
employers to see if what they say
matches up.

29. Because an agent’s job is to communicate with
the callers, they should have top-notch
communication skills.
But communication doesn’t just mean
speaking. Effective communication also
involves listening to the caller, digesting the
information and conveying a solution quickly
and effectively.

30. The agent should speak clearly, using basic
vocabulary. If they can communicate
effectively, this will bode well for the quality of
your service.
78% of consumers say that a competent
service agent is the most important part of a
happy customer experience.
You simply can’t have competence without
clear communication skills.
(Source: Help Scout)

31. Quick Tip:
New agents should be provided with
examples of appropriate greetings, transfer
techniques and conversation endings.
Allow them to listen to recordings and also
provide them with scripts. Encourage them
to practice with each other until these
become natural.

33. Quality agents should be fast and efficient. They should
work quickly without sacrificing the quality of their
work.
This is important to your bottom line because the more
callers an agent can handle, the fewer agents you need
to keep your call center running smoothly.
It’s also important to the callers themselves who don’t
want to wait around for a live agent and want their call
answered as soon as possible.
A fast-working agent can reduce average speed to
answer and service level for your entire team so your
customers are more satisfied.

34. Quick Tip:
Give new hires information on
which KPIs managers will assess and
how these will be tied to
performance evaluations, as well as
practical tips on how to hit their KPI
benchmarks.

36. Your ideal call center agent should have a
creative mindset and be able to come up with
workable solutions for any problems thrown
their way.
It’s important that they’re creative because it
will help them meet caller’s needs in the best
way possible for both the company and the
customer, which in turn increases customer
satisfaction.
Customers are 70% more likely to return and
do business with a company when agents
resolve their issues effectively. (Source: Lee
Resources)

37. Quick Tip:
Help your agents understand the important
role they play in building customer
relationships and empower them to think
outside the box. If they feel important and
are held accountable, they’re much more
likely to go above and beyond their basic
duties.

38. Truly successful call center agents can be
challenging to find, but it helps to know what
makes a good one when you’re looking to hire.
The good news is that most of these qualities
can be taught and fostered over time through
training sessions and onsite learning.
Now that you’re hiring an all-star team, do you
have an all-star solution?