Thursday, January 24, 2013

Three Important Qualities of An Answering Service Agent

By Azalea M. Lynn


You cannot keep up with the phone calls so you decide to hire an answering service company to do the job. The question is, which service provider will you choose? There are several companies that you will select from and each one of them will present you with benefits of hiring them. Which one will you believe? Which will will be really good for your business?

The Right Answering Service Company

An answering service company's lifeblood is their customer service agents. It is the heart and soul of the company which means that clients should only expect the best agents to do the job. The main reason that businesses prefer to outsource answering services is to save money, time and effort. But placing customer's queries and request in the hands of the random customer service agents is risky. This is why you should do your homework in order to make the right decision when hiring an answering service company.

How do you go about choosing the answering service company? Knowing the company's background is necessary. Know how long the business has been running to gauge its experience. Who are their clients and how many agents do they have? Do some research on the company's reputation and credibility too.

Top Qualities of A Customer Service Agent

Aside from knowing more about the company, what's most important is knowing about the competency and skills of the agents who will handle the calls. What are the three important qualities to look for in a good answering service agent?

1. Accurate Listening Skills- In the funeral home business, getting accurate information in a short time is a must. Grieving callers do not want to stay on the line for long. It is important for an answering agent to transcribe the information accurately. Also, agents should be able to really listen to what the caller is saying and asking. Customers can tell if the agent is paying attention or not. This can leave a lasting impression on your business.

2. Knowledgeable- A good answering service agent should be knowledgeable about the company and their callers. The agent acts like a representative for the client's company in a sense. Callers can sense if an agent really knows what she is talking about and if she knows the steps to take. When an answering service agent is knowledgeable, her confidence will show. Customers prefer speaking to a confident agent rather than someone who doesn't know what she is doing. Give your callers peace of mind that their concerns will be attended to properly.

3. Is Always Composed- A good answering service agent should be composed at all times. He or she should answer calls with a calm demeanor. Usually, customers who call support hotlines have problems or complaints. These callers can be very frustrated and angry. In the case of funeral homes, callers might be grieving. Good answering service agents can empathize, sympathize and diffuse emotional callers.

Listening to a call demo or giving the agents a test call might be the best way to see the qualities of the answering service agent you are about to hire. Test the agent by showing our frustration or being in a hurry to see how the agent will handle the call.




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