When you think of the world’s most difficult jobs, Contact Center Agent may not immediately jump to the top of your list. People don’t often think about it, but being good at being a Call Center Agent is a tough gig, and it requires a whole lot of skills to pull it off. Forgive the hyperbole, but it can sometimes feel like going into battle. During those working hours, the Customer Service Agent has to put on their proverbial battledress and become almost indestructible.

On the Front Lines

They are repeatedly in the “frontline of fire”, so to speak. They are the first ones the customer is coming into contact with, and that customer can be in any sort of state. They may be yelling, crying, angry or extremely short-fused, all to no fault of the agent taking that call.The agent must consistently regulate their own emotions and maintain composure, no matter the emotional state of the person on the other end.

Out of Crisis with Care

Despite the erratic direction in which the customer is sometimes driving the call, the CSR must maintain a clear vision of where the call needs to go and stick to the protocols. They must carry the customer “across enemy lines” from the high emotion of the difficult situation they are dealing with onto safer ground, where they will then come to feel they are speaking with someone who is really on their side and who can truly help them overcome whatever major problem they are facing.

Ready to Rally

Once that customer has been calmed and assisted in the best way possible, with their message dispatched to the proper command post, it’s time to do it all over again. The agent has to be ready to bounce back, gear up and bravely take on the next mission, keeping a service-oriented attitude at the forefront of their mind.

Of course, not every call is as extreme as all that, but putting your best foot forward over and over throughout the day takes dedication. Preparing to bring a positive and helpful attitude to the table time after time (even after perhaps being yelled at moments before) takes resilience. Being able to relate to each individual and understand what they are going through takes genuine empathy. Centering yourself to be able to make that caller feel that they are your priority and that your main concern is fixing their issue takes strength. So let’s give all of our agents a big round of applause; after all, they are the cornerstone of everything that we do!  

Written by: Angel Veitch, Business Development Coordinator