ICCS-BPO Open New Process With Indraprastha Gas Limited(IGL)

ICCS-BPO Open New Process With Indraprastha Gas Limited(IGL)

Face-to-face and telephone ethics to be followed in Call Centers

The demand for call centers in India is rising, one of the reasons being that the call center solutions present in India can provide labor at cheap rates which in turn makes call center rates, very competitive. Domestic Call centers in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and many other locations have been increasing.

Call center services in India are of two types-Inbound call center, outbound call center.

Inbound call center support services are basically where the customer calls to clarify their doubts or receive customer service. BPO call center is an example of call center inbound.

Outbound call center services are the ones where the agents place the call to customers to let them know of new product launched by the company, or to make them aware of any policy changes. 

Whether the call center is inbound or outbound, there needs to be some basic ethics that are needed to be followed by the agents while interacting with the customers. While a call center might have its own ethics policy here are some basic pointers that one needs to keep in mind while talking to the customer -

• Courteousness

It is the most important, you should treat the customer with humbleness, you can't afford to be rude with them. Ask for their name, what they would prefer to be called. Try and pronounce their name correctly and be consistent in the use of their name. 

·        Talk with a smile

A smile can be heard in the way one talks, when you smile you would sound more cheerful. Words and their inflection over a phone call are much more important as the customer can't see your body language. 

·        Wait for the person to finish speaking

Listen completely to the customer, let him finish before speaking. Never interrupt a customer who is complaining. It might be difficult to do so, but it will benefit you if you know about the whole problem before responding to the customer. No matter how long it takes, listening to the customer feel like he and his problem are being taken care of.

·        Professionalism

Be sure to maintain an air of professionalism throughout the entire conversation. Agents are a face of the company, which makes it important to adhere to quality standards that are set. Conversations with customers should be in line with values and goals of the company.

• Be Respectful

Showing respect to your customer goes a long way in maintaining the image and showcasing the value system of the company. An agent should remain calm and composed throughout each interaction. Every customer should be treated as if they are the most valued customer.  (Respect also involves understanding the caller’s needs and making an effort to accommodate them. Agents should attempt to understand the causes of the customer’s problem, realize how their problem affects their behavior and respond with compassion.)

• Honesty is the best policy

It is not a good business tactic to lie, an agent should be honest with his customer. If you do not know an answer to their question, instead of lying, let the customer know that you would get back to them as soon as you know of the answer. If you cannot solve the problem, maybe because it is not in your jurisdiction of control you can let them know that you are transferring the call onto someone who can help them to solve the problem.

·        Always keep the customer in loop

An agent while talking to the customer should let him know of the steps he is going to take to solve their problem and let them know of a time frame that is little longer than necessary because when the problem is solved the customer would feel that you took extra measures to solve their problems well within time. However, if the time taken is going to exceed the time that you informed to the customer, then it is advisable to communicate this delay to the customer to let them know that you have not forgotten of their problems and are working towards solving them. When a problem is solved, all your customers tell their respective friends about it. Word-of-mouth publicity right there.

·        Be Trustworthy

Instilling trust in your customer is very important, it not only helps in smooth progress of the interaction but also builds a positive brand awareness about the company. This requires the agent to be truthful, honest, reliable, loyal and have integrity. Adhering to these traits and company's values can successfully instill trust in your customer. 

·        Be Confident and Competent

Exuding confidence is essential for a productive and healthy interaction. An agent must know how to handle himself and the customer in difficult situations. When one interacts with confidence, the image of the company and the interaction, both will be positive.  Along with confidence an agent should be competent to address the customer's needs. If and when the customer's demands are too high they should know that they must refer the customer to someone who has more experience, and who can effectively handle their demands.

·        Learn how to handle angry and abusive people.

If your customer is angry, the first thing that you need to avoid telling them is to calm down. Effective way of handling an angry customer is to initially talk in a slightly louder voice, if the customer from very beginning is shouting. The words to be spoken by the agents should be sympathetic and reassuring such as, "How awful", "You are absolutely right to be mad". This will make the customer feel as if he is being understood and slowly the customer will calm down and begin talking in normal volume and once this happen, the agent can once again resume talking in his normal voice.

·        Know and Use the Hold Button.

The hold button is your friend. Avoid putting the phone to your chest to muffle the mouthpiece, so you can speak with your team members. It is not fool-proof, and the customer might end up hearing things that you might not want them hearing.

·        Get to know the Transfer Button.

If you are required to transfer the customer's call to another member of your team, know how to do I and also let the customer know that you are making a transfer. If you feel this is going to take time, because you might need to explain the customer's situation to the person who now will handle the call, tell the client an estimated time they might need to hold and if they are comfortable with waiting. Most people would say yes.

Ways in Which Leaders Help in Managing Performance at Call Centers

Over past years call centers in India have made a mark for themselves in the international market because of the cheap and capable labor. Call centers in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore are the most sought-after by the foreign companies who wish to avail call center support services.

Leaders in the call centers make operations easier by managing, motivating the agents to give their best output thereby making call center services in India unbeatable in achieving set standards and goals. 

Call centers are of two types, Inbound and outbound call centers. Inbound call centers deal with calls made by the customer to the call center, for example, customer care whereas, call centers outbound are the ones where the agents make the call, for example, Outbound sales call center. Outbound call center outsourcing is most common as it reduces the operating costs of the company.

A manager in many ways can help the all centers in maintaining and improving performance has he undertakes many duties and responsibilities that aim at reducing wastage of time, money and efforts. 

Role of a Manager in a Call Centers -

·         A Manager has to determine the call center's operational strategies which can be done by - 

1.       Conducting needs assessment test, 

2.       Reviewing performance, 

3.       Doing cost-benefit analysis

4.       Capacity planning

·         Identifying and evaluating state of the art technologies and employing them to enhance the output.

·         They define the user requirements, establishing technical specifications, productivity, production quality and customer service standards. 

·         They contribute information and analysis which help in making organizational plans and reviews.

·         He/she develops systems for the call center by augmenting the customer interaction, voice response systems, and voice networks. They design user interfaces, execute plans for user acceptance test, implement planning and controlling functions  

·         A manager constantly improves and maintains call center operations by constantly monitoring system performance. 

·         He/she has to identify the problem, discrepancies or any deviations from set standards and take corrective measures towards them. He has to prepare, and complete action plans devised. 

·         He/she must complete system audits and analyses, manages system and process improvements, installing upgrades in the systems, undertake quality assurance programs. 

·         Performance cannot be managed if the human resource is not properly managed, a manager also undertakes human resource activities such as, recruitment, selection, orientation, training, assigning, coaching and counseling while at the same time disciplining employees, he is required to communicate job expectations, reviewing job contribution, appraisals and reviewing compensation actions. It is very important for leaders to enforce policies and procedures.

·         There are financial objective set, a manager must meet those objectives by planning and estimating requirements, preparing the actual budget, scheduling and keeping a record of expenditures, matching the actual results with set standards, and if any deviations are found the manager can take corrective actions. 

·         The leader, by evaluating and installing equipment helps in maintaining them, develops preventive maintenance programs, scheduling repairs, implementing and evaluating upgrades.

·         A manager acquires professional and technical knowledge by keeping an eye out for new and emerging trends in the field, as it helps give the organization first mover advantage, attends workshops which enhance skills, establishes the personal network, employing state of art practices. 

·         A manager helps the organization to achieve organizational goals, by directing the efforts of all elements of the organization towards those goals, a manager assumes ownership for new and different requests, he explores opportunities which can add value to the jobs. 

Qualities and Skills of a Good Leader  

·         Customer Focus – The main focus of a leader in a call center is always the customer, the customer's satisfaction is his/her topmost priority.

·         Customer Service – Call centers aim at providing customer service, assisting the customers, solving their queries and doubts.

·         Verbal Communication – A good leader must have communication skills, and call centers generally work on voice systems(calling), it becomes imperative for the manager to be a good verbal communicator. Along with this, he must communicate with his subordinates to effectively and efficiently achieve goals.

·         Informing Others – In a team, communication is the key, a good leader keeps everyone in the loop, by informing his teammates, subordinates of changes, targets, their roles and duties and what he desires from them.

·         Process Improvement – Improvement helps the call center to be on the top by implementing improved processes and technologies. First mover advantage always helps one to have an advantage over others.

·         Problem Solving-It is common for the problem to arise in day to day working, a good leader has to be quick on his feet and solve the problem as soon as possible.

·         People Skills – A good leader has a high emotional quotient, he is able to easily comprehend what a person requires to motivate them, he understands his team members, creates a bond with them which help improve their performance

·         Teamwork – A good leader is always a team player, he values the suggestions of others, take them into account when making a decision, gives credit to his team members as and when required, discusses his idea with his team. 

·         People Management – A leader must know how to manage people, how to get best results from them, in what ways can they attain their full potential and how can the company benefit from their contribution.

·         Managing Processes – Along with managing people, he is also required to manage the processes that are undertaken by the call center, he is required to supervise the processes, and prepare requires reports, he must also check whether the actual output matches the set standards and take corrective measures in case of deviations. 

·         Emphasizing Excellence – In all the processes and projects undertaken by a good leader aims to exceed the set standards and deliver only the best