If you’re hiring for contact center work, you know the stakes are as high as ever. The uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 is intensifying the already complex customer needs agents must skillfully address in a timely manner. Plus, many contact centers are navigating the challenges of remote hiring and remote work. Luckily, we’ve got good news!

Thousands of high-performing onsite and at-home agents have been identified using the scientific precision of Employment Technologies’ EASy Simulation® for Contact Center Agents. This award-winning job simulation targets the key job functions and competencies agents need to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving workplace. Our highly job-relevant approach results in significantly higher performance, retention, and bottom-line results.

Verified by surveying nearly 3,000 agents and supervisors from more than 350 contact centers across the United States and Canada, these are the five job functions and nine key performance indicators essential for predicting top performers.

5 Essential Job Functions

1. INTERACTING WITH CUSTOMERS: They must quickly build customer rapport, answer questions, and when necessary, refer customers to appropriate personnel.

2. USING ONLINE SYSTEMS: Agents are constantly using online systems to document pertinent facts, enter information into the computer, and search for information.

3. POSITIONING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: Regardless of whether they are in an official sales role, agents need to find products and services that meet customer needs and solve their problems.

4. GAINING JOB KNOWLEDGE: Agents must be current on product and service offerings, so they pass along accurate information and make trustworthy recommendations.

5. CONTRIBUTING TO THE TEAM: Assisting team members, when needed, and participating in team initiatives and meetings are other ways to achieve success.

9 Key Performance Indicators

1. ABILITY TO LEARN AND APPLY PROCEDURES: Comprehending new job-related information in a timely manner and correctly recalling and applying that information during customer calls.

2. DEVELOPING CUSTOMER RAPPORT: Ensuring customers have a positive image of the company by politely greeting customers, determining customers’ desired style of interaction and responding accordingly, diffusing irate or insistent customers, maintaining an appropriate demeanor for all customer calls, checking satisfaction and following up to ensure that customer needs are met and their expectations exceeded.

3. DISCOVERING CUSTOMER NEEDS: Listening attentively to customers to determine their true needs, understanding the customer’s point of view, asking appropriate probing or checking questions, and discerning facts from assumptions to accurately determine what will satisfy the customer.

4. MULTITASKING: Quickly and accurately performing multiple tasks (i.e., talking, listening, entering and documenting information, seeking information, problem solving) simultaneously while managing the pace of the call and maintaining focus on the customer.

5. PROBLEM SOLVING AND RESPONDING TO CUSTOMER NEEDS: Gathering and reviewing relevant customer information, understanding meaningful relationships across information sources, generating and selecting effective options for solutions, providing accurate information, service, or products, or referring customers to appropriate personnel.

6. SALES ORIENTATION: Identifying customer needs for products and services, matching products and services to those needs, recommending and influencing customers toward appropriate products and services, and responding persuasively to customer questions and objections.

7. TEAMWORK: Working effectively as a team member by attentively listening to and sharing information with others to facilitate a cooperative work environment, and to meet and exceed customer expectations.

8. COMMUNICATION: Expressing information in a clear and concise manner without rambling, speaking in a pleasant tone and volume, using effective voice inflection and enthusiasm, and using correct vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure.

9. WORK ETHIC: Demonstrating a strong desire to contribute to the organization, demonstrating reliable and dependable behavior that contributes to the organization’s image, behaving in an ethical and trustworthy manner, and taking initiative on work tasks and responsibilities.

If this sounds like the superstar you want to hire, we can help!

Discover how to leverage the science of simulation to predict top contact center talent. Contact us today for your free demo of EASy Simulation for Contact Center Agents or request your free comprehensive Profile of Superstar Contact Center Agents – and get ready to hire great people, fast!

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