To recruit the right individuals, follow a straightforward formula: establish and adhere to minimum requirements. Begin by identifying the essential skills, knowledge, and attributes necessary for successful customer interactions. These should include qualities to be assessed during the hiring process and those to be taught through training.
With the expansion of different communication channels, defining the required skills for each is essential. For example, quick typing may not be critical for phone or video chat but is essential for email or text chat agents. Also, consider the audience; phone agents working with elderly customers might need clear and loud communication abilities.
Once you have defined your minimum requirements, the formula expands to:
- Creating a way to measure minimum requirements during the hiring process
- Ensuring that everybody in the recruiting process sticks with the plan to evaluate applicants based on these requirements
- Hiring only those candidates who meet the minimum requirements
- Training people in the areas that were not included in the minimum hiring requirements but that are needed for the job, such as systems training
Related
Call Center Attrition: Avoid the Dilemma of First-Day Ghosting provides an actionable overview of creating an accurate job description and implementing a successful preboarding program to prevent attrition before day one.
Judi Bolden, Vice President at COPC Inc., brings over 30 years of expertise in performance improvement, operational management, and change management. At Groupon, she led significant enhancements in global support and vendor operations, boosting customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Judi is a sought-after speaker with an MBA from Houston Baptist University and a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Her leadership spans 36 countries, where she’s renowned for her practical solutions to enhancing contact center operations and training.