4 General Types of Skills All Contact Center Reps Must Learn

Faith Ocampo Published on February 8, 2017 Last updated on March 15, 2022

As part of skills management, identifying what your customer support reps can and can’t do can help improve your call center’s performance.

Documenting, categorizing, and managing your staff’s skills are highly abstract and complex human resource processes. So it’s not surprising that many companies skip these activities. When done correctly, however, they can be beneficial for contact centers. By knowing what your people are capable of, you can solve customer problems more efficiently.

happy contact center reps high five

For instance, identifying your staff’s specific skills and know-how can help you deploy better customer service processes. One application is skills-based routing, a call assignment strategy used to direct incoming customer service transactions to the most suitable agents.

Through this system, a caller is assigned to an agent based on several criteria, such as:

Similarly, knowing what your reps capabilities and limitations will help you spot and address skills gaps in your team. You can build training and development programs geared for their needs. In the long run, this can boost your contact center’s performance and improve employee engagement.

To help you get started with skills management, here are the four general types of aptitudes your call center reps must have.

  1. Organization-specific skills

    smiling contact center reps working together
    Organization-specific or proprietary skills are those that employees acquire during their stay in a company. These include skills that are directly related to the products and services offered by a call center or the brands it represents.

    Examples are company-specific processes such as billing, reservations, and scheduling. Product or service know-how and customer support protocols also fall under this category.

  2. Technical skills

    contact center reps handling technical support customer care

    Technical skills refer to industry-specific expertise. They usually require special trainings, advanced education, and formal certifications. Examples are technical troubleshooting (for tech support agents), language mastery, professional licensing (for processes like healthcare and IT), and others.

    Agents must also be able to operate digital channels and customer support tools. Contact center team leaders and supervisors, on the other hand, must be knowledgeable about customer relations and the customer experience.

  3. Relationship management skills

    contact center reps laughing with customer over the phone

    Typically called “soft skills,” an agent’s relationship management skills refer to a broad range of interpersonal and communication skills. Active listening, empathizing with callers, and building rapport with customers can be categorized under this skill set

    Although often undervalued, these abilities can enrich the customer experience and thus help brands build strong bonds with their customers.

  4. Passive skills

    smiling contact center reps between customer support calls

    Passive skills are those that customers may not even notice. In reality, however, these are the very skills that allow agents to deliver an excellent customer service. They include agents’ team playing abilities, flexibility, a knack for processing complex information, and creativity. All these allow employees to communicate effectively within the organization, come up with new ideas, and solve difficult problems.

Identifying and managing the skills of your contact center reps must be part of your human resource management approach. These activities can help you design training and development programs that would enhance your team’s performance and boost employee engagement.

contact center reps hving fun during coffee break

Part of an efficient human resource management approach is enhancing the skills of your employees. Identifying what they can do and encouraging them to acquire new capabilities will allow you to address skills and knowledge gaps in your contact center.

Let Open Access BPO be your outsourcing partner and we’ll equip your program with diligent talents with the right skills for your needs. Contact us today so we can start building your customer support, content moderation, or back office team.

Read More

Faith is a digital media enthusiast aiming to become an active part of the tech world by sharing her insights. She likes to blog about everything digimarketing, technology, and social media.
Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 12 hours ago
#CustomerLoyalty is a privilege businesses strive to achieve.
𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱?

Take a deep look at the stages of #CustomerLoyalty and see how you can shape your customer experience strategies and get your repeat buyers to continue supporting you: https://buff.ly/mNMdlGq

——————————
Let's create memorable #CustomerExperiences and keep your customers coming back for more: https://buff.ly/0mgDGzC

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerService #CX #CustomerSupport
Open Access BPO 2 days ago
A customer-centric support culture is built on a lucid and compelling vision.
A well-articulated 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮 is essential for bringing this vision to life, as it:

• Communicates the intended #CustomerExperience, fostering clarity and understanding.
• Standardizes agent interactions, ensuring consistent brand representation and customer engagement.

The following questions will facilitate the creation of a resonant customer service mantra: https://buff.ly/YMTI4r2

——————————
Get a reliable outsourcing #CX partner with empowered agents who can go the extra mile to deliver exceptional service: https://buff.ly/l4YDYb5

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerService #CustomerSupport
#outsourcing
Open Access BPO 3 days ago
Revolutionize your customer service!
Learn how #improv theater fundamentals with its 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 principle, can transform #CallCenter interactions into genuine, solution-oriented experiences.

Read all about it and learn how to boost agent adaptability, problem-solving skills, and #CustomerSatisfaction: https://buff.ly/CEbXLoS

——————————
At Open Access BPO, we train our teams to deeply understand customer needs and provide natural, solution-oriented interactions, fostering trust and satisfaction.

Experience the difference of genuine customer connection—click and contact our CX experts at https://buff.ly/027ww7m.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerService #CustomerExperience
#CustomerServiceTips #CX #CSat
Open Access BPO 7 days ago
Customer issues rarely emerge from thin air. They often give subtle signals beforehand.
You just need to be vigilant enough to spot them immediately!

By proactively addressing potential concerns, you can significantly boost customer satisfaction, minimize complaints, and cultivate stronger relationships.

Ready to stay ahead of customer needs and deliver an exceptional experience? Learn more from our insightful series.

——————————
Open Access BPO's solutions are always there for your customers anytime, anywhere, and in any language.

Contact us now and let's chat about your needs and what we can do to support your brand: https://buff.ly/zSgFw5m

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerExperience #CX
#CSat #CustomerSatisfaction
#CustomerService #outsourcing
Open Access BPO 10 days ago
Customer expectations continue to change, and if you fail to keep up, you risk losing your competitive edge. Have you considered driving proactive engagement, personalized interactions, and seamless service delivery this year?

Our latest blog settles on a checklist that could help you rediscover the #CustomerExperience goals worth pursuing: https://buff.ly/oq5XRzE

——————————
Embracing what the future holds becomes a whole lot easier with the help of Open Access BPO's proactive #outsourcing solutions.

Don't get left behind. Boost your brand's efficiency and #CustomerSatisfaction with our #CallCenter, back-office, and #KPO services

Let's talk about your brand's needs and how we can help: https://buff.ly/9KdB8xQ

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 11 days ago
Is your #outsourcing #CustomerService partner struggling to keep your team of #CX reps around?

Competitive pay and a safe workspace are essential, but if employees are still leaving too soon, it’s time to rethink how you keep them engaged.

Check out our #LinkedInPulse article for deeper insights: https://buff.ly/AFPgD0T

----------
Check out Open Access BPO on social media
Facebook: https://buff.ly/KxmMdYp
Twitter: https://buff.ly/ds2y9sX
Instagram: https://buff.ly/YeCcWuK

Let's customize an #CustomerExperience plan for your brand: https://buff.ly/e2EWbMM

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#EmployeeManagement #CustomerSupport
#CustomerExperience #EmployeeEngagement