Should call center agents make customer service decisions?

OABPO Blog Team Published on June 3, 2014

happy-call-center-agents-team
How much authority should you grant your outsourced call center agents? Open Access BPO shares insights that could help you choose the right level of trust that you can put on your employees.


Many call center solutions in the Philippines are carried out by order-taking roles, but it is still inevitable for call center agents to encounter cases where their decision-making skills are put to a test. In these situations, it is commonplace for some firms to escalate the call to a higher-up with the authority to decide on the matter. Companies that practice this do so to ensure that the problems are dealt with properly. The assurance they want, however, can come at the expense of the customers’ time.

The price of indecisive CSRs

Part of the common customers’ definition of good service is having their concerns attended to within a reasonable amount of time. If their problem is not solved immediately, they may take this as a sign that your company doesn t value their time. Being made to wait, as attested by countless cases of customer service failures, can cause consumers to leave the brand they once supported.

happy-woman-holding-a-cellphone

This is the consequence that you may face if your frontline employees who receive complaints don t have the authority to settle concerns on their own. Since customer service representatives must pass the phoned-in problem for it to be resolved, the transfer will lengthen the process, snatching the satisfaction away from customers.

Granting authority

One way of rectifying this problem is to let your customer support agents deal with complaints up to a certain level. For instance, they can decide how much discount can be given to a buyer as long as the markdown is within the 20% limit. You can allow them to make refunds or replace products if the purchase was made during a certain period or if the price is below $100. If they come across graver, more sensitive matters, that’s when team leaders can be called to negotiate with the customer concerned.

happy-female-call-center-agent

You don t have to plunge right in if you feel that your agents are not completely ready to make decisions. They should be trained and tested first, or you may choose to implement the rule temporarily.

If you notice a dramatic increase in customer satisfaction, see a decline in average handle time, and observe that your customer service agents’ decision-making skill is consistent and fair, then it’s time to permanently trust them with their new responsibility.

Authorizing your frontline people to make independent decisions is a sign that you are confident in their ability. Knowing that they are empowered and entrusted with an important role, your agents can boost their morale, which is a main factor behind employee retention.

One response to “Should call center agents make customer service decisions?”

  1. Anonymous says:

    Superb post however I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this topic?
    I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit more.
    Bless you!

Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO Yesterday
๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ฃ๐—ข ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ง๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—บ ๐——๐˜†๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜€

Open Access BPO Manila recently hosted ๐ˆ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ ๐๐ฅ๐š๐ฒ ๐‹๐š๐› on March 28th, bringing new experiences to its workforce.

This engaging session provided a hands-on experience designed to cultivate collaboration, creative problem-solving, and stronger communication skills among team members. By exploring the fundamentals of improvisation in a supportive environment, participants enhanced their adaptability and teamwork abilities โ€“ qualities crucial for effective partnerships and workplace harmony.

This initiative underscores Open Access BPO's commitment to fostering a dynamic and people-centric work culture, ultimately benefiting our partners through more cohesive and innovative service delivery.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 2 days ago
Ready to elevate your brand? Open Access BPO empowers you to unlock new opportunities and achieve scalable growth.

From customer support to back-office solutions, we're your partner in expansion.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 7 days ago
Call center managers are responsible for keeping operations running smoothly.
This means they also have to take note of the usual issues they need to keep at bay.

๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐Ÿฐ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—บ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ #๐—–๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—–๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—บ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ: https://buff.ly/CCAZeNL

---------
Our industry expertise and the skilled workforce enable us to create exceptional experiences for your customers.

Call us today and let's start building the best team for your brand:
https://buff.ly/zQqgKkw

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CX #CSat
#CustomerSatisfaction #outsourcing
Open Access BPO 8 days ago
The Holy Week is a time to renew our faith and find peace in reflection.

If youโ€™re traveling to be with family or friends or venturing on a pilgrimage, do so with patience and caution.

Let's extend care not just to our loved ones but also to everyone we share the road with. May your journey be safe, and may this season bring you clarity and renewal.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OABPOholidays #HolyWeek
#MahalNaAraw #HolyWeek2025
Open Access BPO 8 days ago
Given the substantial complexities of staff and project management, it is understandable that numerous team leaders underachieve or fail upon assuming this role.

๐—™๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐—น๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ #๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—ฆ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—น๐—น๐˜€ among your #CustomerService team leaders: https://buff.ly/9BhNb6G

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Invest in your leaders, elevate your #CustomerSatisfaction.

For a #LeadershipDevelopment program that ensures high-quality #CustomerExperience and drives tangible business results: https://buff.ly/cAnQNot

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 8 days ago
Improving on your #CustomerExperience can be just as simple as #outsourcing to a #CallCenter.

But is it really worth it? How can an outsourced call center upgrade your CX strategy?

Learn all of that and more in our latest blog: https://buff.ly/lSMmCDo

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Open Access BPO is your trusted partner to see your #CX strategy through.

Partner with us today: https://buff.ly/cAnQNot

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OutsourcingCX #CallCenterCX
#CustomerExperienceOutsourcing
#BPOCustomerService