If you’re interviewing for a call center job, it’s important to have the relevant skills needed to succeed in this role. Most of the required skills needed in this type of role are listed on the job posting you’re responding to. Understanding the skills needed for this industry will help you prepare for a career in this role, give you time to improve your skills and let you know what to expect in an interview. In this article, we outline the various types of important call center skills to have, how to improve yours and how to highlight these skills on a resume.
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What are call center skills?
Call center skills are skills that are used in a call center position. They include a variety of hard and soft skills that are useful for a job in this industry. The sharper your call center skills are, the better employee you’ll be. Some common call center skills include being an active listener, good multitasker and having solid computer skills.
Top call center skills you need to succeed
There are various skills that could be beneficial in a call center role. The more you learn these skills, the better the employee you’ll be for this type of position. Here are some examples of common call center skills:
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Active listener
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Outgoing personality
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Problem-solving
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Adaptability
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Computer skills
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Multitasking
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Product knowledge
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Organizational skills
Active listener
Being an active listener involves fully concentrating and understanding who you’re speaking with. As a call center representative, it’s important to be an active listener to every customer who calls. Customers expect you to listen to every one of their concerns, understand them and help them resolve their issue. To properly assist them, you’ll need to listen to them and pay close attention to detail.
Outgoing personality
Having an outgoing personality means your disposition is social and friendly. As a call center representative, it’s important to have an outgoing personality. This will help customers open up and trust you. You should have a positive personality and leave customers with a good impression of not only your skills but the company overall.
Problem-solving
Problem-solving skills refer to your ability to come up with an effective solution to an issue. Since you’ll be handling a number of customer complaints and concerns, it’s important to be a good problem-solver. This involves thinking quickly and coming up with the most reasonable solution. If you’re interviewing for a call center position, it’s likely that the interviewer will ask you situational questions involving how you typically solve problems in this industry. Having strong problem skills will help you craft an appropriate answer.
Adaptability
Being adaptable means being able to mold to any situation you come in contact with. As a call center representative, you should be able to adapt to any situation you face. You’ll be answering many calls throughout the day and being able to adapt from one situation to the next will help you multitask and face each new challenge with ease.
Computer skills
Computer skills refer to your ability to use a computer and its software. It’s important to have strong computer skills when working at a call center. Most of your day will be spent working on various computer software so you’ll need to have basic typing skills at least. The faster you type, the easier your job will be. You might be asked to perform various computer tasks related to your company, though, your employer may decide to train you in this rather than make it a job requirement.
Multitasking
Being able to multitask means being able to handle a variety of responsibilities at the same time. Call center representatives should have strong multitasking skills since their every day will involve juggling a number of tasks. This can include answering calls, inputting data and more. The better you are at multitasking, the more efficiently you’ll do your job.
Product knowledge
To be a good call center representative, you should have a strong knowledge of the products and services your company offers. Most customers will be calling in regards to these products and services and you should be able to answer any and all questions they have. The better you know the products and familiarize yourself with them, the better employee you’ll be and the better you’ll be able to help an array of calling customers.
Organizational skills
Since call center employees talk to several people per day, it’s important to stay organized. This will help you recall the conversations and each customer’s concerns clearly. When adding this skill to your resume, highlight the tools you use that assist your organizational skills such as a spreadsheet or to-do list.
How to improve call center skills
Even if your skills aren’t as advanced as you’d like them to be, there are a number of ways you can improve them to help you land a job. Consider the following ways to improve your call center skills:
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Practice active listening. To be a better active listener, practice active listening in all of your conversations. Ask questions, be mindful of your body language and listen to what people are saying.
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Do logic puzzles and games. In an effort to sharpen your problem-solving skills, consider doing brain games or puzzles. This will help you consider various scenarios and how you’d go about solving them.
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Make to-do lists. Making a to-do list will help you become a better organizer and multitasker in the real world and in your professional career.
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Get to know the products. Familiarize yourself with the products or services your company sells. This will help you display a greater understanding of them.
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Practice your typing. Practice your typing skills in order to improve your typing speed and overall computer skills.
Call center skills in the workplace
There are several ways to put your skills to good use and improve them along the way. Here are some ways you can improve your call center skills in the workplace:
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Prioritize your tasks. Before starting your day’s work, consider prioritizing your tasks. This will help you better organize your day and work more efficiently.
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Minimize distractions at work. Avoid distractions in order to get more work done. The more time you have to devote to a particular task, the quicker you’ll be able to move onto the next.
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Ask questions. Whether you’re talking to a customer or co-worker, ask questions that will help you better understand what they’re saying.
How to highlight call center skills
Your call center skills can be used throughout the job search process and in the job itself. Here are some ways to highlight your call center skills during the hiring process:
Call center skills for resume
As you write your resume, include your call center skills as you describe your past job responsibilities. You can also create a separate skills section on your resume that lists all of the skills you have that are relevant to the role you’re applying for.
Call center skills for cover letter
Your cover letter is a great place to further expand on what you mentioned in your resume. Use your cover letter to detail how you used your call center skills on the job and provide hiring managers with an anecdote.
Call center skills for the job interview
If you’re applying for a job as a call center representative, you’ll need strong active listening skills. Display these skills by listening to everything your interviewer has to say, asking questions and engaging with them. This will let them know that you’re interested in what they have to say.
Resume example highlighting call center skills
Here is an example of how you can showcase your call center skills on a resume. Note how these skills are highlighted throughout the resume rather than just in the skills section.
Jennifer Watson
Oakland, CA
555-555-5555
[email protected]
SUMMARY
Customer service professional with several years of demonstrated excellence in achieving company goals and successfully assisting customers. Strong problem solver with the multitasking ability to handle several customer needs with ease.
EDUCATION
River Run University
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration
June 2014
EXPERIENCE
Customer Call Center Representative
Madison Healthcare
November 2018 – Present
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Assist 100+ customers per day, providing successful solutions in a polite manner using active listening to ensure customer retention
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Maintain strong company product and service knowledge to better assist customers with concerns, questions and general education
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Record all customer names and contact information in an orderly fashion by utilizing a spreadsheet and other company software
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Answer calls by utilizing the company’s call management system and other software
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Train new employees in data entry, how to converse with customers and new technologies
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Maintain relationships with suppliers and both internal and external clients
Customer Call Center Representative
Finley Financial
June 2014 – November 2018
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Took inbound and outbound calls for up to 50+ members per day using computer and call center software systems
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Managed 1,000+ member accounts per day by implementing strategic resolutions and organizing all data
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Acted as a liaison between the company and its members
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Used strong product knowledge and problem-solving skills to assist customers with their concerns
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Ensured accuracy of data by keeping track of all customer calls via spreadsheets and company software
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Contact Center Professional
Management and Business Institute
September 2018
Madison, WI
SKILLS
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Problem-solving skills
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Organizational skills
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Time management skills
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Computer skills
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Multitasking skills
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