Call centres: Do you know who answers your query?

Outsourced services
Most times when you dial that number, it does not go to the service provider. Instead, it is routed to another company hired to provide this kind of service.
Joseph Odhiambo, the chief technical officer, Hegle Computer Consulting and IT Support Services Limited, a company that provides call centre services, says outsourcing the call centre department is cheaper for the service provider.

“When a company hires us, we provide the equipment and the agents they need,” he says.
Sandor Walusimbi, the public relations officer, Airtel, says by outsourcing the call centre services, companies can free up their resources and capital to be utilised in a better way.
“A communications company would better invest in building network rather than in any activity which does not add to its core competence.”

Stephen Mutana, the general manager customer experience, MTN Uganda, says: “A key aspect is that the third party must be able to deliver innovation in the call centre process. If correctly executed, an outsourced call centre can help keep customers happy.”
The service provider trains call centre agents in the knowledge of the services and products they offer.
So the next time you want to vent anger about poor services, know that you are not speaking to that particular company staff.

When you place that call
A patient may call up a helpline to confirm their appointment with a doctor from a hospital that has outsourced its services.
Lionel Kabenge, a business development manager at Yo! Uganda Limited, a company that provides mobile value-added services and software platforms, says, ideally, the call should be forwarded to a computer.
“You are given a menu to select a suitable language. If I speak Luo comfortably, there is no reason why I should be forced to relay my problem in English,” Kabenge says.
However, the language choice is optional and depends on the service provider.

“The agent who picks up the call gives it a ticket (reference) number,” explains Odhiambo, adding that, “the agent then checks the list of appointments for that particular day, which has been provided by the hospital. If the patient is not on the list, the call is routed to the hospital for clarification.”
The agent tells the patient to hold on, or that they will call him back. The entire process takes approximately a minute.

The devil in the details
However, Kabenge believes some call centre owners do not consider the human response to customers properly.
“Some agents are not properly trained and some just cram the services offered but do not really understand them,” she says,
“The problem lies with the person to whom the agent forwards the ticket number when they cannot help,” Odhiambo further explains. “People should not blame the agents if their problems are not addressed or if they are not called back. Call centre agents are not specialists, they are just trained to pick up calls and address frequently asked questions.”

However, Mutana says: “The agents are empowered through targeted training and development programmes to ensure they are able to answer at least 95 per cent of the customer’s questions on first contact.”
Aloysius Mbabazi is familiar with uninformed call centre agents. “I once called a customer helpline and after explaining my problem, the lady told me there was nothing she could do to help me. She said it was a complicated problem,” he shares his dilemma.
“Under no circumstances should agents give such responses as it is against customer service principles, which they are fully aware of,” says Mutana, adding: “Instead, they should advice on the next steps and the anticipated response time.”

Kabenge insists call centre owners should staff them with people who understand the services they are working on.
“The service provider has to give the call centre relevant information concerning their services, but the agents need the expertise to convey this information clearly,” Kabenge says.
“The outsourced agency is responsible for refresher customer service soft skills training as and when service gaps are identified,” says Walusimbi.
Kabenge also argues that a lack of accountability is something centres need to address.
“An agent should give the customer their name for easy reference.”

Contact centre
When your reference number is referred from the call centre to the service provider, ideally, there is supposed to be a service recovery team to handle it.
Depending on the structural strengths, weaknesses and professionalism of the organisation, your call may get a quick response, half-hearted response, or no response at all.

“A system routed ticket is assigned to a group of people working in a department,” says Walusimbi, adding that, “in the unfortunate instance of the customer request not being able to get resolved within the given timeframe, we call back the customer, apologise for any inconvenience and ask for more time.

Working hours
Not all call centres are mandated to work 24 hours a day.
When the staff stop taking calls, an integrated voice recording (IVR) is activated, so that when you call, you get an automated voice interaction.
The same happens when the call volume is high. The calls are queued and the system distributes them at random to any agent.

Mutana says call centres are witnessing an increasing amount of traffic due to growing customer bases and divers product portfolios.
“The key focus is on creating self-service capabilities on alternative contact channels like IVR, social media, email and web portals,” he says.
“The IVR messages are put in place to facilitate customer self-service where the customers call in and get the information they desire without speaking to a live agent,” says Walusimbi.

Abusive calls
Some clients will call to pass time as they are scrolling through their contacts on a boring afternoon. Some get so angry that they will abuse the agents.
All calls to the centres are recorded, and as you are talking to the agent, the supervisor is listening in.
“With time, the number of a particular abusive caller is noted, but we never block it,” says Odhiambo. “There is a standard response for such callers before the call is professionally ended.”
The fact that the calls are recorded means that they form a basis for evaluating the call centre agent.

Agent poaching
Like any other business, call centres dread poaching of their staff.
The services the agent offers the customer may or may not work in their favour.
“Customers sometimes call and demand to be worked on by specific agents. A good call centre agent is in high demand,” says Odhiambo.
On the downside, the average pay of agents is Shs300,000.
“There is a high turnover and lack of continuity because that amount is what you would give a university student or one who has just graduated,” says Kabenge.

some agents speak out on their experience on the job

Lillian Naluwemba Mayanja

Best experience
Being able to give a customer the service they intended to get without having to refer them to someone. It gives me a sense of satisfaction.
Handling abusive customer
I have to stay calm and not take offense because I do not know them, and they do not know me. I try to divert their anger, to deal with the real reason why they called because I am not allowed to raise my voice.

Worst experience
On the night shift, there are men who call with no actual issue bothering them. Some can be vulgar. I cannot end the call but then, I have a target number of calls to meet. Getting them off the line can be stressful.
Lessons learnt
Time management. In this business you cannot afford to lose a minute. Even 50 seconds means a customer’s call being queued and by the time you pick the call, they can vent their anger on you.

Fortunate Mutazihara Ddungu
Best experience
I advised a customer on how to use one of our cost-effective call services when he travels. He has since introduced it to all his family living abroad.
Handling abusive customer
If the customer is irritated, I will continue to explain to them calmly, but if they become wild, I will keep quiet until they have vented out their anger. Then I will resume the explanation calmly.

Worst experience
I don’t remember what the problem was but this caller was abusing me personally. It was no longer about the service, but he attacked me personally. I remember, after the call, I sat down and cried for a long time.
Lessons learnt
In an environment where you have to deal with all personality types, you have to develop emotional intelligence. You learn to be patient and respectful of all people, regardless of their status.

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