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THE NATIONAL LEARNING SERVICE

BOGOTA D.C. DISTRICT
MARKET MANAGEMENT, LOGISTICS,
AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES CENTER

FORMATION MODULE

BASIC ENGLISH

Business Operations Workshop

NATIONAL BILINGUALISM PROGRAM

Bogotá, February 2019

Read the following text and complete the exercises below:

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The Call Center Agent

Who is the person on the other end of the phone?
What is he or she like?
Why did they choose to be a call center agent?
What do you think the daily job of the Call Center Agent is?

Well, let’s take a few moments to look at what it takes to be a call center agent and how you can
develop the skills and mannerisms that will make you a world-class agent!

The Call Center Agent

The fact is that a great Call Center Agent has to have a wide variety of skills and abilities to properly
fulfill the requirements of his or her job. The most common or minimum skills and traits required are:

Common Sense – Common sense is the single most important skill a call center agent can possess. If
you can look at a situation and identify the right way to proceed, based on common sense, you will be
able to save a lot of time and energy.

Most of the day-to-day routine problems you will encounter are likely to be variations of the same
basic issues. You will either be required to provide information or resolve a problem. Common sense
plays a powerful role in identifying which way to proceed when talking to a caller, allowing you to
handle calls faster and become more productive.

Empathy – Having empathy for your callers is very important. In order to become a great Call Center
Agent, you must have a basic desire to support and help people. A good call center agent will learn
from experience how to listen to the caller and figure out what the caller is really looking for.

Concentration – It is very common for an agent to have to go from system to system or resource to
resource to get answers or data needed to make a decision. This kind of activity makes it important
for the agent to be able to remember basic information over the course of the call.

Computer skills - Today’s business environment means one word: computers.

The average call center agent will work with a computerized phone system to handle calls, another
computer system to enter and process requests and records, and possibly a third system to gather
data, look up information, and provide technical guidance to callers, dealers, and contractors. You
need to know how to use computers and execute common tasks.
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Product Knowledge – An agent needs to have basic understanding of the product and its functions in
order to provide the correct information and communicate intelligently with the caller.

Customer Service Knowledge – Whenever we deal with callers or customers, we have two aspects of
the situation: First, we have the reason for the call (trouble, information, purchase, etc.) and second,
we have the relationship between the company and the customer. Solving the customer’s needs is
equally important as strengthening the relationship that he or she has with the company.

Rational Thought Process – A good call center agent has to be able to think rationally. You have to be
able to analyze a situation and decide what is rational for that set of circumstances. Being able to see
things and act rationally is an important skill for a call center agent to possess.

Self-Assurance – To be successful, an agent must believe in their response or resolution and be firm
yet gentle in “holding the line” when the caller insists for more or something different. A successful
agent will not be easily swayed by the caller or any comments or threats that they might make. A
good agent will have a good understanding of the market, product, or industry and know what is fair
and just in any situation and feel comfortable offering that to the caller.

Fair - The goal in every conversation with a caller should be a win-win situation where you get to give
the customer the most of what they want while also protecting the interests of the company or
manufacturer.

An agent must represent two different sides at the same time. They must represent the manufacturer
or company’s interest while at the same time representing the customer’s interests to the company.
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1. Using your own words, define the following terms and discuss them in class:

a. Common Sense: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Empathy: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c. Computer skills: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Solve the puzzle:

AGENT
BUSINESS
CALLER
CALLS
COMMON SENSE
COMMUNICATE
COMPUTERS
CONCENTRATION
CUSTOMER
CUSTOMER SERVICE
DATA
EMPATHY
GUIDANCE
HELP
KNOWLEDGE
PROBLEM
PRODUCT
PROVIDE
QUESTION
REPRESENTATIVE
ROUTINE
SERVICE
SKILLS
SOLUTION
TECHNICAL SERVICE
TELEPHONE
TROUBLE
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Reading: Read the following article:

Call Center Careers

Not many people know about call center careers. They probably know about people answering
phones in call centers, but how many knew that there were actual careers?
If you have great communication skills, and if you are very patient, call center careers might be for
you!

How do you get a Call Center Job?

Like any job, most call center careers require that you fill out a job application. Successful applicants are then
usually given a phone interview. This gives employers a chance to hear your voice quality, and how comfortable
you are speaking.

If you are hired, you will be trained to learn the company's system of answering calls, and providing the correct
information that the company requests.

Most call center careers start in a large open office area, where many computers are connected to a
telecommunications system. Call center agents answer calls for major corporations, catalog companies,
computer companies, etc.

The Function of Call Center Workers

Call center customer service representatives receive calls from people
around the world. They also return calls, and have a demanding job.
Sometimes customers have general questions about products, or
services, and other times they are very angry, and want answers from
the customer service agent they speak to. Regardless, call center
representatives are the voice of the company from the minute the
phone rings, until they have successfully assisted a customer.

The importance of the job is one of the reasons why so many people
want call center careers. However, the challenge of dealing with
occasional difficult customers and constantly talking on the phone are
also reasons the profession has a high turnover rate in some areas.

Call center managers, and supervisors can earn close to $50,000 a year in
the United States. Those with more experience can earn even more. Of course, location plays a big role in the
amount of money call center careers can bring. A call center worker in the United States will earn more than
the same worker in India, or the Philippines, due to cost of living adjustments.

Senior citizens make up the new trend of workers deciding on call center careers. Often times seniors have
either previously retired, and are not receiving enough benefits, or they might have been laid off. Either way,
it's a great way for seniors to start a new career at an advanced age.
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List of Some Call Center Careers

Here is a brief explanation of some jobs that are available in call center careers:

Customer Service - As explained previously, customer service involves handling the questions
and comments of customers.

Telemarketing - Call center careers in telemarketing usually require you to make cold calls
(contacting someone, who has not requested your call), and calling leads. Leads are people
that were previously called, and who have agreed to receive additional information. The goal
of telemarketing is to market and sell a product, or service. Due to many laws that are in
effect today, telemarketing is a more respected profession than it was before.

Supervisor - A supervisor is generally in charge of up to 50 customer service representatives.

Training Manager - As the name suggests, the training manager is responsible for company
training.

Quality Assurance - Quality assurance has the job of monitoring phone conversations, giving
feedback to other managers and supervisors on the performance of customer service agents,
as well as many other functions.

Work at Home - It's been popular during the last couple of years for people to do call center
work from their home. All they need is a computer, and special company software installed,
together with training. This is very popular with stay-at-home moms.

In addition, there are many other jobs including manager, director, IT specialists, personnel, and
others.

If you are searching for call center careers, understand that the profession can be demanding, but
rewarding, too. There is always a demand for new workers, so if you are interested, you should check
for local jobs that are available.
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Reading Questions

1. Why do people call customer service?

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

2. How much money can a supervisor earn in the United States?

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

3. Why do senior citizens want to work for call centers?

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

4. What is a lead?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

5. What is the job of a Training Manager?

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Read the following sentences and mark them True of False

1. Call center careers do not require that you fill out a job application.
TRUE FALSE

2. Most call center careers start in a large open office area.

TRUE FALSE

3. A call center worker earns more money in India than in the United States.

4. A supervisor is generally in charge of up to 35 customer service representatives.

TRUE FALSE
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Exercise: Find the meaning of the following terms in Spanish, and then classify them.

Classification
Term Meaning in Spanish
(verb/adjective/noun)

Call Center Career    

Patient    

Job    

Require    

Communication skill    

Employer    

Phone Interview    

Correct Information    

Training    
Telecommunications
   
System
Job application    

Function    

Customer    

Angry    

General Question    

Successful    

Speak    

Difficult    

Earn    

Answer    

Receive    

Demanding    

Rewarding    

Available    
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Basic Call Center Terminology!

Before we can discuss call center basics and operation, we need to understand the “lingo” or the terms used in
the call center industry. Here are some of the common terms you may encounter when dealing with the call
center industry:

1. ACD – Automatic Call Distribution – this is when calls are automatically routed to an agent, or groups of
agents, based on specific criteria. This may be by phone number, type of service needed, or by product
line. This insures that the agent picking up the call has the expertise required to resolve the situation.

2. AHT – Average handle time – this is the total amount of time the agent spends on the phone with the
customer plus the time spent after the call doing paperwork or other tasks associated with that call.

3. ASP – Application Service Provider – an off-site option that allows you to access external customer call
centers

4. Autodialing – this is software that automatically dials pre-programmed numbers and provides a pre-
recorded message to the customer. The message may ask for information to be entered via the phone
keypad or just provide information the company wants to provide their customers.

5. Call Accounting – an application that accepts data and archives it for generation of reports.

6. Call Center – a facility that accepts, directs, or otherwise processes phone calls, e-mails, or generated
forms for a company or group of companies.

7. Call Blending – allows agents to both inbound and outbound calls depending on need and call volume.

8. Call Volume – the number of calls fielded by agents in a specific time frame.

9. Concurrent Users – the number of people who can use a call center at the same time.

10. Conditional Call Routing – this enables calls to be routed according to instructions that you give to the
software. For example, you can program that calls go to another agent when the number of calls one
agent has reaches a certain level. This will improve response time.
11. CRM – Customer Relationship Management – gathers and compiles information on customers.

12. DNIS – Dialed Number Identification Service. Shows the number from which the customer has called in
from. It can be used to specifically route calls based on certain information.

13. Database Call Handling – handles called based on data stored in the database.
14. Display – another term for monitor, screen or CRT.

15. Escalate – the act of taking a call that is sensitive or problematic and transferring it to another agent,
usually a manager or supervisor.

16. Handled Calls – the number of calls that came into the call center or that were handled by a specific
agent.
17. Handling Time – the length of time it takes an agent to talk to the caller and process transactions.
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18. Help Desk – this usually refers to the area where customers or employees receive assistance and
support for computer related issues and needs.

19. Hold Time – the amount of time that elapses between when the customer is connected to an
electronic answering system and the time the phone is actually answered by a live agent.

20. IVR Interactive Voice Response – this option allows a customer to use ordinary voice commands to
access specific information or to have a call routed to the appropriate agent.

21. Least Cost Call Routing – when more than one line or carrier is available to process outgoing calls, the
IVR system selects the least expensive line and directs the call to that line.

22. Monitor – another term for screen, or display. Sometimes referred to by the old name of CRT.

23. Multi-Media handling – allows agents to also process requests and information on other types of
media such as e-mails, faxes, web forms, chat requests, etc.

24. Offshore Call Center – a call center that is located outside the United States.

25. PBX – Private Branch Exchange – an in-house switching system that connects multiple phones to each
other and to one central network. The PBX can contain multiple options to allow for call routing and
other functions.

26. Predictive Dialing – an outgoing call option that automatically places calls and only directs them to an
agent when the phone is answered. This minimizes downtime and increases efficiency.
27. Preview Dialer – allows a call center agent to view information of the caller prior to answering the call.
Similar to the home option “caller ID”.

28. Prompts – another name for menu selection. These would be messages, questions, or options
presented to the caller that are used to direct or process the call.

29. Queue – this is the area where calls are held until an agent is ready to take a call. Calls in the queue can
be assigned according to priority or who called first or any other programmed criteria.
30. RDBMS – Relational Database Management System – links files together by comparing data. Allows
information to be accessed by cross-referencing information on a customer or account. For example,
you could pull up a customer by keying in a phone number.

31. Real Time Data - data that is constantly updated as the data changes. For example, software that
counts the number of calls coming in would be referred to as real time data if the operator could pull
the data up instantly at any given time. Data that can be accessed only at the end of a specific time
frame such as daily, weekly, etc. is not considered real time data.

32. Remote Access – the ability to access functions or databases from an external location via an Internet
connection.

33. Reporting – the information on current performance over a specific reporting time frame.
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34. Scripts – a pre-arranged set of responses to common issues or questions that allow agents to give
standard replies to common requests.

35. Skill Based Routing – the ability to route calls to agents with specific experience levels or knowledge.

36. Softphone Function – using computers to control phone functions at a call center.

37. Screen POP – having information on the caller “pop up” on the screen when the agent receives the call.

38. Speech Recognition – software that converts spoken voice into text that can be read by the agent on
their display.

39. Tier – a level of agents in a call center where agents are divided according to skills, knowledge, or
expertise.

40. Time per Call Average – the average amount of time an agent spends on the phone with a customer.

41. UCD – Uniform Call Distributor – sends calls to agents and provides some reporting functions.

42. VRU Voice Response Unit – an automated system that responds to a caller’s speech or phone
keystrokes without the need for an operator.

43. VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol – technology that allows you to make telephone calls over the
computer via the Internet.

44. Workforce Management – options that help call center processes including call monitoring, recording,
scripting, etc.

45. Wrap Up Codes – unique codes that allow agents to identify the types of calls they work with.
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Find a partner and practice the following dialogues:

Greetings and Presentation

Thank you for calling Bank of Bogota. My name is John. How can I help
you?
Agent
Gracias por llamar a Banco de Bogotá. Mi nombre es John. Como puedo
ayudarle?
I’m calling to find out if there are any offices open near my location right
now.
Client
Llamo para averiguar si hay algunas oficinas del banco abiertas cerca a mi
ubicación en este momento.
Could you please tell me where you are at the moment?
Agent
¿Me podría decir usted en donde está en el momento?
I am on 26th street and 60th avenue.
Client
Estoy en la calle 26 y la carrera 60.
The closest office that is still open at this time is at the Grand Station Mall
on 26th street and 67th avenue. They close at 7:00pm.
Agent
La oficina más cercana que todavía está abierta esta en el centro comercial
Gran Estación en la calle 26 con carrera 67. Ellos cierran a las 7:00 pm.
Oh good, it’s near. Thank you very much.
Client
Ah bien, queda cerca. Muchas gracias.

Good morning/afternoon/evening, this is John speaking on behalf of Bank of

Bogota. Am I speaking to Mr. Torres?
Agent
Buenos dias/tardes/noches, habla John de parte de Banco de Bogotá. ¿Estoy
hablando con el Sr. Torres?
I am afraid that he is not home at the moment.
Client
Me temo que no está en casa al momento.
Do you know when he will be back?
Agent
Sabe usted a qué horas regresara él?
He should be back home after 7:30 pm.
Client
El debe estar de vuelta después de las 7:30 pm.
Very well, please inform him that we will be calling back this evening to
speak to him. Thank you very much for all of your help.
Agent
Muy bien, por favor infórmele que lo estaremos llamando de vuelta esta noche
para hablar con él. Muchas gracias por toda su ayuda.
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You’re calling Bank of Bogota. This is John. Who do I have the pleasure of
speaking with today?
Agent
Llama usted a Banco de Bogotá. Habla John. Con quien tengo el placer de
hablar hoy?
This is Carl Johnson, my credit card has stopped working for some reason.
Client Habla Carl Johnson, mi tarjeta de crédito ha dejado de funcionar por alguna
razón.
I’m sorry to hear that. When exactly did the card stop working.
Agent
Lamento oírlo. ¿Exactamente cuándo dejo de funcionar la tarjeta?
More or less three days ago.
Client
Hace más o menos tres dias.
In this case I must ask you the favor of going to the bank’s office where
your account resides to verify what is happening with the card and generate
another one if necessary.
Agent
En este caso debo pedirle el favor de que se acerque a la oficina del banco
donde su cuenta reside para verificar que ocurre con la tarjeta y expedir una
nueva si es necesario.
I’ll do that, thank you very much for your help.
Client
Eso hare, muchas gracias por su ayuda.