Are you looking for telecallers in your company for sales and support? If yes, you can get many candidates through job portals, placement consultancy, college campuses, classified advertisements in newspapers, social media advertising, employee reference, etc. But first let us understand what telecallers are? And how to hire them?
What is a Telecaller?
Telecaller is a company representative who works for inbound and outbound call centers. In an inbound call center, the telecaller’s role is to answer queries and resolve issues like wrong product delivery, damaged items, missing items, the return, refund policy and manage customer relationship etc., which would be necessary for maintaining customer relations. In an inbound call center, the role of the telecaller is to answer customer queries over the phone.
The telecaller’s meaning in an outbound call center is to initiate telephonic contact with existing and prospective clients to generate leads and revenue from sales. In a daily routine, the outbound telecaller also calls to inform the clients about new offers or product launches that might interest them.
What are the Steps for Hiring a Telecaller for Your Sales and Support?
An extensive guide for hiring a fully managed telecaller for your sales and support operations . Here are the following steps to hire a telecaller for sales and support.
1) Patience Testing
You may feel awkward when I mention that word. However, it is a fact. As the candidates enter the office premises, the receptionist asks them to give their resumes, which they pass to HR. The wait is usually long, and every candidate wants to finish the interview quickly. However, that would only happen if the interviewer did not make them wait for long, which is not the case. For example, when I, with other candidates, entered the premises, we waited patiently for more than two hours before HR called us for the first round. The company also makes the candidates hold back after completing their turn, which is a part of testing their patience and attitude. Well, it is a part of your jol role i.e how patiently you can handle the client.
2.Interviewing the candidates with self-introduction
As the candidates come for an interview for the telecaller’s post, the human resources department conducts the self-introduction round to understand the candidates better to determine their suitability. Self-introduction round is also a screening round where they filter the candidates when there are more candidates and fewer vacancies; the interviewer screens and filters the candidates based on their communication skills, spontaneity, and the answers they give to the interviewer. Usually, this is followed in almost every organziation; even in AM2PM Support.
For example, tell me something about yourself is a common question HR asks the candidates, where each candidate introduces themselves with their name, place of origin, educational qualification, and work experience (if any). An experienced candidate would tell them about the number of organizations they have worked in previously, while a fresher will say that it would be their first job. In some cases, the first round will also involve the questions like their interests, hobbies, etc. Once, when a candidate said their hobby is watching TV or singing, the interviewer asked what they watch on TV or which type of song they sang.
3. Written test:
Some companies conduct a written test in English in the case of an international call center. Well, this is done to check skills if they hire you for in house chat service. The written test comprises the basic English test, which the candidates must clear to get shortlisted for further rounds. A written test aims to analyze writing skills and measure their proficiency to write lucidly and speak succinctly, which is required for business communication. The written test can also contain questions related to the call-center executive job. For example, HR issues a question paper with over 50 questions for the candidates to answer within half an hour, one hour, or two hours depending on the length of the questionnaire.
4. Conducting a Group Discussion
Some companies take group discussion rounds as it allows the interviewers to analyze the candidates on different parameters like their confidence level, compatibility with the team, communication skills, leadership qualities, and analytical and logical skills. Furthermore, they test a candidate’s initiative to convey their point without interrupting the other candidates. Below are examples of the typical topics in a group discussion where the candidates in different groups must discuss and share their effectiveness within the stipulated time.
a. Arranged marriage Vs. Love Marriage, which is the better option?
b. Is there a substitute for hard work?
c. Job Vs. Career
d. The other side of the fence is not green.
5.Ability to provide a suitable resolution within a limited time
The interviewer gives specific scenarios to the candidates to measure their ability to provide a proper solution to the customers within a stipulated time. This is done to check, how employee handle the customer queries. For example, the interviewer offers a problem to the candidate where the telemarketer must listen to the customer’s lengthy customer complaint and provide an apt answer within the Average handle time (AHT).
6. Mock calls:
Sometimes, the company tests the candidate to make outgoing calls to test their communication skills and convincing power, which helps them to select the right candidate for the telecaller’s job. In such tests, the interviewer may conduct a mock trial for the candidate with a phone to communicate with them and convince them to buy a pen. When the candidate succeeds, they will get shortlisted for the next round
7.Conducting an operational manager’s round:
The company like AM2PM Support conducts an ops manager’s interview for the candidates to ensure smooth operations of all company’s procedures. The team or process manager aims to understand the candidate’s role in their previous organization, enabling them to select the candidate. The operations manager separately asks routine and technical questions to the candidates. Below are examples of the questions that an ops manager asks the candidates.
a. Can you brief us about your profile?
b. What roles did you play in your previous organization?
c. Have you ever chatted with a customer support executive on an e-commerce website?
d. What are the average sales you made in an organization?
e. How long can you work for our organization? (This is the question an interviewer would often ask an unmarried female candidate more than a male candidate, as the females may quit the company after getting married.)
The operations manager observes the candidates and their body language and fills out the form that a company provides them about the candidate with the report on whether the candidate got selected or not.
According to statistics, 10 percent of the candidates applying for telecaller posts get selected, while 90% get rejected. The candidate must answer these questions satisfactorily to get chosen as a telecaller.
8. Selection:
After the end of all rounds, HR calls the selected candidates to discuss the salary package, the shift timings, and the transport facility for the employees working on the night shift. Furthermore, HR also informs them about their joining date and asks them to get their credentials like their address proof, id proof, educational documents, pay slips, bank statements, and experience letters from their previous companies (if any). For example, a call center company like AM2PM Supportthat works round-the-clock in Bangalore called all the selected candidates, congratulating them for their successful clearance of all the rounds, and told them to get the verification documents.
9. Induction
It is a joining formality that a company does for all the selected candidates. For example, the HR department in a call-center company gives the joining form to the selected candidates to fill in their details that comprise their names, family and educational background, emergency contact numbers, and personal and professional references for verification purposes to work in call center.
10. Background verification:
The company does the background verification of the candidates to check whether they have made a valid declaration and have past criminal records to ensure that the company’s reputation remains intact and does not get tarnished. The company also verifies the CIBIL score to ensure lenders do not come to the workplace to create a scene.
For example, when a candidate gives the contact number of their friend, a designated person in another company, the verification team contacts them to enquire about their character and background. I came across a call center company where induction between the inductor and the onboarding candidates has been interactive. The candidates asked whether we would get terminated if we were under litigation. The lady said, no, but your joining date will get adjourned till you clear the case.
11. Issue appointment letters:
The onboarding employees get offer letters after clearing all the recruitment stages. The appointment letter contains the terms and conditions, the salary package and probation period, confirmation of employment, and termination of services. For example, in one of the call center companies, an HR introduced an onboarding employee to other employees and said, “Welcome to the board.” The employees were issued offer letters with the terms and conditions, which they had to sign and give them another copy.
Concluding Thoughts:Outsource. Excel. Succeed!
When hiring a telecaller, many candidates apply for the said post. However, the company like AM2PM Support takes the necessary steps to hire a fully managed telecaller for sales and support operations. Remember to carefully evaluate outsourcing providers, establish clear communication channels, and prioritize training and performance management. With the right outsourcing partner by your side, you can streamline your operations, boost productivity, and achieve remarkable results in your sales and support endeavors.
