the MUST-HAVE-ABILITIES of a call center agent

I didn't know being a call center agent is quite challenging...IN ALL ASPECTS!

First, you need to be able to adapt to the changes that you will be experiencing everyday. A good example is the capacity to be a nocturnal being like in my case, my login time is 2.30am and I don't have any choice but to go to Sykes as early as 10.00pm just to avoid the harsh and dangerous night streets and if you are going to ask me about how I handle myself from 10pm and beyond? I don't even really know how I managed to be able to wait till 2.30am without anything to do.. probably having my other agents to chat with is the key.

Second, you need to be alert and wise in looking for a good desk to sit in for the next 9 hours. Since I'm still a newbie and I still need the help of my supervisors and team Lead, I need to sit near their desks just for easy access. It's really hard to find a desk especially if it's in the queue hours because almost all of the desks are occupied so I guess going to work early is another plus for me.

Third, the ability to protect yourself from IRATE CALLERS! Well, I don't often get irate calls everyday and luckily when I get calls from irate callers, they don't want to speak to an agent but to a manager right away so my main task regarding this issue, get a supervisor to take the call and after that, I'm done...

Fourth, the ability to be awake even if your eyes won't open. In the first few days, a cup of coffee or a glass of EXTRA JOSS would not even do the job so I don't have any choice but to answer my eyes' call of sleep! Well, I do have some of my co-agents to wake me up after an hour! My supervisors will not catch me though since I'm in a sitting position when I sleep with my headset on...so it's still like I'm taking calls.

Fifth, the ability to sleep even if the sun is in its hottest degrees! This ability is probably the easiest one since you are all drained up when you go home and even if the sun is in front of you, it will still not deprive you from the mandatory sleep that you need!My logout time is 11.30am and probably the time that I can go to sleep is around 1pm and everyday I wake up at 7-8pm and then I prepare myself to work again and do the same routine EVERYDAY!I don't even get the chance to watch TV and to clean my room even just for 5 minutes. If you are gonna do a room raid, I would not even care because probably, I would not even notice you sneaking into my room since I'm asleep!

No one told me it would be this tiring and draining! One of the things that forces me to continue taking calls, going to work, sleeping in the middle of the day even if the sun is striking hot is my salary! This is my first work experience so getting my pay every 15 and 30 does all the job of getting this stress out of my body! Whew! I just can't wait for June 15 to come!
ciao!