A: The three most important things that will guide you are these: What career you are interested in. Whether you have Core Maths as a subject or Maths Literacy. (The only other subjects which matter are Physical Science and Art). What your marks are, and particularly in Maths (and sometimes Physical Science) or Maths Literacy. MATHS LITERACY: You can choose from these qualifications (200 in all). https://careerplanet.co.za/ncv-subject-choices-from-grade-9-with-or-without-maths-literacy/ CORE MATHS Please see this article about Core Maths as part of your subject choice. https://careerplanet.co.za/what-careers-can-i-study-for-with-core-mathematics-as-one-of-my-subjects/ The best advice is to go through and download the prospectus/student guide which most institutions offer. Note:…
Author: Career Planet
Fact: Each and every one of us has self-esteem. Self-esteem is made up of the thoughts we have about ourselves and plays a role in almost everything we do. Having healthy self-esteem is really important as it helps you make positive choices in your everyday life, gives you the courage to be your own person, have good relationships and helps you deal with difficult situations. Did you know that 87% of those who have been bullied felt it had a negative effect on their self-esteem… Low self-esteem can have harmful effects on your mental health, your decisions about your appearance and ultimately, your…
South Africa is a popular BPO destination for international companies to outsource their business services. We currently serve markets such as the UK, USA, Australia, Germany and more. New international markets bring great new job opportunities, but also means communicating and assisting people who may have different cultural values and expectations. Cultural differences can be positive and negative. Mannerisms that are accepted in one country may not be as well accepted in another. These golden rules apply when serving people from cultures anywhere in the world: Good Manners Good manners will bridge any cultural gap. If you don’t have them,…
Inbound call center agents are on the front lines of customer service. They are entrusted with the demanding task of pleasing and appeasing customers. With a myriad number of situations that may arise in a customer service exchange, agents need to be versatile and equipped with a strong skill set to handle the complexity of the job. Here are ten customer service skills agents should master to deliver the very best service. Patience. Customers may often be frustrated when they first make contact. Patience is an important skill that you need to have. You will need to give customers a chance…
Interested in a career in BPO? This your opportunity to get a foot in the door! Be the first in line for job alerts, training opportunities, competitions and more. The Career Planet BPO Fanclub offers you the following exclusive benefits : the opportunity to create a professional online CV apply for BPO jobs the chance for your CV to be seen by recruiters and employers alerts on new BPO jobs news and competitions Career Planet partners with recruitment companies and employers who are looking for new talent to develop for the BPO industry. Your CV on the BPO Fanclub portal…
My Story I first fell in love with the BPO industry in 2004 when I was head-hunted by a contact centre in Cape Town who wanted to grow their current capacity through the services of a savvy and fired up Customer Relationship Manager and Business Developer. I left the advertising media publishing space and enthusiastically proceeded to immerse myself in all things BPO & O. I was lucky that I had the opportunity to cut my teeth with Calling-The-Cape, the body organisation that looked after the BPO & O industry in Cape Town at the time. It has since consolidated…
All contact centres will promote themselves positively and offer awesome benefits to recruit you. Not all will, necessarily, be a good fit for you. Location, company culture, shift times and language requirements are also things to consider. There are ways to make informed decisions, as a newcomer, that will make your life easier. Here are some suggestions Check Career Planet regularly for updates and BPO company news. Check to see if the company is a member of a professional body such as: BPeSA (Business Process Enabling South Africa) CCMG (Contact Centre Management Group) Contact Centre World Wesgro, (the Official Tourism,…
There are many qualities that make a good contact centre agent. Here are some of the most important ones that can make or break your BPO career! Courteousness One of the most important qualities of a good contact centre agent is how you treat customers. This might sound obvious, but being polite and friendly is essential since most customers can immediately sense a negative or lazy attitude. When a customer is having trouble with a product, for instance, getting condescending or confrontational treatment from an agent will only exacerbate the problem and reflect poorly on all companies represented. Plus, you…
The South African English accent is generally regarded as one of the most neutral in the world. Unfortunately, while this is true for first language English speakers, most South Africans do not have English as their first language. In fact, only 10% of the South African population speaks English as their first language, and yet virtually all customer service agents and front-line staff have to use English extensively in their jobs. English is the language of preference in the customer service and sales environments. If your vital customer facing staff can’t speak English clearly and intelligibly then their careers are…
When you chat with a customer in a shop, it’s usually easy to adapt your service to each query. For online customer service agents, this adaptability is harder. After all, your conversations are unfolding through a keyboard, and you don’t have facial cues, body language or tone of voice to help you. But with more and more customer service interactions happening online, a successful chat session could mean the difference between a sale and a fail; a return customer and a lost one. It’s crucial, then, to offer the best chat experience possible. But what makes for a winning live chat…