1. What career you are interested in.
2. Whether you have Core Maths as a subject or Maths Literacy. (The only other subjects which matter are Physical Science and Art).
3. 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: you must try to get the one for the year you intend to study.

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 future. It’s not easy to like every part of the way you look, but getting stuck on negatives can really bring down your self-esteem.

Other effects of low self-esteem include:

• You avoid difficult situations
• Sensitive to criticism
• Anxiety
• Withdrawal from social situations
• You are reluctant to trust yourself

It’s important to believe, deep down that you can change. Change doesn’t necessarily happen easily or quickly, but it can happen. There are simple interventions aimed at helping you increase your self-esteem. Here are the DTL expert’s top tips and the best ways to build and improve your self-esteem:

1. Challenge bad thoughts about yourself

Replace them with more positive thoughts which celebrate things you’re good at. You can do this by writing down a list of at least three things you do well. Remember this list when you start feeling low, this will help bring yourself back to reality.

2. Take care of you

Eating well and exercising boosts endorphins, the body’s natural opiates, which make you feel good on the inside and stimulates a more positive mood. When you exercise, you’ll ease stress and feel better about yourself. Having a cheesy dance in your bedroom, or going for a jog around the block are great ways to boost your self-esteem.

3. Relax

Stress plays a huge role in self-esteem. Reduce your stress by taking time out to do something you find relaxing. This can be anything from taking a bath, meditation, gaming, exercise… you name it: if it works, it works!

4. Set Goals

Take the time every day to think about what you’d like to achieve. Then set yourself realistic goals for each day and keep track of your progress by writing down all your accomplishments. This can be as simple as finishing off a piece of work or tidying up (we all know how challenging this can be!) You’ll feel an enormous sense of accomplishment when you’ve ticked off everything on your list for the day. The trick is to not get bogged down by the list; some days you won’t manage to get it all done and that’s OK too!

5. Help someone out

This can be a friend, family member or even a classmate who is struggling with their work or having a tough time at school. You could give them some advice or just be there to listen to a problem. It’s amazing how much our confidence is boosted when we do selfless things – do one thing a week to help someone else without expecting anything in return.

6. Take a different perspective

Look at tricky situations from alternative angles. Try to replace thoughts like ‘why should I bother?’ with ‘I won’t know unless I try’. By looking at a situation through a more realistic lens you’ll realise that you actually can do what you want – you just need to apply a bit more positivity! By doing this every time you have a negative thought, you’ll eventually default to this kind of positivity on the regular, and who doesn’t love a go-getter?

7. Try new things

Our brains are really good at learning new stuff and the more new stuff you learn, the better you get at learning it. Everyone needs a creative outlet; music, art, dance, games, sewing, cooking, web design – all you need to do is get on YouTube and find some tutorials. All the information you need is out there – it’s just waiting for you to click on it.

8. Surround yourself with people who make you feel good

Spend your time with people who appreciate and care about you. It can be a little tricky at first, but try to distance yourself from people who make you feel bad about yourself. Even if they’re the most popular kid in school or the coolest person you know, it’s really not worth hanging out with them if they make you feel rubbish! Strengthen other friendships and you’ll most certainly feel better about things in the long run!

9. Accept yourself

First up: self-acceptance is key to feeling confident. When people pay you compliments, simply say ‘thanks’ rather than brushing them aside or countering them with a negative. Second: Nobody is perfect. Accept your ‘flaws’ or imperfections and learn to love them, they are what make you unique, work it!

10. Keep visual reminders of things that make you feel good

Mementos are a great way to see all the cool things you’ve been doing. How about making a ‘wall of fame’ in your bedroom with snaps of you and your friends? We are living in an age where we have a camera in our pocket at all times…take more pictures! Capture those memorable moments and when you look back at them, you’ll realise how many awesome things you’ve done this year!

Source: Ditchthelabel.org

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, you need to learn them quickly! Too many experiences fall apart because of poor manners.
Customers don’t only care about how much you know. They want to know that you care. If you want to have an edge then your level of “care” must go beyond good manners. Be willing to serve. Forget ego.

Change

BPO is all about technology at internet speed. This means we have to keep up and be open to change. Embrace it!

Listen!

The world of customer service floods us with information but you have to focus on the vital message. Customers are the lifeblood of any organization and you need to develop the skills that will make you useful to them. Listening skills are one of the most important skills worth acquiring.

Written by: Nadiem Fredericks, General Manager: Quality Assurance: Innovation Group Business Services

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 to explain their situation in full and never react negatively to an unhappy customer. When customers are in need of a technical explanation for an issue, you must have the ability to put customers at ease. This is done by explaining a solution calmly and patiently while remembering that customers do not always possess the technical knowledge needed to resolve an issue.

Quick responses. Responding quickly to customers is a critical part of customer service. You will need to be able to respond quickly to inquiries, and able to switch to another channel if a case needs more attention.

Clear communication. Agents need to strike a balance between giving thorough answers, using a professional vocabulary, and being conversational and approachable all at the same time. Customers need that human touch, and it’s important to make introductions at the outset. However, always remember that they value their time, so conversation should be to the point – and you need to resist the urge to overdo small talk.

Empathy. It may seem dramatic, but empathy is among the most important customer service skills. A frustrated customer definitely needs attention and reassurance, but even satisfied customers need attention.

Knowledge about products and services. One of the most important customer service skills is the ability to learn new things. You will need to understand the products and services offered by the company and also keep track of any updates.

Contact centres are driven by technology so you will be taught how to use computer programmes such as a CRM database.

Positive attitude. No matter how upset a customer might be, you must keep a positive attitude. Using positive language that reflects confidence in finding a solution will reassure a customer and encourage sustained loyalty in the brand.

Attentive listening. If a customer wishes to explain a situation in detail, you need to be willing to listen. Customers may not necessarily accept the solutions you have to offer or may have questions about them. Good listening skills are critical to show respect for customer opinions and to offer them the best eventual solution.

Organization. You must be organized at all times to deliver good customer service. This means being able to navigate efficiently between different windows in a CRM database as well as switching channels when necessary.

Adaptability. One of the most important customer service skills, is adaptability to changing situations. You need to be ready to handle varying customer demands, possible technical issues, switching to other channels, etc. One service interaction may completely differ from another, so you must be ready to go with the flow and adapt as needed.

Willingness to go the extra mile. Customers appreciate great service, but they love a gesture that shows real appreciation for their business. Agents who go the extra mile often win over customers. This might include offering a delivery free of charge to rectify a billing error, connecting to another department or channel for better service, or simply asking all the right questions to give a customer a thorough, exceptional experience.

To be a successful inbound contact centre agent you must continuously learn and refine your skills in order to deliver the best customer experiences.

Source: Adapted from an article by Golriz Golkar 

• 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 is the key to being discovered!

It’s quick, easy and FREE to join!

Be sure to fill in as much detail as possible to increase your chances of being invited for an interview!

VERY IMPORTANT: The best way to get noticed by an employer is to include a well-written cover letter explaining why you are the best person for the job. Also – make sure that you have completed your online CV.  It is important to include as much relevant information as possible. Include your location (where you live).
If you don’t have much experience or training to put on your CV, make sure that your cover letter tells an employer WHY you want the job, and WHY you are the best person to hire. Good luck!

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 and is operating as Business Process Enabling South Africa (BPeSA).

They took me under their wing and I learned to sell the value proposition of South Africa as an outsourcing destination by assisting with representing our country on their stand at the annual Birmingham BPO & O show. Additional services of formulating and developing business development processes for Calling-the-Cape afforded me a plethora of wealth, knowledge and practical skills within the industry as well as my work with my employee contact centre within my designated roles.

Management Consulting Journey Begins

After filling the excess capacity at the contact centre I felt it was time to launch out on my own and identified a gap in the space for a specialist consulting firm in 2006, servicing contact centres with business development, marketing strategy, contract acquisition and client relationship management services.

10 years later I find I am still in my “honey- moon phase” and with Joie de Vivre I live to network, create, develop and implement marketing and business strategy for contact centres. Eternally fascinated by the transformation powers of technology and the inter-relation and connectedness of man and machine I see no objects, only relationships in the work I do.

Here are some suggestions

1. Check Career Planet regularly for updates and BPO company news.
2. 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, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency for the Western Cape)
• Dti SA (Department of Trade & Industry South Africa)

3. Check location. Choose a contact centre that is as close as possible to where you live – or one that is on a reliable public transport route. Most contact centres provide their own transport for night shifts.
4. Talk to as many people as possible in the industry. Try friends, relatives and anyone you know who is working at a contact centre. Be careful to get more than one opinion, and ask about different positions as well.
5. Visit company websites and read about the companies policies and corporate culture.
6. Look up HR and recruitment companies that specialize in Contact Centre and ask loads of questions.
7. Join Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media contact centre forums where you will get valuable and unbiased real-time feedback.
8. Check online to see which centres have been winning industry awards. This will give you an idea of which centres are on top, and which are promising rising stars as well.

Article by: Valerie Grace Roscoe

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 never know who’s on the other line. That’s why it’s so important that agents are committed to being warm and friendly throughout the duration of every call.

Professionalism

A big challenge at any job is leaving personal issues at the door. Everyone has a bad day, but when you let those feelings interfere with the ability to do your job it can cause chaos. Since call centre agents are constantly dealing with customers of all dispositions,  a lack of professionalism can quickly send an interaction off the rails.

Respectfulness

There may be days when an agent repeatedly gets connected with irate customers hurling abuse out of sheer frustration. This can be highly stressful and how you handle the situation will determine whether or not you’ll ultimately be successful at the job.

In all cases, an agent must be empathetic, respectful and understand that making an attempt to correct a problem is often the last thing an annoyed customer wants. Staying calm under pressure and handling the customer’s requests and questions in the face of adversity is one of the most-valuable contact centre skills.

Organizational skills

Agents that work in a busy call center need to be very organized. They need to be able to juggle multiple tasks at once (i.e., checking the knowledge base, updating the CRM and taking notes in your helpdesk), all while attending to the customer’s needs. Staying organized helps reduce errors and help customers more effectively.

Problem-solving skills

While contact centre agents are often directed to stay on-script, inevitably a problem will arise that hasn’t been covered in training sessions. It’s during these moments that it’s critical an agent can think independently. That doesn’t mean attempting to solve the issue alone. Often, it’s as simple as knowing when to ask for a manager’s assistance.

Staying calm under pressure

A good call center agent isn’t easily flustered. When a caller is angry or frustrated, an agent’s job is to be the exact opposite. Staying calm while dealing with frustrated callers on a daily basis is not easy. It takes self-discipline and maturity. A good agent must keep calm when someone is shouting at them over the phone and also when they have a chatty caller on the other end of the line who won’t let them get a word in edgewise. Keeping your cool throughout all of these situations and not letting the frustrated callers get to you personally will get any you far in the industry.

Good memory

The ability to recall information quickly is one of the most underrated contact centre skills. Agents are constantly being asked to study and memorise many different aspects of a particular product or service. They also need to learn the correct procedures to serve the customer. Some of this knowledge can be acquired over time, but it helps if you already have the knack to recall critical information immediately.

Confidence

Call centre agents need to show a ‘can-do attitude’ to serve a customer  – no matter how pressure-filled or complex the situation. This trait may not come naturally to everyone, but it can be learned, and it becomes easier with experience. Don’t give up. Building self-confidence is an important life skill!

Self-motivation

For all the training a contact centre provides, it can’t force you to take pride in your work. That sense of self-determination must be an intrinsic part of your personality. Self-motivated workers are always open to feedback, learning and trying to push themselves to be better.

Reliability

Due to the on-demand nature of the work, many contact centres are unable to offer traditional, 9-to-5 shifts for employees. Call centre companies must be able to count on the fact that their staff will regularly show up when scheduled, whatever the time of day or night. And during those hours, they must also be able to rely on their agents to remain calm under pressure, stay productive and handle as many calls as necessary. Anything less just won’t cut it.

Flexibility

An agent should be able to handle a chatty customer one moment and an angry customer the next. They should be able to roll with the punches and let the bad stuff slide off of them with ease (after providing a solution, of course). In addition, you may also need to work challenging hours: holidays, nights and weekends. Flexibility is key.

Sources:
Niceincontact.com

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 going to suffer. Research shows that not being able to understand the agent is the number one problem for customers calling in to their service providers.

The problem starts at school because a large proportion of Southern African matriculants do not have an adequate command of English. This is one of the greatest challenges facing our education systems, and it becomes a very real problem for young job seekers who have to express themselves in English in order to enter the job market.

As the demand for customer service and contact centre agents increases, more and more young people are needed to fill the gap. Unfortunately, sometimes the best candidates are not able to speak English clearly enough to work in the BPO industry.

How can these problems be resolved?

If your mother tongue is isiZulu, isiSotho, isiXhosa or any other of the Southern African languages your first language will have a powerful effect on your English accent.

A common feature of the Southern African languages is strong throat resonance. Voice is produced in the middle to back part of the mouth. This results in a deep, full, warm voice. But because of this, when English is spoken there is blurring of the forward, round English vowel sounds, such as er, ar and or.

There are also big vowel (a, e, i, o, u) sound differences. Most of the local languages have between 5 and 7 vowels, and these vowels are formed in the middle to back part of the mouth.

English has 23 vowel sounds. Long and short English vowel pairs can be pronounced differently, e.g. ship/sheep; pot/port.

But lip rounding is uncommon in the local languages, so forward rounded English vowels are pronounced as middle vowels. For example ‘work’ can be pronounced as ‘wek’ or ‘wuk’. There is also no ‘A as in man’ sound in the African languages so this ‘a’ is pronounced as ‘e’ or ‘u’.

The vowel differences often result in communication problems, especially when different words can sound the same – eg much/march/match or paper/pepper.

This is called mother tongue influence. You might say “So what?” But it does matter to a young person applying for a job in the customer service industry.
If you can’t speak English clearly and intelligibly you are at a disadvantage. English is the language of choice for business generally and particularly in customer service environments. A young person who has not spoken much English at home or school is suddenly expected to speak English at a mother tongue level.

It can take many years to learn to speak English well if you weren’t taught well at school. One way for first time job applicants and new employees to play catch up is to take an accent modification course.

A good example produced in South Africa is the Accent Labs e-learning course. The course not only shows you how to pronounce all the English vowels and consonants, but also helps with your audio processing of English, ie the course improves your ability to understand the spoken English that you are listening to.

The course was developed on the Moodle e-learning platform and includes a number of innovative recording and playback features.

If you would like to know more about their online course and the blended options that they offer please get in touch with Andy Quinan on +2783 460 6328, or email him at andy@accentlabs.co.za

Click here to visit their web site.

]]> https://careerplanet.co.za/tips-for-successful-chat-sessions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tips-for-successful-chat-sessions Tue, 09 Apr 2019 14:41:54 +0000 https://careerplanet.co.za/?p=120511 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 conversation? Here’s our step-by-step anatomy of a successful chat session, from start to finish.

Greetings

Online, the hand that waves at your customers is that chat button on your site. When a visitor clicks to chat with you, it’s the equivalent of a customer approaching you in-store. You need to respond with the warmth and readiness you would face to face.

So, in a successful chat session, the agent is quick to accept the chat and doesn’t keep the visitor waiting. Visitors wouldn’t be ignored in a physical shop, after all.

Once the chat is initiated, you should identify the visitor and give a personal greeting. If you don’t already have the visitor’s name from a pre-chat survey form, then ask for it. Using someone’s name is a fast way to start building that all-important personal connection. It signals to the customer that they’re being listened to directly, and your responses will seem more genuine. Using a name gives the chat session a friendly face from the start.

In fact, the more personalised you can make the chat, the better. It tells the customer: ‘I know you and you matter to the company’, which would help anyone feel important.

Breaking the ice

Avoid launching straight into business. Be friendly. A massive part of what makes a chat session successful is the relationship established. In fact, according to research, almost 70% of customers leave if they think you don’t care. So, show them that you do.

For a successful chat session, first say hello, and ask for the customer’s name before discussing business. If the chat starts with a customer complaint,  you should apologise first and look to solve the issue second. Customers like it when their concerns are validated, and when companies accept responsibility if something has gone wrong.

The human touch

Attentive service is the most important part of a successful chat session, and the human touch is important when it comes to customer service.

The human touch comes through by showing empathy. If the customer is upset, you should react accordingly. An empathetic voice can be achieved with apologies, and the avoidance of using too many canned responses, which can make you seem disinterested or robotic to the customer.

If in doubt, always ask questions. Never make assumptions with your customers. If details end up in crossed wires, customers can end up feeling irritated and not listened to. This can be avoided by asking and clarifying any confusing issues. It’s simple but essential stuff.

Plus, asking questions will make the customer feel included, and shows that their experience is valued. In turn, this adds to those personal relationships that encourage loyalty.

Finding solutions

The aim of a successful live chat session is being able to demonstrate active, efficient service. The customer can’t see what you’re doing, but they want to know that you are taking them seriously and trying to help them. Unfortunately, leaving customers in the dark can also leave them unhappy.

In a successful chat session, you should avoid saying ‘no’ as much as possible. Instead, look for solutions or workarounds for tricky issues. If you get stuck or are struggling, you can ask colleagues for help or ask the customer for more information.

Whenever you do anything to help your customer, you should always let your customer know what you’re doing. Remember that they cannot see your efforts, and don’t know if you’re sat ignoring them or actively working on their query.

The customer will be happy to wait a little longer if you explain what you’re doing, and assure them along the way. In other words, put in the effort and show it, and your customers will appreciate it.

Taking your leave

The back of the live chat session is the end. You’ve gotten this far successfully, but the wrong sign-off could still derail the chat. Make sure that the customer feels supported, rather than given the cold shoulder.

Successful chat endings come from agents that avoid abrupt goodbyes. Signing off suddenly signals to the customer that you don’t want to talk with them. This signal can cause upset or annoyance, even if the rest of the chat was successful. Sudden sign-offs are often considered rude, and will leave a bad taste in the customer’s mouth. When ending the chat, always confirm that the customer is happy.  Thank them, and invite them to chat again whenever the need arises. By doing these three things, it’s impossible for the end of the chat to be sudden. Remember: showing gratitude to a customer is the backbone of a good customer relationship.

Successful chat conversations leave customers happy with your service and welcome to return and chat again. They involve ensuring active, attentive support in every step of the chat journey.

Adapted from: Whoson.com