Original Publication: Customer Management Insight - September 2008
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Think you’ve got the call center agent's profile down pat? Think again.
Most people feel they know what a phone agent is. Ask the average professional in our industry, and they’ll very likely tell you that a phone agent is a person whose job entails spending entire shifts handling a high volume of either customer service, tech support or sales calls from consumers. The average person would probably add that phone agents, while critical to the success of businesses today, are relatively entry-level operations staff that earn relatively entry-level operations pay.
But what the average person may not know is that there are plenty of contact centers today that do not employ your average phone agent.
The role of contact centers — and that of the people who work in them — has rapidly evolved beyond traditional operational and business models. Order takers, customer care specialists, software supporters and sales reps are no longer the only people donning headsets and working to empty ACD queues; today’s contact center cubicles (and home workstations) are also filled by registered nurses, mental health counselors, language interpreters, art dealers, accountants — even lawyers.
The entire contact center landscape has changed, broadened. Organizations of nearly all types have discovered and tapped the power of telecommunications to effectively and efficiently provide profound – even critical – levels of assistance and support to people in need of more than just an account balance, blouse or hard drive.
Let’s take a look at a handful of contact centers whose agents collectively represent the rich and varied roles of today’s less-than-traditional frontline staff.
St. Rita’s Medical Center’s “Tele-Nurses”
The nurses at St. Rita’s Medical Center’s Call a Nurse center in Lima, Ohio, have an excellent phoneside manner. The center is one of the pioneers of “telephone triage.” It all started out way back in 1991 with just three registered nurses (RNs) handling calls from people in need of medical assistance or other health-related information during the day and evening. Today, 20 RNs staff the center, collectively handling calls from regional residents 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We pride ourselves on offering a free, confidential service that is marketed to a 10-county area,” explains Rhonda Martz, manager of the Call a Nurse center, and a senior nurse herself. While she says that Call a Nurse is officially considered a health information and referral service, such a description doesn’t really to do justice to all that the RNs do.“We have just about every specialty known represented in our [center]: There is critical care, neurology, pediatrics, obstetrics, orthopedic — you name it, we have it. My RNs compliment each other well — they are experienced, well-seasoned nurses with a wealth of knowledge and skill. They do whatever it takes to get the job done, and working together is critical.”
The RNs use their extensive skills and knowledge on over 80,000 calls each year, providing callers with timely and accurate information on all their health concerns, directing them to education programs, referring them to community services, and helping them and their families find the best doctor to meet their health needs.
Just because they work in a call center and not in a hospital emergency room doesn’t mean that the Call a Nurse RNs don’t experience their share of stress and drama. “The most difficult and complex types of calls are overdose or suicide calls, child or spousal abuse calls, and rape victim calls,” says Martz. “We follow guidelines for these and every call and notify the proper authorities and agencies according to policy. All my nurses find these calls to be the most heart-wrenching and stressful of all. Their quick response and command of the situation is critical for a safe and successful outcome.”
While not at all your typical call center, the Call a Nurse center must contend with many of the same processes and challenges that more traditional call centers face, such as hiring, training, quality assurance and staff motivation. Martz carefully chooses her phone staff: Each must be a graduate of an accredited school of nursing (associate or bachelor degree program) and have a minimum of three years of clinical experience in acute or ambulatory care. Other key applicant skills and experience include “substantial public contact, knowledge of community resources, and, of course, good typing, computer and phone skills,” explains Martz.
New-hires receive three weeks of training to ensure that they fully understand the center’s computer programs and call guidelines, as well as how to effectively “treat” patients when you cannot physically see them. New-hires spend the first few days of training with Martz in an classroom setting, and the remaining couple of weeks in a hands-on learning environment while being coached and mentored by a preceptor (an experienced nurse who provides support and guidance). Trainees spend ample time listening in on real calls to help them grasp effective call flow, length, tone, etc. If at the end of the three-week training period the RN is not ready to work alone, orientation is extended.
In addition to heading up hiring and training, Martz conducts most of the quality monitoring in the Call a Nurse center, listening to a random sampling of encounters for each RN on a regular basis and providing timely coaching and feedback to ensure consistency, competency and a positive experience for all callers.
To help keep her RNs engaged — and to help keep their spirits high despite often difficult calls — Martz uses a variety of motivational and empowerment tactics in the call center. In addition to actively soliciting staff input via an “ideas team,” Martz regularly recognizes her RNs for solid performance and noble effort.
But what drives the RNs the most is the opportunity to work in such unique nursing environment. As Martz explains, they really enjoy “the camaraderie between co-workers, pulling together as a team, having available resources at their fingertips, and keeping up with the latest trends in the hospital. The fact that this job is not as physically challenging as floor work allows very knowledgeable, experienced nurses to continue their life-saving skills. RNs with physical disabilities can work in this arena very successfully.”
NCI’s Cancer Information Service Center’s Agents
While agents in most call centers are busy answering callers’ questions about products and services, agents at the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service center are answering callers’ questions about things like chemotherapy and life expectancy.
It takes a special — and specially trained — person to handle such challenging and sensitive calls (as well as emails and chat sessions). Most of the 24 agents who work in one of NCI’s Cancer Information Service call centers either already have a master’s degree or are working toward one in such fields as psychology, social work or health science. There’s even an M.D. (non-licensed) and a nurse who handle calls for NCI, which has Cancer Information Service centers in Miami, New York City and Seattle.
When asked to describe a typical call at these centers, Miami manager Mickey Havrilesko-Chiarini says, “There are none; every call, every interaction is slightly different, though we can say that most commonly people call us once they — or a family member or friend — have been diagnosed with cancer and want to understand the treatment options they have.”
Even with their advance degrees, special training and experience, certain calls never become easy or routine for agents. Ask Simcha Suveyke (a veteran agent who’s currently working on post-baccalaureate study in preparation for medical school) what are the most challenging calls to handle, and she’ll provide you with a list: “Patients asking about their treatment and diagnosis, or financial assistance; family members and friends concerned with their loved one’s situation; people worried that they have cancer; people trying to quit smoking; and researchers and doctors trying to locate information.”
Ironically, it is such varied and difficult calls that inspire agents like Suveyke to work in the Cancer Information Service call center rather than in a more traditional clinic setting. “Usually one would need a higher degree, such as nursing or a master’s degree specifically for the clinical setting to be able to work with these patients directly. I enjoy this job because it is not limited to one topic or one type of audience. I am able to speak about medical conditions and use medical resources to communicate with patients.”
Agent Vicente Behrens, a medical physician who has not yet completed his residency, offers similar reasons for opting to use his vast skills and knowledge in call center setting. “You have to recognize that there is a great deal of passion and humanity involved in this job. Every interaction brings a new challenge that entails individual emotions and concerns. It is an extraordinary task that requires eagerness to help those unknown to ourselves.” Behrens adds that the work environment that has been created in the center, combined with an outstanding management team, “is priceless.”
To ensure that each of the three call centers is staffed by people as committed, compassionate and skilled as Behrens and Suveyke, NCI takes hiring and training seriously. The applicant assessment process features job simulations — the benefit of which is two-fold: 1) They help the center determine if the candidate has the ability to do the job; 2) they help the candidate see what the job really entails and decide if it is something they would truly like to do. In addition to completing the simulations, each applicant undergoes behavioral interviews with up to four members of the management team.
“We are looking for critical thinking skills, an aptitude for reflective listening and counseling techniques, and past experience in a medical setting or through school,” Havrilesko-Chiarini explains. “And, of course, the person has to be articulate and want to help people.”
Once hired, agents receive six weeks of didactic training (led by a dedicated training manager) and e-learning on cancer-related topics and general communication techniques. In addition, all agents must earn 12 continuing education credits per quarter, either via conferences or online courses/seminars, as well as via cancer update meetings held by NCI several times per year.
To help protect its investment in human capital and keep burnout and churn to a minimum, NCI gives every agent a bonus after one year in the call center, regardless of performance. Those who demonstrate outstanding performance are typically promoted to lead. Other retention and motivational tactics include games and prizes, public recognition when agents receive kudos from callers, and the use of powerful speakers (e.g., oncologists, researchers and genetics experts) to educate and inspire agents.
Havrilesko-Chiarini also likes to tap the power of agents themselves to help engage and motivate them while simultaneously helping the center and the cancer community at large. “We try to use our people’s strengths to help with training, community projects, and research.”
It is that sense of empowerment and impact — not the bonuses, prizes or personal recognition — that keeps NCI’s agents in place and enthusiastic for long periods. Just ask Behrens.
“If it were only about the money that can be made, there would be very few people doing this. I believe there is a great compassion that drives people to do this remarkable job.”
CSDVRS’ Video Interpreters
CSDVRS (formerly a division of Communications Services for the Deaf) was the first in the video relay industry to launch a video contact center for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals (in 2003). Today CSDVRS has 16 such video relay service centers (VRSs), where professional sign language interpreters — called VIs (video interpreters) — help deaf and hard-of hearing-callers easily make calls to and receive calls from the hearing community. On average, about 15 VIs work in each of the VRSs, which are located across the continental U.S. and operate 24 x 7.
Here’s how it all works: Customers can use a standalone video-over-IP phone, a special set-top box or the Web (www.csdvrs.tv) to connect — via video — to a VI in one of the VRS centers. Once the video connection is established, the VI greets the caller and asks (via sign language) what number they would like to call. The caller then signs the phone number to the VI, who uses it to make the outbound voice call to the person (or company, restaurant, et al) with whom the caller wants to communicate. When the person being called answers, the VI says to that person whatever the deaf or hard of hearing caller is signing, then signs the spoken response of the person being called back to the caller.
VIs help deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals receive calls, as well. In fact, through CSDVRS, deaf and hard-of-hearing people can obtain their very own personal 800 number that their hearing family members and friends can call to connect to a VI and, thus, communicate with the deaf or hard of hearing person using the same process just described.
“Our VIs are the bridge between the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and the hearing community,” explains Aaron Wegehaupt, vice president of operations for CSDVRS.
Wegehaupt says that there are two primary advantages of video relay calls over more traditional text relay calls (where deaf or hard-of-hearing callers use text messages to communicate with people via a text relay operator): 1) With video, deaf or hard-of-hearing people get to use their native language — American Sign Language; and 2) “they get to see the emotion of the person — just like a hearing person can hear if somebody is happy or angry on a phone call, explains Wegehaupt. “A deaf or hard of hearing individual cannot do that in a text world, but they can do it in a video world because they can see it on the video interpreter’s face. Plus the video interpreter can convey the video caller’s emotion to the person being called.”
The VRS centers hire a mix of full- and part-time VIs, with full-timers handling roughly 50 calls each day. Finding qualified VIs can be challenging, admits Wegehaupt, who says that explains CSDVRS’s dispersed call center model. “It is difficult [to find qualified VI candidates]; that’s why we have so many call centers of a small size across the country — you’ll find pockets of nationally certified sign language interpreters with years of experience.”
Since qualified VIs are not a dime a dozen, once they are found and hired, CSDVRS does all it can to take care of them — via excellent pay and a fun and positive work culture featuring ample rewards and recognition.
While such things have certainly helped keep turnover very low, Wegehaupt says that VIs enter into the job already highly engaged — and tend to stay that way — because of the unique opportunity that the position provides.
“The profession of [sign language] interpreting before video relay services call centers was limited: You either secured a full-time gig in an education environment, or you picked up community jobs here and there — an hour in one place, an hour in another — always in different locations. The big advantage of working in one of our call centers is that you can pick up a shift of four or eight hours — all in one location — every day. This has been a huge benefit to the interpreting profession.”
