Next generation of call centres in Nigeria

The aim of call centre is to put smiles on customer`s faces through resolving complaints, provision of positive information to inquiries and giving available answers to requests.

Of recent times, i have seen a call centre that has all what it takes to provide all it`s purposes to the customers calling in when we talk of platforms and all other needed materials, however, the agents are not willing to make use of all these platforms and resources.

With some of my research, i observed that most agents are not passionate about the job. Possibly, due to the fact that there are no jobs in Nigeria where everyone will be able to delve into his or her choice of job, so, they have to fill into the available ones to make ends meet and they will try all best possible to convince management to be recruited.

With the situation of things, those with passion to be in the call centre are not even ready to be there with what they hear about the way the agents are being treated. 

At times, when you are treated well where you don`t want to be it makes your perception to change about that particular place.

Also, agents are being pressurized to meet a particular target. For example i know of a call centre where you have just 2mins:10sec with a customer and total handling time upon all calls in a shift must not be more than 130secs.

Yes, you may not spend up to 2 minutes with some particular set of customers while you will spend up to 10 minutes on some other sets of customers. 

It is not the fault of the customer nor the agent. When you wake up in the morning and find out your money has been deducted due to one service you did not opt into then, there must be a reasonable explanation which no agent can give, not in this economy of ours. Most customers will not understand the agent knows nothing about it, but since they are the trash cleaners, they bare the brunt, yet,  the company they are representing are not treating them well. 

Apart from target, there is quality accessor(QA) who monitore your calls. To the QA you must not cut calls, you must attend to all customers needs and score at least 85% on all calls not minding the AHT of 130 seconds, in fact, that AHT doesn't mean anything to them. 

It is against call centre rules to bring in mobile device or storage device, yet, no provision for agent to power his/her device working a particular shift for 9hours in this part of the country that we are facing power challenge. 

Upon all this restrictions, you give them salary that is not even enough to cater for their health issues considering the health hazards attached to the job let alone fueling the generator they cannot afford.

You claim you don't want agents to store customers' information on their mobile device for personal use and you have forgotten their mails are accesible at work and home, don't you think those information can also be stored on mails and retrieved once they are home since their phone must not be with them for 9hours?

The most painful part of it is that these agents are not recognized by the original company they mention to every caller. 

You are working for an outsourcing firm serving one of the giants of telecommunications in your country, yet, you don't have credit benefit for calls, data and sms each month. It is just like having mango tree in your compount with ripe mangoes, yet, you go out to buy. Apart from the salary, no other benefit like loan. Who even dare talk about loan when there is no job security in a company where they believe there are many people out there waiting for such opportunity you have. They take advantage of the fact that there is no job in the country, so they offer you a piece of meat-pie to carry a mansion on your head. 

I see the next generation of call centres where people will be ready to put all their effort to assist customers in all possible ways because of the passion. 

A call centre where agents that are to put smiles on customers faces are happy to be where they are and for the purpose they are recruited for. 

A centre where agents will be proud of his/her profession wherever he/she goes. A centre where agents will feel important and needed.

Not a centre where agent is being pressurized, treated like a slave in his/her own country with a working government. 

These outsourcing firms have their companies in their own countries too and cannot try what they are trying here in their own country. 

This will not be achieved without a working government and i forsee a positive change because i represent one of the passionate customer service representative, and no pressure or treatment will kill that passion in me.

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