By Marcia Jenkins, Senior Operations Manager
Inbound telemarketing may sound like a simple profession if you’ve never worked in an inbound telemarketing call center before. You answer the phone, look up answers for customers or prospects, solve problems, enter orders, upsell or cross sell, and note all the details in your CRM. Easy! Well… not really.
The most challenging aspect of handling incoming calls is that you never know what the next call will require. Some customers are having a great day and are super chatty and nice – which can be challenging if you have other calls in queue and you need to keep the average handle time down. Other customers are having a bad day and they are super angry and because you answered the phone, they want to take it out on you. Compound the different customer temperaments with the fact that many customers are calling because the available self-service options didn’t meet their needs, and this makes the call handling even more complex.
Because every call requires knowledge, flexibility and a positive attitude, we know that agent support from the front-line supervisor is a critical part of the telemarketing call center team.
Meet Melissa Werth. Melissa is responsible for leading a team of virtual call center inbound and outbound blended agents that handle business to business contacts in the healthcare industry. To ensure success, Melissa must coach her team on customer service skills, upsell and cross-sell skills and order retention skills. In addition, her team must be skilled at handling some basic tech support functions and billing questions.
What makes Melissa a great inbound telemarketing supervisor?
Melissa is like many other managers on our team. She started out on the phones and understands the program as well as agent needs. She has the perspective from both sides. The reps, managers, clients and customers trust her.
Inbound telemarketing supervision requires understanding the needs of each agent
Melissa has worked side by side with the front-line agents and is tuned in to what they need to be successful on an individual basis. She can often be found working out an issue with an agent to ensure the customers are happy and the reps get the help they need!
Inbound telemarketing supervision requires empathy
Because Melissa has been in their seat, she has great empathy for the front-line agents and the job they do. That empathy spills over to the customers calling in as well. She understands the need for urgency in solving any problem!
Inbound telemarketing supervision is easier when the team their supervisor as a team player
There is no “I” in team. Melissa knows that and she works hard to help her agents, her co-workers and her client. No request is too large or too small. Because of this, we’re happy Melissa is on our team and our clients love her too!
Author note Melissa is the Customer Service Inbound Telemarketing supervisor with the QCS virtual call center. She is known for her ability to get things done. With over 10 years on the phones, she has the skills needed to assist the agents and deescalate callers as needed. We appreciate her 5 plus years in managing a highly skilled team and making our clients happy!
Marcia Jenkins is the Senior Operations Manager for Quality Contact Solutions. Prior to joining Quality Contact Solutions, Marcia was a sought- after 10-year call center veteran with the ability to manage and sell. Marcia is responsible for the day to day operations for the At Home Division. QCS At Home is a work-from-home telemarketing and call center solution focused on business to business outbound telemarketing, test-bed projects and special programs which are typically not well-suited for the traditional brick and mortar call center.
