agent [(eIdZEnt] hier: (Callcenter-)Mitarbeiter(in)
channel [(tSÄn&l] hier: Informationsmedium
customer care [)kVstEmE (keE] Kundenbetreuung
emotion detection [i(mEUS&n di)tekS&n] Gefühlserkennung
evaluate sth. [i(vÄljueIt] etw. auswerten
first-call resolution [)f§:st )kO:l )rezE(lu:S&n] Problemlösung beim ersten Anruf
follow up on sth. [)fQlEU (Vp Qn] einer Sache nachgehen
on hold: be put ~ [Qn (hEUld] in die Warteschleife gelegt werden
query [(kwIEri] Ersuchen, Anfrage
take a call [)teIk E (kO:l] einen Anruf entgegennehmen
tone [tEUn] Tonfall, (Stimm-)Klang
turnaround time [(t§:nEraUnd taIm] Durchlaufzeit58 http://www.business-spotlight.de 2/2014M
any industries depend on call
centres to provide customer care.
Rapidly changing technology and
the rise of social media mean that sat-
isfying customers’ needs has become
more complex. Customer expectations
are higher than ever, so call-centre
agentsmust give their full attentionMitarbeiter eines Callcenters sind Anlaufstelle für Anfragen
und Beschwerden von Kunden. ROSEMARYRICHEYhält für sie
die passenden englischen Wendungen bereit.during the call and follow up onindivid-
ual queries, problems or complaints.
Call-centre trends include dealing
with customer demands more efficient-
ly. For example, there is an increasing
focus on first-call resolutionand speed
of answer. “First-call resolution” means
that a solution is offered the first time
a customer phones and “speed of an-
swer” refers to the time a caller must
wait before an agent takes the call.
Customers talk to the company, and
to other customers, on Twitter, Face-
book or other social media. Here, too,fast turnaround time— in other words,
how quickly the customer receives an
answer from an agent — is a top prior-
ity of call centres.
Agents’ efficiency can be evaluated
by using emotion detection, which
measures how callers feel. This is
based on voice characteristics, such as
how loudly customers are talking, their
toneand how quickly they speak. This
is useful for understanding and reacting
to customer behaviour.
To reduce the frustration of being put
on hold, some call centres give the
caller an estimated wait time, or offer
to ring customers back. Call centres
also increasingly use intelligent call-
back tools. These include interactive
voice response, an automated guide
that leads customers through standard
situations. They may also be directly
connected to online videos.
In general, customers prefer talking
to an agent on the phone, with further
support through other channelssuch as
email and online chat or social-media
platforms. No matter which channel is
used, good communication is essential.
Customers complain when agents
read from a script, so call-centre agents
need to work on attentive listening,
clarifying, making promises and keep-
ing them — and asking if the customer
needs any more assistance.
Successful agents combine technol-
ogy with excellent skills, as customers
can easily take their business else-
where. Call centres cannot count on
getting a second chance.Digital VisionCall centres
LANGUAGE ENGLISH FOR...mediumExercise: Best practice
Answer these questions using informa-
tion from the text.a) Call-centre trends include ______.
1.personal meetings
2.increased use of technologyb) Most customers prefer to use ______.
1.the phone only
2.various channelsc) Call-centre agents need ______.
1.good communication skills
2.better scriptsAnswers on page 64May I help you?
Politeness is key58-59 English for 2_14 14.01.14 13:51 Seite 58