Working as a frontline agent in one of the leading call centers in India is not a simple job by any stretch of imagination. Call center agents are breed apart, possessing nerves of steel to come out trumps even when badly cornered. Call center agents are those professionals who listen patiently to the callers’ problems and try to find a viable solution even when their shift timing has already ended. Agents from any Indian call center have to listen to abusive rants from their callers for no fault of their own and they do so without any complaints. This is why being an agent is not the easiest task on Earth. Training is a big aid for the agents, but they have a special talent always hidden within them. After all helping a person who is abusing you is in neutral terms a saintly virtue.

All through the working hours the call center in India agents have to speak to numerous customers and all the while they have to appease them. In so many hours of talking, mistakes are bound to happen. But there are some phrases or sentences that an agent must not utter at any cost. Some of these have been mentioned below for convenience:

• “It is not my Area”: You must be into the sales process and a call arrives enquiring about the billing issues. It is not your area of concern for sure, as you do not know about the billing process. But the sentence stated is very negative. Rather you can inform the caller about the relevant department and then say “I will get you connected to the concerned person.” This will be the apt way to counter the situation.

•  “I cannot tackle the problem as I am about to leave”: The Bible of customer service says that the last caller should equal services as the first caller, even that means you getting late for home. It is one of the professional aspects of being a call centers in India agent. Even if you have to leave bang on time do not convey your inconvenience to the caller. Rather say “I will have to pass you onto one of my colleagues. Sorry for the inconvenience”.

• “Please calm down”: When a caller starts yelling at you they are already at their wits end. They have been belittled and denied their rightful services; in such a situation commanding them is going to exaggerate the matter even further. So, try and re-sculpt the sentence “I can solve your problem only if we can discuss the matter calmly”.

• “I cannot help as I am new here”: Many agents who are new into a company or process utter this statement when they are being bombarded with questions and have no place to hide. But it is also a very unprofessional thing to do. As an agent you are taught to take responsibility of each and every call, by making such a statement you are neglecting that responsibility. The caller will ask for someone else to speak as soon as he/she hears this statement. There are many other ways to ask for help without letting the customer know. You can mention “I have to discuss the matter with a colleague, so the line will go silent for a minute or two. Kindly hold on.”

• “Should I connect you with my supervisor”: There are times when you really know that the customer is not getting the service he/she needs from you. In such a situation the easy way out is to convey the eventual through this sentence. But this is not desirable as your supervisor will not appreciate this. The customer will think of you nothing more than an under trained agent. And you will not be doing justice to the training, which says that the agents should have a final say. You can rather tackle the problem by saying “How do you suggest us to solve your immediate problem?”

• “I don’t have any knowledge”: This is an answer that completely kills the confidence of the caller and in turn hampers the brand image of the company you are representing. There is no hard and fast rule that the call center agent should know everything. Try to be positive in the way you tackle the issue. The agent should rather tell “Give me a moment to find a solution for your problem”.

• Saying Nothing: In the midst of talking, you might have to take time off for a few seconds to perform important calculations, or consult a colleague, or for many other purposes. At such times make sure that the caller is aware that you are still on the other end. Announce to the caller “the line will go silent for a few seconds and I will soon return.”

If you are an Indian call center agent working in a busy process then these are some of the phrases that you should write down and stick in the front of your desk.