GETTING STARTED WITH ZENDESK TALK 29 CHOOSING THE RIGHT AGENTS Articulateness As with everything else in work (and life), Phone support is more immediate than for the best possible results you want the email or even chat, where agents have a right people for the job. In a broad sense, bit more time to think through responses. there are general skills that you’ll want in Phone agents must posses the ability to any support agent: patience, intelligence quickly provide clear, concise information. and empathy to name a few. But phone support requires some specific attributes. Stamina Here are a few to look for when choosing agents: Phone support is a marathon, not a sprint. Agents must give consistently Buoyancy good service, call after call. Unlike other channels, they will have to maintain and Working in customer service can be project a positive demeanour, via their frustrating for even the most seasoned voices, throughout the day. veteran. You don’t want your agents to take the stress of the previous call into the next one. Look for agents who can deal ANSWERING CALLS ON-THE-GO with a stressful call and quickly bounce back for the next call. And the next. And Your agents can answer calls on their the next. computers or, if they are away from their desks, forward calls to a mobile device or landline.