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Call Center Hiring Featured ArticleHire Better Tech Support with FurstPersonJune 18, 2009
By Stefania Viscusi, Assignment Desk Editor
Customers today call into contact centers more and more for help with technical issues with gadgets and services, as well as a host of other issues.
In order to keep customers happy, it's essential to hire quality technical support staff members who can address those issues and who also possess the characteristics required for working in a call center environment.
Chicago-based FurstPerson, a provider of call center hiring solutions, recognized that need and recently released a new technical support representative hiring solution designed to help companies choose the best qualified candidates for this critical position.
The new offering, the company says, is helping improve the quality of hires by up to 30 percent because it allows hiring managers to select only those candidates with enough knowledge to handle customers problems, via the phone or chat.
Candidates applying for Level 1 support as well as more complex tech support roles are identified using FurstPerson’s evaluation and assessment tools.
Company President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Furst said that the tech support role has increased in importance, especially as companies emphasize retaining customers and finding new ones in this down economy. “Technical support representatives are critical to helping customers resolve issues with their smart phones, pay for TV services, Internet services, and a host of other technology based products and services," Furst said. "Firms that employ the right technical support representatives generally have better customer satisfaction which drives lower subscriber churn."
The company’s review of tech support rep jobs uncovered the competencies necessary for successful performance, including compliance, computer skills, listening, oral communication and stress tolerance.
Pre-hire screening and other hiring tests help managers review potential candidates and assess their ability to perform this function before they’re hired.
“Many companies assume that technical knowledge or interest in technology is the key competencies for successful technical support representative performance,” said Brent Holland, Vice President of Research and Consulting at FurstPerson. "Our in-depth review showed that many TSRs lacked the ability to learn and apply complex information effectively. Closing this gap as part of a comprehensive pre-hire screening process yields significant gains for on the job performance."
FurstPerson also recently released “8 Steps to Great Contact Center Hiring,” which offers companies insight into the steps they must take to ensure that the right call center hiring is taking place.
For more, check out the Call Center Hiring channel on TMCnet.
Stefania Viscusi is an assignment editor for TMCnet, covering VoIP, CRM, call center and wireless technologies. To read more of Stefania’s articles, please visit her columnist page. Edited by Stefania Viscusi  
Call Center Hiring is a web-based virtual interviewing application that helps you expand your candidate pool, interview more applicants in less time, and hire the best ones more quickly.
 White Paper: Improving Hiring PerformanceThe Business Case for Virtual Interviewing. A Business Optimization White Paper Effective customer service operations starts with hiring people with the right communication, technical, critical thinking and language skills. IRT Case Study: Streamline Hiring Process
  Business Transformation RadioPopular ArticlesCall Center Hiring Customer TestimonialsWith InterviewIQ, the quality of prospective employees has risen dramatically. Our recruiters can focus their attention on detailed candidate evaluation instead of trying to schedule the initial interview. Dick Eychner Our customers have come to expect exceptional service and our crewmembers continue to deliver on each and every flight. HireIQ has demonstrated its ability to not only help us hire the best possible candidates, but to do so at a reduced cost of recruitment. Megan White |