Call center
Pre-hire assessments

Call center hiring poses several common challenges for recruiters and organizations. Some of these challenges include:

1. High Turnover Rates:
   • Call centers often grapple with high turnover rates due to the repetitive and sometimes stressful nature of the work. Finding and retaining qualified individuals for the long term can be challenging.
2. Skill Matching:
   • Identifying candidates with the right blend of technical skills (such as proficiency with software and systems) and soft skills (such as effective communication and problem-solving) is crucial for call center success.
3. Volume of Applications:
   • Call center job postings tend to attract a large volume of applicants. Sorting through numerous resumes and applications to find the most suitable candidates can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
4. Dynamic Work Environment:
   • The dynamic nature of call center work requires employees to adapt quickly to changing scenarios. Finding individuals who can thrive in this fast-paced environment is a continual challenge.
5. Compliance with Regulations:
   • Call centers must comply with various industry regulations, including those related to customer privacy and data protection. Ensuring that candidates meet these compliance requirements adds an extra layer of complexity to the hiring process.
6. Cost of Training:
   • Training new hires is a significant investment for call centers. High turnover rates can lead to increased costs associated with onboarding and training new employees.
7. Balancing Immediate and Long-Term Goals:
   • Recruiters must strike a balance between addressing immediate staffing needs and ensuring that new hires align with the long-term goals and culture of the call center.
8. Employee Retention:
   • Retaining skilled and experienced call center agents is a constant challenge. Creating an environment that promotes job satisfaction and growth can contribute to better employee retention.

Addressing these challenges requires a strategic approach to recruitment, including the use of tools like Realistic Job Assessments, comprehensive training programs, and employee engagement initiatives.

Many of our call center clients incorporate assessments early in the hiring process, typically right after the application stage. This serves a dual purpose: first, it communicates the expectations of the role to candidates, offering a realistic preview of what the job entails. Second, it assists recruiters in prioritizing candidates within the recruitment funnel based on their performance in these assessments.

At ThriveMap, our approach goes beyond a one-size-fits-all solution. We understand that each company and role within a call center has unique requirements. That’s why we offer a tailored approach, ensuring that our pre-hire call center assessments are customized to align seamlessly with your specific company culture and role expectations. This personalized touch enhances the effectiveness of the assessments, providing a more accurate reflection of candidates’ suitability for your distinct call center environment.

At ThriveMap, we understand that the skills required for success in a contact centre role can vary depending on the specific context of the position. That’s why we take a tailored approach, considering the unique demands of each role by examining a typical day in the life before customising our assessment questions. However, here’s a comprehensive list of the types of skills we commonly evaluate:
Soft Skills:

1. Communication skills

Interpersonal skills
Teamwork skills
Customer service skills
Adaptability
Emotional intelligence
Conflict resolution skills
Time management
Cognitive Skills:

2. Critical thinking
Analytical skills
Problem-solving abilities
Decision-making skills
Attention to detail
Logical reasoning

3. Situational Judgement Tests:

Handling difficult customer situations
Resolving customer complaints
Prioritising tasks
Following company policies and procedures
Data Entry Skills:

4. Typing speed and accuracy
Data input accuracy
Familiarity with data entry software and tools
Technical Skills:

5. Proficiency in using contact centre software
Knowledge of CRM systems
Ability to navigate multiple computer applications simultaneously
Troubleshooting technical issues

6. Language Skills:

Fluency in spoken and written languages
Proficiency in specific languages relevant to the job role
Customer Handling Skills:

7. Empathy and understanding
Active listening skills
De-escalation techniques
Relationship-building skills
Sales and Upselling Skills:

8. Sales techniques
Cross-selling and upselling abilities
Product knowledge

9. Multitasking Abilities:

Handling multiple customer inquiries simultaneously
Managing various communication channels (e.g., phone, email, chat)

10. Adherence to Compliance and Regulations:

Knowledge of industry regulations (e.g., GDPR)
Compliance with company policies and legal requirements

These are just some of the many skills that our contact centre skills assessment can evaluate. Our assessments are designed to provide a comprehensive analysis of candidates’ capabilities, enabling you to make informed hiring decisions tailored to your specific needs and requirements.

Traditional resumes often fall short in adequately representing the crucial soft skills required for success in high-volume call center environments. ThriveMap’s approach becomes especially valuable in these scenarios due to the following reasons:

Invisible in Resumes: Soft skills, such as emotional intelligence and communication abilities, are often intangible and challenging to discern solely from CVs. ThriveMap’s assessments go beyond the surface, providing a deeper understanding of a candidate’s capabilities in these critical areas.

Volume and Efficiency: In high-volume hiring scenarios, the time and resources required to conduct individual interviews for every candidate can be overwhelming. ThriveMap’s assessments streamline the screening process, efficiently evaluating soft skills at scale and allowing recruiters to focus their efforts on candidates who align with the specific demands of call center roles.

Tailored to Call Center Environment: ThriveMap’s job analysis ensures that the assessments are specifically designed to mirror the challenges of call center positions. This targeted approach allows organizations to identify candidates who not only possess the technical competencies but also the essential soft skills required to excel in a fast-paced and dynamic call center setting.

Objective Evaluation: Traditional hiring processes can be subjective, leading to inconsistencies in evaluating soft skills. ThriveMap’s assessments provide an objective and standardized measure, ensuring a fair and reliable evaluation of candidates’ soft skills. This objectivity is crucial in high-volume hiring, where maintaining consistency is a challenge.

Predictive Accuracy: ThriveMap’s approach, validated through workshops and real-world performance data, enhances the predictive accuracy of identifying candidates who are more likely to succeed in call center roles. This predictive element is invaluable in high-volume hiring scenarios, where making the right hiring decisions swiftly is essential to maintaining operational efficiency.

In summary, ThriveMap’s approach is tailored to address the unique challenges of high-volume call center hiring by providing a systematic and efficient method for evaluating soft skills, ultimately contributing to the selection of candidates who are not only technically qualified but also possess the essential qualities for success in the call center environment

ThriveMap’s pre-hire tests center around Realistic Job Assessments, strategically eradicating biases tied to factors like educational backgrounds. Through an immersive day-in-the-life simulation, ThriveMap guarantees that candidates undergo evaluation based on their aptitude to excel in the distinct call center work environment. This methodology actively supports diversity by identifying candidates who resonate with the job’s specific requirements, fostering an inclusive hiring process.

ThriveMap utilizes a rigorous validation process to ensure the accuracy and reliability of our assessments. This involves conducting workshops and collaborating with industry experts to validate the assessment content. Continuous refinement based on real-world performance data ensures that our assessments accurately predict success in call center roles.