Customer service representative

Transcription

Good afternoon. This is Miss Arona May I have your first and last name? Thank you Miss Williams. May I have your account number please? Narrator: The Gas Company serves over 20 million homes and businesses from central California to the Mexican border. Each day thousands of customers call us with requests for service or for information. Yes, I'm moving to a new address and I'd like to get my gas turned on. Hi, I just got my gas bill and I have a few questions. Yes I'm noticing a really strong odor of gas from my range. I heard the gas company can give me a discount on attic insulation. Is that true? The calls are handled by Customer Service Representatives - commonly called CSR's. On average, a CSR answers a hundred phone calls a day, providing each caller with service in a friendly and efficient manner. Thank you, Mr. Nardozza. I'll be glad to check the account for you. CSRs place service orders for customers They ask them questions, determine their service need, and enter the information into the computer. Will an adult, that is 18 years or older, be on the premises at all times? The service orders are carried out by energy technicians who depend on the information CSRs provide. Customers call with many kinds of questions. Yes, I can provide that information, Mr. Sanchez. Customers depend on CSRs to provide clear explanations. You still have a credit from your deposit, Mrs. Cho so that amount will be deducted from your next bill. Customers depend upon CSRs for solutions. I'll be glad to note an extension on that balance. When would you be able to make that payment? Customers depend on a quick response in an emergency. We ask that you stay away from the range until the field technician arrives. Customer safety, and on-the-job safety, are always a CSR's first priority. CSRs are provided with ergonomically- designed chairs. Even their desks are adjustable for maximum comfort - whether sitting or standing. What is it like to be a CSR? Ms. Arona: It's a desk job that requires strong people skills, a focus on details, and the ability to multi-task. You're talking to customers as you review information on a multitude of windows on your screen. A friendly attitude is essential and you need to be efficient because there are always other customers waiting for you to take their calls. Narrator: Throughout the year, CSR's are involved in fun events which incorporate safety, teamwork, and friendly competitions such as Crazy Hat day. To acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be a CSR, candidates attend an intensive, 57-day training course, requiring constant focus. They must pass the course in order to be hired. Learning doesn't stop there - it's part of the job. There are frequent changes in policy and procedures. CSRs must retain this new information and apply it on the job. We asked some experienced CSR's to talk about the satisfactions and challenges of the work. You have to have a calming effect on the customer. It might be a gas leak. It might be a service request. It might be a billing question. So you have to be really patient to try to distinguish and try to get everything that the customer is trying to let you know. So it's more than just taking a phone call. It's many things that you have to multitask with. You know, sometimes they just have a problem. It's not really them being difficult - they just want their questions answered. So you have to be understanding and you have to be warm and friendly and just make sure to end it on a positive note, even if the customer comes on the line a little upset, you have to be able to turn that around. One of the expectations as you aspire to be a CSR is to be able to perform under pressure. I take hundreds of calls a week and many of them are the same types of call. One of the challenges coming into work, especially on a Monday, is you know it's going to be busy. It's going to be hundreds of calls waiting. One of the ways a CSR can keep up-to-date on all the different things that are going on is by reading bulletins in between calls. There is a running board that you can read up on to see what's going on for the day. It can be anything from an emergency situation in an area where you are receiving many phone calls. It can be a change in a procedure. We are dealing with natural gas. It can be very dangerous and so we can't give inaccurate information because we could be putting the public in danger. You have to be up on the different programs on different things that we can offer the customer. You have to be able to answer their questions. You have to have the knowledge to give them the answer right away. If you have any questions you need to follow up with the instructors so that you know that you're clear on anything you might not understand. They are more than willing to help before and after class and you need to take advantage of that. As the training goes along it can become more difficult so you need to make sure you have those building blocks the foundations to build on so that when you get onto the floor you have a complete understanding of what it is that you need to do when you're speaking to that customer. It may not be a job for you if, you know, you're quick-tempered and you want to react to customers. That may be a little difficult. We are humans and, you know, we have emotions as well but we have to keep that under control. In a class of eight, where I started, there was one person who was, unfortunately, was not able to keep up with the training. There was another person who came to the realization that it just was not the job for them and that it was going to be more difficult than she anticipated and she decided to stop there and look for employment elsewhere. It's not for someone who is not able to handle those types of pressures because that's your daily routine That's what you do every day. It's not for everyone. It's a very good job but it's a very demanding job and it has to be taken very seriously. When I'm done with my last call I can go home. There's no follow-up work. There's nothing else that I need to worry about when I leave work. The next day is a brand-new day and it starts all over again. When we have a break or we have a lunch hour we are able to sit and talk about different challenges that we've had to meet during the day and you have other people who understand what is that you're going through. A reward for being a CSR is making the customer happy at the end of the call and when they're happy then it makes me happy that I was able to help them There are agencies we can refer them to that can help them pay their bills. We have a lot of programs and services - free services that people don't know about. When I can give people that information it's a really satisfying feeling and they leave the line feeling much better about things. I feel like I'm providing a public service. I feel that this is a very important job. So you have to be prepared to completely do your job at 100% everyday. Narrator: A Customer Service Representative at the Gas Company - is it the job for you?