Mock Calls

On Monday the IBM call center started taking mock calls from the group #2 papers. We arrived at IBM earlier than usual so Naham and Sophie could get their IDs, and we could make sure things were set up correctly.

There was a bit of excitement in the air as our team members started streaming in an taking their places. We tested the phones to make sure there would be no issues. It was good to talk to DeeDee on the test phone.

When 9am EDT, 6:30pm Bangalore time rolled around the phones started ringing. Sophie and I walked among the agents offering suggestions and directing them to the proper resources. We were also on a bridge call with Orlando and I was instant messaging with several folks there as well. (Talk about communication overload!) The agents were a bit nervous as some of them had never worked for a call center before. The calls were coming in fast and furious and I think it was a bit overwhelming for them at times.

After an hour the calls dropped off and we had a pep talk with the team. "Watch how much you put them on hold" and "Ask probing questions" and "The call should be wrapped up quickly."

Before long it was Chicago's turn and the phones started ringing again. Before that, I was asked whether it would be ok if they used the Orlando Sentinel Knowledge Base to troubleshoot Chicago calls. I said that as long as it was only used to determine what questions to ask and not how to escalate calls, that shouldn't be a problem. He said that he liked the fact that the Orlando Knowledge Base was organized that way, which made it easier for them. Alex, let's make sure it is all like that.

We got good feedback from the folks in Orlando who called. I think once the agents get into a routine of answering calls, verifying the caller's info and working with the Knowledge Base, things will start going smoother.