One of the most common phrase you will hear in a call center is "I believe I can speak English well, but why can't my caller understand me?" This is most common on new call center agents. There is a difference for Filipinos' English conversation and that of the Americans. Much of which lies on the intonation pattern and pronunciation. If an agent will always encounter this kind of scenario, it is crucial for him to enhance his communication skills to be useful for his job. For a call center job seeker, enhancing his English Communication skill will give him an edge over other applicants because most of the evaluation will be based on how well a call center job seeker can converse with proper English.
Whether you're speaking with a customer over the phone, via email or face-to-face, proper grammar and effective listening/reading skills can make the difference between satisfying a need or escalating a problem. In fact, the same is true when communicating with anyone in a professional environment, whether you're applying for a job, pitching a new idea or presenting to a room full of executives. So while basic, these skills are critical to achieving every one your professional goals, both today and in the future. Best of all, it's all right here at your fingertips. Just click on the following links to practice your pronunciation, enhance your listening and improve your grammar.
CALL CENTER AGENTS AND CALL CENTER JOB APPLICANT'S STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO ENHANCE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Practice Proper Pronunciation
Activity One: Go to http://eslus.com/LESSONS/READING/READ.HTM and select items to read. Record your reading (Microsoft Sound Recorder is installed on most computers).
Activity Two: Review words that are commonly mispronounced at http://www.m-w.com. Listen to words correctly pronounced and repeat them.
Activity Three: Go to http://Evaeaston.com/pr/home.html and click on "Consonant Sounds" or Vowel Sounds." Select each of the sounds listed. Practice the sounds using the words provided.
Enhance Listening Skills
Activity One: Go to http://www.esl-lab.com/ and complete the listening exercises.
Activity Two: Visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ and watch and listen to English-speaking newscasters.
Review Grammar
Activity One: Review English rules at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/ or visit http://www.englishclub.com.
Activity Two: Test your grammar knowledge at http://a4esl.org.
2 comments:
There really are many different accents and patterns of speech that can be encountered in a call center. Even for people who have grown up in the United States, the language patterns between southerners, westerners and new england residents are all distinctly different. When encountering them for the first time, it can be difficult to understand.
Thanks for the post and links. Its really helpful.Call Center Services
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