BPO/ITES Operations and Customer Handling
This domain simulates the floor: call structure, empathy language, hold procedure, escalation and the arithmetic of service metrics. It rewards candidates who can compute AHT and choose the professional response under pressure.
Core rules
- Call anatomy: greet with company and your name, verify the customer, listen, diagnose, propose a solution, recap, close courteously.
- Active listening: no interrupting, paraphrase, confirm understanding before acting.
- Empathy acknowledges the feeling without admitting legal liability: I understand the delay has been frustrating.
- Hold procedure: ask permission, give the reason, thank the caller, return within about a minute or check back.
- Escalation follows a matrix: L1 agent, L2 specialist, L3 manager. A ticket lifecycle runs open → assigned → resolved → closed, with CRM notes at each step.
- Metrics: AHT = (talk time + hold time + after-call work) ÷ calls handled; FCR, CSAT, quality score, adherence versus occupancy.
Worked example
20 calls in a shift take 320 minutes talk, 60 minutes hold and 100 minutes after-call work. Total = 480 minutes, so AHT = 480 ÷ 20 = 24 minutes. Reasoning: after-call work is part of handling time; excluding it would understate AHT and mis-plan staffing.
Traps that cost marks
- Offering sympathy (I know how you feel) where the question expects empathy.
- Promising a refund or waiver outside policy.
- Leaving a caller on hold without permission.
- Closing a ticket without confirming the resolution with the customer.