a member of the People Contact Center team who serves as a rock and safe haven for SCB staff. Her role is similar to that of a center at which employees can find solace and trust in one another.

Before becoming a People Call Center worker

Simply put, a call center agent's job includes fielding calls and providing information to callers. Many would probably assume that someone whose employment consists solely of sitting and fielding phone calls is doing something relatively simple. To be sure, it's not. The primary responsibility of the People Contact Center at SCB is to handle calls from SCB employees who have questions or need assistance with their staff benefits.

Claire mentioned that she had to go through a lot of training before she felt comfortable working at the People Contact Center. This included learning the ins and outs of the People Plus system, a database that stores information about employees, and recalling and interpreting welfare details. In order to provide reliable service information, she must be able to keep cool under pressure and deal well with challenging situations as they arise. As a call center agent, she must also be able to tell callers when they may expect to receive answers to their questions if any of the information they have requested is incomplete or uncertain.

Responsibilities associated with feelings

Personnel in contact centers need not only be knowledgeable about the topics callers have concerns about, but also have a service mindset. Employees in this role must interact directly with callers, many of whom may be confused and looking for clear answers to their questions. They need a high tolerance for frustration because their callers come in all shapes and sizes.

Claire said, "In this job, I have to presume that people are calling because they need accurate information. I've dealt with folks who were unhappy with us and responded with harsh words or a condescending attitude rather than trying to grasp the situation before passing judgment on me. I need to stop overanalyzing things when they get sticky like that. Fortunately, I am not one to harbor ill will. If the phone rings and someone hangs up, I just move on to the next call without worrying about it.

Reliability in critical situations

Work-from-anywhere policies have been introduced by SCB since the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the fact that the People Contact Center conducts the vast majority of its activities via telephone calls, this had no impact on the facility. However, this role was even more crucial.

As is customary, some staff members called with questions regarding their personal well-being. However, many workers started to fret as the virus spread. It's possible that some people were afflicted but were clueless about what to do, while others could benefit from knowing what to expect in case they were infected. They required encouragement and a sounding board at times of uncertainty. Employees need to know that the Bank will take care of them, and the People Contact Center is responsible for providing those explanations.

The pleasure of providing services

Claire's mixed feelings about her time in this role stem from the fact that she has had both positive and negative experiences. During the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, she was called by a staff member who was not particularly tech savvy and asked for her assistance entering medical bills into the system. Claire did her best to assist the worker, but it took over thirty minutes and screen sharing to explain how to enter data. "Even though it took a while, he praised me for being patient and guiding him carefully and step-by-step. Claire exclaimed, "I was overjoyed and relieved that I was able to help him."

Expressing her thoughts as a Call Center team member

Claire has been in her current role at SCB for over five years, and her overarching goal is to ensure that all staff members have access to and are able to correctly apply accurate information for their own advantage. “What I enjoy most about this role is making my coworkers happy by answering their questions and providing them with the information they need.”

SCB has recently created a Chatbot to help callers inquiring about welfare information beyond just calling the People Contact Center team. However, the People Contact Center staff will step in to help fill the role of a being mental shelter for staff. Without this team, staff members may waste unnecessary time trying to figure things out on their own, all the while worrying about whether or not they have a firm understanding of the material. SCB's People Contact Center team will be there to address any questions or concerns any staff member may have. It helps them get more done in less time.

At the end of the conversation, Claire said, "I'm always glad to perform my responsibility, answering every call. I've always tried to be a dependable and solid member of my team.