You know you have to hire a rep for your call center, but you’re pressed for time and can’t even think about interviewing agents. While you will eventually need resumes and in-person interviews, but you can learn a lot from in initial phone call with candidates.
According to Penny Reynolds, founding partner of Lebanon, TN-based education/consultancy Call Center School, the best way to screen staff for the call center is generally an initial short phone interview. This is a great way to immediately screen out candidates on the front.
You’ll be able to assess voice quality and basic communications skills right up front before spending too much time on paper reviews and in-person interviews. If you’re really short on time, you could start with a voice mailbox in which candidates can leave pertinent information. You can then call your top picks and see how handle a phone interview.