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An investigation into the core competencies of an ideal call centre agent

Dissertation (MA (Research Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005.

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Other Authors: Roos, Vera
Format: Thesis
Published: University of Pretoria 2013
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Roos, Vera
author_browse Roos, Vera
author_facet Roos, Vera
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2003, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Dissertation (MA (Research Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/22966
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:37:37.672Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/22966 An investigation into the core competencies of an ideal call centre agent Roos, Vera upetd@ais.up.ac.za White, Christine Call centre agents UCTD Dissertation (MA (Research Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. Call centre agents are becoming increasingly important in the call centre setting. They act as a contact point between the customer and the company, and can therefore be regarded as the builders of the company's image. Outbound call centre agents have the difficult task of gathering valuable research information. Due to the importance of these agents, they should have certain competencies to perform their duties sufficiently. The aim of this study was to determine what exactly a call centre agent needs in order to make that agent an ideal worker. Identifying competencies required to be ideal agents will ease the task of training and recruitment. Due to the interrelatedness of the subsystems of a call centre, not only the perceptions of the call centre agent, but also the views of managers and customers were taken into account. The systems theory allowed the researcher to take into account the interrelationship between these different subsystems. A qualitative methodology was used to gather this information, as it was the ideal method to show the complex processes and interactions in the call centre. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. Firstly, categories for the information were developed (open coding), then the categories were labelled (axial coding) and finally the categories were refined and integrated (selective coding). The results are presented from agents, customers and managements perspectives. The results found in this study are also connected to previous literature done regarding service representatives in general. Finally the competencies identified from the results are integrated with and related to the systems theory. Recommendations with regard to training for call centre agents are made, as well as recommendations concerning research possibilities for inbound call centres and cross-cultural studies. Psychology unrestricted 2013-09-06T14:10:05Z 2004-03-05 2013-09-06T14:10:05Z 2003-02-10 2005-03-05 2004-03-05 Dissertation White, C 2003, An investigation into the core competencies of an ideal call centre agent, MA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/22966 > http://hdl.handle.net/2263/22966 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03052004-142401/ © 2003, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Call centre agents
UCTD
An investigation into the core competencies of an ideal call centre agent
title An investigation into the core competencies of an ideal call centre agent
title_full An investigation into the core competencies of an ideal call centre agent
title_fullStr An investigation into the core competencies of an ideal call centre agent
title_full_unstemmed An investigation into the core competencies of an ideal call centre agent
title_short An investigation into the core competencies of an ideal call centre agent
title_sort investigation into the core competencies of an ideal call centre agent
topic Call centre agents
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/22966
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03052004-142401/