Behind the Scenes with the Retail Group Call Center Team
May 2023
May 2023
The Retail Group Call Center was established in 2018, initially comprising of six agents who served approximately eight (8) Debonairs Pizza stores. In 2019, gearing up for significant growth, Tshephang Batshidi was appointed as the Call Center Manager. Currently, the Call Center employs 37 agents, consisting of both full-time and part-time staff, along with two supervisors and two Assistant Call Center Managers.
The Call Center caters to a network of 30 stores, comprising 25 Debonairs Pizza outlets and five Steers outlets. Tshephang and her team consistently leverage cutting-edge technologies such as online ordering platforms, query management systems, and delivery order tracking to deliver exceptional customer service that aligns with the Company's vision.
In this blog post, we have the opportunity to interview the Call Center management team, gaining insights into the working environment of the Call Center within the Retail Group.
Q1. Please provide your name, your position title and a brief explanation of what your job entails.
Tshephang Batshidi: I am the Call Centre Manager for Retail Group. My job entails managing the daily operations of the Call Centre functionality, ensuring high levels of service to customers, and ensuring that the Call Centre KPI’s are met. It also entails the hiring, training, and coaching of the Call Centre staff.
Dineo Jabulani: I work as the Assistant Call Centre Manager. My role is to help manage day-to-day operations by providing support and assistance in a variety of areas e.g., help agents with taking calls during peak hours and solve customer complaints.
Odirile Sebodio: I am the Assistant Call Centre Manager. My job entails overlooking the running of the Call Centre with regards to making sure that our customers get the best service possible. Besides servicing our customers, I am responsible for making sure that our agents have all the necessary tools available to them to take calls and submit all customer orders. If there are any technological issues, these are reported to the relevant party(s) to get everything fixed.
Thamiso Leinatsela: My role is Call Centre Supervisor. My job briefly entails day to day running of the call centre, running it I mean doing call centre functionality checklists, attending to queries, planning department leaves, doing call centre reports (calls or/& sales). Handling of issues (online ordering, Yumbi queries, difficult customers, very disappointed customers) that agents can’t handle. Liaising between the customers and the stores.
Hallelujah Ratlhorwana: I work as the Call Centre Supervisor, my role is to plan and coordinate the day - to - day activities of the RG Call Centre to provide superior customer experience to all Debonairs pizza and steers customers.
Tshephang: It's the fact that it is a centralized department within a company that can drive the company business through the phone at the same time managing high call volumes in a short period of time while still providing high quality service.
Thamiso: Call Centre is a very unique department because firstly we deal with people we don't see, so this means you as an agent when assisting a customer, you must be able to tell what kind person you are assisting and how to assist them, be it change of language or hopping on suggestive selling mode (for customers who don't know what they want) it is more of psychological servicing, and this is where emotional intelligence comes in, an agent has to adapt quickly to this environment and learn all its dynamics in order to give the best possible service. Secondly this department is not versatile, it is not versatile in a sense that there is supposed to be a fixed number of agents on a particular date or day, we/you can’t take leave days at any time you want, there is a period for those. Even though it can be stressful at times, we learn every day in the call centre, we acquire skills such as problem-solving skills, negotiation skills, emotional intelligence, adaptability etc.
Everyone on the team is proactive, supportive and are customer led. The Call Center Agents are very dedicated, they love their job and are very supportive, so it makes everything on the management side easier. They are such a vibe and a great team to work with. In terms of the Call Center management team:
Dineo - she is very strong, she is like my backbone, very reliable. When I am not in, she handles everything.
Odirile – he is a team player; he is firm and a great team manager.
Hallelujah – very reliable, great team player, always there to rescue some of the roster situations we come across as a Team.
Thamiso – she is trustworthy, very loyal, she is firm, a fast learner, she is proactive, she is very supportive.
Dineo: Tshephang is the best boss as she believes in being the best in what you do, if things are not done correctly, she will speak up so that things can be corrected immediately. She likes working with people who are eager to learn and those that are not micromanaged.
Thamiso: Tsheps, as we mostly refer to her, is the best boss to work for because she is a straight-forward person, she says it how it is. She gives credit where it's due and she calls you out where necessary. Tshephang likes her work to be done a certain way and I try to keep up with how she wants it to be done. She is one of the most well-spoken people I know and knows how to put her word together when addressing team members. I appreciate her role.
Hallelujah: Her kindness, helpfulness, Honesty, caring and compassionate. Also, she encourages improvement by giving feedback and complimenting on my work which helps me identify my strengths that are beneficial to the team. -Increases job satisfaction by complimenting the positive qualities she sees in me which help me be a better supervisor
Odirile: She is thorough in her work and has a great work ethic. She makes sure that everything is carried out as it should and has an open-door policy.
Hallelujah: The most exciting thing about working in a call centre department is that one learns something new almost every day and is constantly being faced with different obstacles and challenges. That means that every day you learn new ways to handle new obstacles and challenges.
Odirile: Interaction within the department staff. This helps one see different perspectives and learn different things as we have a diverse group of people working here.
Tshephang: The Call Centre contributes to the turnovers of the company by driving the delivery and collecting orders of various stores of the company ensuring month on month growth in sales.
Thamiso: Call centres are at the heart of good customer experiences. A happy customer will return, and vice versa. Our department impacts the success of Retail Group because it is more of a money generating department, we deal with customers and consumers. We service them for their money and their highest headcount turnover means highest sales turnover. All we must do is assist and give them excellent customer experience; the rest will be history.
Odirile: With the Call Centre being the first point of contact with regards to customers placing orders (and lodging queries), it is imperative that it always runs smoothly. If the Call Centre does not run the way it should, it is quite likely that the company could lose its customers.
Tshephang: Individually I like spending time with my family and partner watching YouTube videos (news, lifestyle, geography), exercising, trying out new cooking recipes, brunch to name a few . As a Team, Team building activities get us going.
Dineo: I like being home with my family, we have never done anything as a team as we are on different shifts.
Thamiso: Individually I am an indoor person, I do solo dates here and there, but we sometimes go out as a team and enjoy ourselves a bit.
Hallelujah: Individually when I’m off work I like spending time with my family.
Odirile: Personally, I just enjoy spending as much time with my kids as possible.
Tshephang: Customer led people, people with good communication skills, people that are reliable and loyal. People that are comfortable with working odd hours of the Call Centre department in other words people that understand the Call Centre environment.
Dineo Jabulani: People who have a positive attitude and being eager to help when working with a customer (customer service orientated people)
Thamiso: Well-spoken people because ours is a very sensitive department. People who can adapt quickly to dynamic work environments. People who understand or have a bit of understanding of the industry we're in Keen people with good interpersonal skills.
Hallelujah: If openings arise, I want energetic, hardworking, and determined individuals.
Odirile: Hard working and one who relates well with other people.
