Final Project for English 2- Speech Communication

Interview schedule guide for call center agent/s

I.

1. What standard greeting do you use when a customer calls up?

2. What polite speech or expression do you use in your opening scripts? Why do you use polite

scripts? What do these expressions indicate?

3. How do you address you callers? Do you call them by first names? What other titles or

honorifics have you used to show respect for clients?

4. Do you also make requests to your customers? What polite expressions do you use in making

requests?

5. Do you think, it is important to use polite words in making requests to your customers? Why?

6. Was there a time when you make an apology to your customer? In what specific situation do

you apologize? What words or phrases do you use when you apologize?

7. Have you encountered conversing with an angry customer? How did you react in that

situation? Is there still a need to show politeness with an angry customer? Why?
8. Do you ask permission when you put your caller on hold? In what manner do you do so?

9. How do you end a conversation? Who hangs up first?

II.

1. Was there a time of miscommunication/misunderstanding between you and the customer? Do

you remember the reason or cause of that misunderstanding? Please describe the situation.

2. In which area of English communication have you encountered any problem? Is it

Pronunciation, accent/intonation, grammar, vocabulary/idioms, listening comprehension?

3. Have you experienced difficulty or problem in pronunciation that somehow caused confusion

on the part of your customer? Or was there a time when a customer complains that he/she has

trouble understanding you because of you accent or intonation? How did you solve this kind of

problem?

4. Do you have trouble understanding foreign accent? If there is instance that you find it difficult

to understand the accent of the caller, what communication strategy do you use?
5. Have you encountered problem in your conversation with a customer due to errors in grammar

such as agreement between subject and verb, pronoun and preposition usage, verbs, correct use

of tense? Have you attempted to correct your mistakes? How do you make amends in your

mistakes?

6. Have you experienced groping for an appropriate word to use in a certain situation? What

words or expressions do you usually use in your interaction with a customer?

7. Was there a time when a customer does not understand your explanation and then tells you

that you are “beating around the bush” or are “long-winded” in your explanations? What did you

do to make your message clear?

8. Was there a time when you can hardly understand the problem of a customer or the message

that he/she conveys? What did you do to better understand what the customer was telling you?

9. Was there a time when you were not able answer immediately the customer’s query or give

solution to the problem right away? How do you solve the problem?

10. Have you experience conversing with an angry or unhappy customer? How can you tell if

your customer is angry or frustrated? What are the verbal cues or the words and the tone of voice

of the customer as they talk?

11. How do you demonstrate sympathy and understanding to an angry caller? In what manner do

you say or express it? What words will you use to repair the situation?

12. What strategy or creative solutions have you made in dealing with an angry caller? How do

you handle or take control of the call or conversation?

III.

1. Does the company provide language training for call center agents? How was the language

training so far?

2. How do you feel about the training? Do you like it?

3. How do you feel the instructors, the topic, and the presentation? Did the instructors give clear

presentations of the topics?

4. Was the material used relevant to your work as call center agent? What are the knowledge,

skills, and attitude that were taught in the training program?

5. How much have you learned from the language training? Were you able to apply the things

that you have learned from the training into your actual job? Can you cite some of these?
6. Do you think the call center industry has provided you with enough training for your job?

What were included in the language training program of the industry?

7. Which area/aspect of the English language included in the training program has been a big

help in your exchange/transaction with the customer?

8. Is scripted language given as part of your training? In what way is this scripted language

helpful in your task?

9. Is the use of scripted language relevant in all situations? What strategy do you use when it is

not relevant to the problem presented by your customer?

10. Is there a need to improve the language training program which the call center has provided

for the call center agents? What do you think must be included in the training program to better

equip call center agents for the job?

11. Is there a noticeable change in your performance brought by your language training? Are you

aware of these improvements in your language performance? Can you mention some of these

improvements?

12. How did the training help enhance your interactional skills?
13. Has the company received good comment and compliments from customers of the improved

over-all language performance of agents? What are these comments/compliments?

Comments and Suggestions:

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Name and Signature of the CCA

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