The following blog post was written by Meghan House, CAHPS Associate at RMS.blog-tsa

A Telephone Survey Associate (TSA) is a fundamental part of any Call Center. From customer satisfaction to business lead qualification, a TSA is the face, or rather the voice, of the company. They are the persona that is portrayed each time someone is contacted on behalf the market research client, and that’s a big responsibility. Having the right person for the job is imperative to maintaining a high quality, well performing Call Center. Top-notch TSAs possess a few key attributes:

  • They know the client’s products and services- A strong TSA will “do their homework” and fully understand who it is they are representing. Understanding who the client is, and what job they are asking you to do for them, will better prepare the TSA to complete their calls.
  • They are detail driven-A TSA with good organizational skills and who is aware of project details is much more likely to be successful in completing the job efficiently and thoroughly than those that “glaze over” the finer points. TSAs must not only be able to communicate with the client’s contacts, but with fellow TSAs as well. They will frequently need to collaborate with colleagues to determine the status of a project, and must be able to effectively take notes that would allow another TSA to work with the information with little to no difficulty. Notes and abbreviations should be clear and easily understood.
  • They have good phone manners-A good TSA will understand the importance of phone etiquette. Proper greetings and closings, correctly addressing whoever answers the call, and asking the right questions at the right times are essential to conducting a successful phone call.
  • They are capable of multitasking-A crucial part of a TSA’s job is being able to accurately enter the information they are receiving from the other end of the line into a database, while continuing the conversation so there is no break in the “flow”. This keeps silence on the line at a minimum, and also makes the call time more efficient.
  • They are an active listener­-The ability to actively listen to who you are speaking with while performing the task at hand is pivotal to being a highly productive TSA. This allows the TSA to participate in the conversation, take down all pertinent information from the call, and complete any other task without losing focus.
  • They maintain a comforting tone of voice-Voice tone sets the stage for a call. If the TSA has a curt, sour sounding voice, then naturally anyone answering the call would not be as receptive to what the TSA has to say. However, if a TSA uses a cheery, clear tone, the person on the other end of the line will likely be much happier to speak with the TSA, even if only to hear what the call is about.
  • They are calm under pressure-TSAs may encounter projects with a deadline, a disgruntled person on the other end of the call, or changes in the project’s parameters mid-project. Being able to quickly and accurately adjust to the situation and still complete the task at hand is incredibly important.

Regardless of the project, having the right people on the phone makes all the difference. A good TSA should be focused, motivated, and have a positive attitude; that is what will make the difference.  RMS QualiSight employs a full staff of highly qualified TSAs. If you are interested in conducting a telephone survey or other market research project, please contact Sandy Baker, our Senior Director of Business Development & Corporate Strategy at SandyB@RMSresults.com or by calling 1-866-567-5422. Visit our website at www.RMSresults.com.