Talent Sharing Program needs call center supervisors, agents for COVID-19 Information Center

More than 30 positions, requiring a six- to nine-hour commitment per week, are available in the Purdue COVID-19 Information Center, facilitated through the University’s Talent Sharing Program.

Employees who are interested or supervisors who have employees with capacity can find more information at the Talent Sharing Program website, and supervisors can submit employees via the Talent Share Match survey.

Positions for both call center supervisors and agents are available.

Call center supervisor (five needed): Supervisors in the COVID-19 Information Center support the call center agents in their work to answer questions and supply information to callers using Slack for real-time communication. The COVID-19 Information Center is currently open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Callers range from students, parents, faculty and staff to media and community members. At times, supervisors may receive transferred calls from agents if they are dealing with a particularly challenging situation or a caller requests to speak with a supervisor. At times, the COVID-19 Information Center is used to conduct outgoing calls to various student populations for a variety of reasons. Call center supervisors also may be assigned outgoing calls to students depending on the timeline and population size. Supervisors should be comfortable calling students following a script, and documenting interactions as instructed by University leadership.

Needed skills include:

• Resourcefulness and comfort navigating complex or ambiguous information.
• The ability to keep up with information and announcements shared by the University and take time to fully understand guidelines while also understanding when further clarification is needed before arriving at an answer for a caller.
• The ability to become comfortable with the use of Slack and respond quickly to an agent with a question as well as use provided software and headsets to complete the responsibilities of the role.

Training will be provided by existing call center supervisor(s) to incoming call center supervisors. Two options will be offered before July 10, and each training would be scheduled for two hours. Supervisors need to attend only one of the two trainings. Ongoing support will be provided by current call center supervisor(s).

Supervisors will work three-hour shifts, two to three times per week, and they will work remotely.

Call center agent (30-40 needed): Agents working in the Information Center answer incoming calls with questions related to the University impact and functions around COVID-19. Calls may be from students, faculty, staff, parents, community members, media and others. Agents will largely use the Protect Purdue website to answer questions, with support from call center supervisors. Agents will need the ability to work in a quiet space during call shifts and have access to a laptop or desktop with a reliable internet connection. Agents will be provided with a headset and computer software to run their remote call line. At times, the COVID-19 Information Center is used to conduct outgoing calls to various student populations for a variety of reasons. Call center agents also may be assigned outgoing calls to students depending on the timeline and population size. Call center agents should be comfortable calling students following a script, and documenting interactions as instructed by University leadership.

Call center agents should:

• Be comfortable following University messaging.
• Have a calm demeanor and the ability to deescalate situations when needed.
• Be willing to ask for help from supervisors when needed and providing follow-up to callers when appropriate.

Training will be provided by call center supervisor(s) to call center agents. Two options will be offered before July 10, and each training will be scheduled for approximately two hours. Agents need to attend only one of the two trainings. Ongoing support will be provided by call center supervisor(s).

Agents will work three-hour shifts, two to three times per week, and they will work remotely.

Questions can be directed to hill175@purdue.edu.