Call Center Simulation Assessments in 2023: Detailed Insights for Recruiters

Equipped with an array of tools to measure language skills and other industry-specific competencies, these call center simulation tests help identify candidates who are the perfect fit for a BPO/call center environment.

BPOs thrive on professionals possessing impeccable communication skills, spontaneity and patience. While call etiquette and rebuttals to common customer queries can be taught, skills like creative thinking, presence of mind, and problem-solving abilities are natural personality traits that a candidate may or may not possess. An advanced call center simulation assessment acts as the ideal screening tool in such a scenario, empowering BPO recruiters with the perfect set of tools to hire individuals who bring immense value relevant to call center success.

This blog offers detailed insights into the way call center skills tests work, their role in streamlining the hiring process, and how they are instrumental in filtering promising talent with the right abilities, motivation and work ethic to thrive in customer-centric roles.

Call center simulation assessments are pre-employment screening processes that help evaluate the aptitude and communication skills of a candidate applying for a role in a call center. They are designed to mimic real-life, on-the-job scenarios to analyze candidate skills, their problem-solving abilities and language proficiency.

Using an advanced call center simulation training software allows you to discover professionals who can communicate effectively on calls, and:

To make things more life-like and interesting, an advanced virtual call center simulation can be implemented in the form of a call center simulation game.

The foremost criterion for a successful call center hire is a high proficiency in language skills. Specifically, the recruit should have excellent command over the English language, including the ability to perfectly speak and comprehend pronunciation, grammar, everyday phrases, etc. There are several assessments to measure them:

• Call center data entry audio practice test
• Phone simulation test call center
• Grammar test

Professionals at a call center answer and make hundreds of calls in a week, making it imperative for them to listen and interact with a wide variety of callers and prospects. None of it is possible without the apt communication skills that empower the professionals in multiple ways.

When it comes to selecting candidates to fill your customer-facing roles, your talent selection process needs to have an element of personality analysis. As we have established, call center simulation assessment is essential to break free from the limitations of conventional interviews and intuitive guesswork. is essential to break free from the limitations of conventional interviews and intuitive guesswork.

Using personality tests in combination with language assessment test for a call center ensures that you hire professionals who:

• Have the potential to survive under a diverse working model
• Can cope up with challenges native to call-center roles
• Possess the right work attitudes, innovation and spontaneity to handle abrupt customer queries/complaints

Personality assessments in combination with call simulation tests play a vital role in developing the story about how a job candidate may potentially perform in your contact center role. So, if a candidate has the right skills but does not have a personality that aligns with the position and culture of the organization, they will most likely fail to thrive.call simulation tests play a vital role in developing the story about how a job candidate may potentially perform in your contact center role. So, if a candidate has the right skills, but does not have a personality that aligns with the position and culture of the organization, they will most likely fail to thrive.

Ultimately, the key to improving your contact center hiring system is to use a multi-faceted solution that addresses both skills and personality-job fit. That is where the need for a holistic assessment sprout.

Scientifically validated advanced call center simulations are designed to measure competencies that enable individuals to succeed in call center environments. These assessments make it easier for organizations to develop a workforce that meets international standards. In addition to measuring the said competencies, virtual call center simulations double up as solutions to:

• Identify and address weaknesses in the existing workforce
• Leverage strengths and improve employees’ productivity
• Evaluate an individual’s ability to perform mid or entry-level job functions within customer service and sales environments
• Improve overall operations, reduce turnover and increase revenue

It is essential to acknowledge the evolving nature of call center jobs. From a serious focus on inbound phone calls, companies have moved toward new communication methods that improve customer service and sales initiatives. Contact center employees now also need to be well-versed with email, live chat, social media and text messaging. Hence, using voice and accent assessment alone is not an ideal approach for recruiters.

Unlike recruitment practices in other industries, call center hiring requires a more contoured approach because a majority of call center professionals tend to become the face or voice of a brand. And that calls for a thorough knowledge of a company’s products/services, along with the ability to intelligently and clearly communicate about their nuances.

In other words, a highly efficient call center simulation test or a conventional call center customer service test needs to go a step further to include more than personality analysis and communication evaluation.

What Skills Do You Need for a Call Center?

Key Skills and Competencies to Measure When Hiring for a Call Center

As call center roles become more demanding and complex, recruiting the right workforce depends on critical assessment measures. Here is a concise list of skills you should assess in a call center employee. We have covered these skills and competencies elaborately in our blog “21 Skills You Must Test for The Perfect Call Center Assessment”.

Overcoming Major Recruitment Challenges using Call Center Simulation Assessments 

The two major challenges in call center recruitment are lower-than-expected productivity and poor employee retention. However, an array of factors works behind the scenes to create and fuel these challenges.

For example:

• Outdated selection criteria that fail to gauge candidates’ ability to diffuse tense client interactions
• Skill gaps and disparity between job requirement and candidate competency
• Unrealistic expectations along with lack of clarity in goal setting approaches

Holistic call center simulations are crucial to overcoming the seemingly small problems responsible for creating the bigger recruitment challenges for call centers. These tests add a multi-dimensional quality to your recruitment strategy and equip you with real-time reports to make a better hiring decision.

Call center simulation assessments that focus on communication abilities, personality traits, and the full range of call center skills tend to be extremely effective in:

• Reducing the overall recruitment time
• Selecting candidates with maximum potential for long-term success in a call center
• Identifying traits such as trainability, the willingness to handle complex customer-centric scenarios, assertiveness required in telemarketing profiles, computer expertise, etc.

The key to choosing an efficient pre-employment phone simulation test for a call center lies in a clear awareness of qualities you seek in the prospective applicant. In the previous section, we highlighted the key skills and competencies on which you need to focus. However, the way you assess those competencies also makes a significant difference. It is vital to adopt a multi-dimensional approach, but it also depends on the type of call center role for which you are hiring.

1. Opt for call center simulations that identify the best-fit applicants

The idea is to display the role so applicants can develop a good understanding of the job. So, when you turn to call center simulations that mimic actual work situations, you automatically create a filter for individuals who may not see themselves sustaining in the industry for long. In other words, utilizing technically advanced assessment platforms is a great way to predict how well a candidate fits in your specific job role.

2. Choose assessments that measure aptitude in combination with language skills

There is no way to stress enough that call center simulation tests are most efficient when used in combination with other evaluations. For example, a comm. skills assessment is the priority for call center recruitment. Nevertheless, tests to analyze the applicant’s aptitude to adjust in a call center help make a better choice.

3. Assess candidates with respect to their KPIs

You can calculate significant personality traits if you opt for an analysis of the applicants’ profiles in relation to their key performance indicators. When you understand the blend of characteristics that lead to success in your business, hiring and development become much simpler. 

4. Test cognitive skills when hiring for blended call centers 

Blended call centers include several positions that need to multi-task and juggle through inbound customer queries, telemarketing, outbound sales campaigns, survey processes, etc. These roles demand a higher level of cognitive maturity than entry-level call center jobs. Hence, look for virtual call center simulations that accommodate the measurement of omnichannel abilities.

5. Understand the security levels and accuracy of auto-evaluation features 

The said add-ons make any kind of pre-employment test highly attractive. However, it is crucial to delve deeper into their efficacy in addressing problems such as:

Ideally, assessments that use predictive intelligence, patented technologies and real-time analytics are a safe choice for recruiters. They should also offer scheduling features, A/V recording and uninterrupted remote usage to ensure that the hiring process is made seamless in every aspect.

Mercer | Mettl’s suite of call center assessments identifies representatives with the readiness and potential to thrive in customer-centric environments. These solutions bring together a combination of the following:

Personality Assessments

• Normative psychometric assessment
• Learning agility assessment
• Psychometric test for learning style

Communication Skill Assessments

• English fluency test software
• Tool-based communication tests
• Voice accent tests
• Language assessment tests
• Grammar test for call centers
• English pronunciation test software
• Listening skills assessment

Mercer | Mettl’s call center simulation takes conventional online communication tests a step further by bringing together several elements of an English proficiency test:

• English testing system to analyze the verbal ability
• Voice and Accent Online Test (British English)
• Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation Test

This revolutionary English proficiency test software brings together the best of communication skills assessment and voice assessment test, culminating into a wholesome international English language testing system.

SpeechX is based on an intelligent voice assessment technology that objectively evaluates candidates on nuances such as pronunciation, fluency, grammar and listening comprehension. In combination with anti-cheating proctoring solutions and auto-evaluation, the assessment tool is often referred to as the most accurate spoken English online test on the market.

• The SpeechX evaluation methodology incorporates CEFR guidelines while checking for non-trainable errors.
• The tool is powered by Carnegie Speech’s world-class speech evaluation & pinpointing technology, licensed from Carnegie Mellon University.
• It generates real-time reports to help recruiters make data-backed decisions after giving unbiased and scalable assessments.

Moreover, the assessment:

• Offers an English language testing system to analyze the correct usage of grammar and spelling.
• Doubles up as an English communication test to evaluate skills such as the ability to speak confidently, judiciously use persuasive language, tone control and the tact to manage irate callers patiently.
• Proves useful when you want to measure an applicant’s multi-tasking abilities and problem-solving skills through an English-speaking online test.

Customer-Facing Soft Skills Assessments 

• Customer service assessment test
• Mettl B2C customer focus assessment
• Psychometric test for hiring a relationship manager

Mercer | Mettl’s assessment for customer care representative evaluates technical and vocational skills required in a professional dealing with inbound calls, customer queries, client concerns, etc. The test is suitable for customer-focused jobs across industries. However, it is especially useful in call center pre-employment assessment. It caters to the evaluation of technical and vocational skills required in a professional dealing with inbound calls, customer queries, client concerns, etc. Though the test is suitable for customer-focused jobs across industries, it is especially useful in call center pre-employment assessment.

You can use it as:

• An English communications skills test online.
• A tool to measure work management abilities.
• An analysis of personal attributes such as emotional stability, friendliness, proactive skills, etc.
• An evaluation of customer service orientation

The above-mentioned suite of assessments in combination with our call center simulations help recruiters hire talent that can ensure an increased level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, making a significant difference in the way employees and customers connect.

This article decodes the nuances of call center simulation assessments essential to measure language skills, aptitude and personality traits that make up an ideal candidate who can thrive in consumer-facing roles. Packed with elaborate insights, it doubles up as a resourceful guide that recruiters can use to streamline their hiring process.

Which section of the guide did you find the most helpful for your call center recruitment?