My participation in the Call Center World competition:
Young Professionals Dialogue Talent 2012

 

You certainly ask yourselves, what does Dialogue Talent 2012 mean? Let me take you behind the scene and present to you my impressions.

 

Young Professionals 2012 is a nationwide competition for the best apprentices in the Call Center industry, which for the first time took place on 01.03.2012 as a part of the Call Center World in Berlin. A great competition elated spectators and apprentices - like the saying goes that the future is in the hands of the new blood.

 

I for sure had to comment on that:
„Why am I a Dialogue Talent”?

Here’s a short abstract of my application:

 

„ .. have the world’s most beautiful voice and – needless to say – an „Average Handling Time“ of 27seconds, etc., and what have you. Well, do these things sound familiar to you in any way? Let’s be honest. How often have you heard someone unemotionally babbling positive characteristics about the potential „Germany’s Next Top business man / woman for Dialogue Marketing” today? How many superlatives, naturally squeezed on a piece of paper in illegibly small letters to literally nail the juror together with his backache preventing office chair against the wall in finest monologue?...“

A month later...

 
Finally! „Congratulations, you’ve made it to the finals“. From now on nervousness and a little bit of a stomach ache were preassigned.

 

In Berlin, a total of 60 apprentices had to give proof of their communicative abilities as well as their expert knowledge to master the exams in the categories practice, theory and creativity.

To come to the point: creativity normally is a never ending story and since my childhood has not really characterised me. On the other hand, creativity is reputed to be interpretable and distinct.

 

On the very day of the competition, the first test part then was in practice.

We started at 9 o’clock and after 15 minutes of preparation, my job was to dispose of a kitchen. Information about the customer, the kitchen as well as about my role was clearly predetermined. There was not much time left for the preparation.

 

The second part of the test was the creative one, dreaded by most of us. Having been given number 18, I had to wait for quite some time and the distressed faces of the other participants did not make it better. „Comforting“ is different, but my fellow apprentice Jessica Bruenjes supported me and calmed me down. And having brought the biggest presentation bag of all made sure I somehow intimidated the other competitors.

 

It felt like eternity before I stood in front of an audience, a three headed jury and a camera. I was so excited I almost dropped the pins to hang up my poster. That I for sure had not planned.

 

„You know you have 1 minute and 30 seconds for your presentation, don’t you?“ a female voice came from behind the camera.

 

„Er, yes!“

 

You cannot imagine how quickly 1 minute and 30 seconds is gone. Before I was even able to look, someone franticly waved his hands to clarify „time is over“. I left the room, quite nervous and shaking a little, and I probably looked as appalled and pale as the other participants before.

 

 

Finally, the written tests were about different areas like general knowledge, Call Center specific knowledge, communication, maths (...quite challenging), orthography and accounting.

 

After approx. one and a half hours suddenly all tautness was forgotten, gone.

 

Now I had to wait, and wait, and wait until finally the clock kept time: 16:00 hrs.
– award ceremony, here I come !

 

 

And guess what:

 

To finish fourth in the competition Young Professionals „Dialogue Talent 2012“ is Lisa Tinnemeyer from FLYLINE Tele Sales & Services GmbH in Bremen !