Proper Training Essential to Call Center Success
December 12, 2006
Training has often been identified as one of the most effective tools for improving call center efficiencies and employee/agent satisfaction. In order gain complete benefit from training, however, call center leaders must be able to evaluate the current training processes to determine their effectiveness and how to improve areas that are lacking.
Prosci Research published a Best Practices in Call Center Operations report that evaluated this training area for customer service representatives (CSRs). The report helps call center managers to understand what top performing call centers are doing and how it can be implemented in other organizations.
The Prosci report identified the top training areas or programs for CSRs which included systems that covered phone use; information technology and how to use the system; and software training.
The processes and procedures that were most commonly focused on in training call center agents included business processes and strategies; HR policies; corporate knowledge and history; corporate culture; and rules and regulations of the industry.
Training in top performing call centers also included a focus on customer service and communication skills. This training specifically targeted call answering and handling; identifying the needs of the caller; how to effectively deal with difficult or frustrated callers; soft skills; phone etiquette; and voice and accent control.
Agents were also trained in the area of products and services. This training included providing knowledge on the specific products and services that their organization offers and how they are used.
Aside from the content of the training that call center leaders should focus on, the training delivery is also important in that it can greatly impact the effectiveness of the training. The preferred method for top performing call centers is the instructor-led, face-to-face program.
Other training techniques could be used to complement this one-on-one training and they include side-by-side or buddy training with other CSRs; mentoring or monitoring provided by senior agents; on-the-job training and actual call handling; role-plays; satellite or Web-based virtual training; and individual training sessions.
The time spent on agent training is also an important factor in the success of the training program. Over 40 percent of those organizations that were included in the study reported that their average new CSR training program spanned two to four weeks. The overall average for training was 4.2 weeks.
General customer service and phone skills are not necessarily a primary focus for the call center involved in this study. The average time spent on these skills was 32 percent. Over half of the organizations participating in the study responded that the amount of time dedicated to customer service skills training was adequate. A further look into the individual organizations may reveal that their hiring practices greatly address this issue, focusing on individuals with experience in this field.
Proper training in the call center is essential for not only agent success, but also success for the call center overall. A proper evaluation of the current training programs within the call center and whether or not they align with the corporate strategy will help to identify areas of inconsistency and opportunities for improvement.
