Call Center Training

The Efficacies of Call Center Training
By Michelle Pasquerello
Associate Editor, TMCnet Online Channels

Most major companies use call centers to connect with their customers in an effort to improve operations, streamline services and reduce company costs. The impression an agent makes when answering the call could make or break the customer connection, both literally and figuratively. Customers are full of uncertainties, so it is important that a call center focus on their agents and implement a proper call center training program to ensure that their agents are fully equipped on the first line of defense – the customer call.

While the call center management should monitor for quality control, proficiency and customer service, they must also consider a call center training program that focuses on customer interaction skills and frontline execution. If a staff member lacks in call management, it could cost more than just a few bucks– it could result in the loss of customer faith.

Call center training should effectively address the many issues that agents are in contact with on a day to day basis. With the right call center training program, agents can learn how to predict customer behavior, identify the issue, develop management skills and offer a solution to the problem, no matter how big or small.  

Call center training should also address the agent’s style, enhancing their strengths while helping them to improve upon their weaknesses. The right call center training program will result in a decrease in callbacks, improvement in handle time and monitoring scores and raise customer satisfaction.

Call center training helps agents feel more confident, which positively affects both their performance and their satisfaction with their jobs. A lack of training raises turnover rates to excessively high and very expensive levels, and causes a strong downturn in customer satisfaction, making this lack of call center training a two-fold disaster for any call center.

Call center training can be initial (new agent hire), remedial (agent is experiencing weak spots in his or her skill set) or just routine (a new product or marketing campaign has been launched, and the agents need to know the details about the new program).

One kind of call center training may not suit every call center: a combination of classroom training, one-on-one coaching by a supervisor, simulations and e-learning may be necessary depending on the number of agents, the company’s business and interaction style with customers, the skills and education level of the agents, and the company’s goals.

It us up to the call center managers to choose a call center training program that fits well with their environment and operations. With the proper call center training program in motion, call centers will discover happier agents and happier customers.