Achieve High Performance with Call Center Training

When you align training of the collections call model framework with competencies that drive performance, you achieve success. The key is to balance lecture and activities within call center training to reinforce the right behaviors. Here is the structure of the “better approach to training.”

Achieve High Performance with Call Center Training

Your training should result in high performance levels while ultimately providing value and satisfaction to your customers and agents. So, we recommend focusing call center training on job tasks as well as soft skills.  The important part of your effort is how you connect everything to achieve the right balance of call control and empathetic customer service.

Keep Participants Engaged by Mixing in Different Learning Activities

Design your training to include lecture, call listening, role play, knowledge checks and leader-led activities.

How to do it:

• Lecture helps communicate the ‘what and why’ and call listening helps identify what success sounds like. Activities should include a mix of quizzes, role plays and games that practice good communication habits.

• Gain buy-in from call center training participants by explaining how it will help them increase performance. Then, practice the techniques repeatedly to develop good habits.

• Soft skill training is completed by teaching how to recognize customer triggers in phone conversations by understanding tone, speech pattern and select words. Reinforce the soft skills in the activities. I’ve used scripts to build a foundation then followed up with role play and practice. This way, participants can translate the new phrases/techniques in their own style to increase their ability to use what was taught.

• Create job aids and handouts to use during activities. These resources will be used long after the training has been completed.

Considerations for Virtual Call Center Training

The training landscape has changed with many call center agents working remotely.  So, delivering call center training virtually is a must.  But because participants are not face-to-face, virtual training winds up as lecture, which can be dry and lack engagement.  Therefore, the design of the material is critical (see examples above).

How to do it:

• Launch your content virtually with Facilitator and Participant Guides, making the train the trainer process easy and fast.
  • The Facilitator Guide should show the trainer how to facilitate a class including questions to ask and expected responses, ensuring effective transfer of knowledge.
  • The Participant Guide should be set up so the agent can follow along with the material, including places to take notes, directions to the activities and handouts.

Top 5 Tips from Recent Call Center Training Engagements

1. Gain agent buy-in as to why change is needed – play a call and ask, “How did that make you feel?”
2. Role play works best – agents need to hear themselves practicing each call type. Multiple times.
3. Establish Account Based Knowledge – how can you use customer data that you have to anticipate the customer’s needs?
4. LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN – listen to good calls. Script them if you don’t have them; develop a call library by call type.
5. Feedback – continue to coach and give feedback on all agent calls at least 10% per week. Build a program around feedback.

Once the agent is taught how to execute each section of the call model and has incorporated the effective communication techniques, you must provide real-time feedback.

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