Is your call centre using NVQ's and SVQ's? how do you find them? What's the take up? Are they difficult to administer? Do the management fully buy in? Is the supplier any good? What are then benefits for your call centre and are they working?

Please tell all............

I was introduced to NVQ’s in 1999 when I was a team leader in a large financial services call centre and decided to take the NVQ Assessors Award (D32/D33) with City and Guilds.

When they were offered in the call centre, there was a list of people wanting to take them, only held back by the number of initial assessors that were available to support them.

1. Are they difficult to administer?

If you have a good NVQ provider (and I know several) they will do a lot of the work and administration allowing the company to get on with their day to day routine.

2. Does the management fully buy into them?

The companies I have worked for … yes! They understand that they are investing in their staff and in addition, because the evidence a candidate needs to collect is gained from doing their ‘normal role’ they lose very little productivity through ‘off the phone activity’ which would happen if someone was taking time out to study another course or programme.

3. Is the supplier good?

I have come into contact with several suppliers in the UK and all of them have been FANTASTIC!

4. What are then benefits for your call centre and are they working?

Personally, I think that call centres are missing out on this one! An NVQ is very flexible and is designed to fit around the company and the role of the candidate therefore the can be tied into the companies personal development process and career progression plans. Imagine being able to complete the companies PDP and Career Progression process and get a certificate at it at the end of the programme.

It important to remember that an NVQ is designed to demonstrate that a candidate can carry out the role, to pass an NVQ the candidate must be able to provide that they can achieve sales and service standards over a period of time (normally around 6 months) therefore if a candidate approaches a call centre and they have an NVQ, you know you have someone the can provide evidence that they can do the role.

By now dear reader, I think you should be able to tell that I am very passionate about NVQ’s and I am very happy to talk to anyone who is keen in knowing more about NVQ’s of thinking of introducing them into their call centre.

>>>>Personally, I think that call centres are missing out on this one!

I agree which is why I asked the question.
Is this caused by under investment in staff development (and if so why dont they bother) or is there a deeper issue?

Is this caused by under investment in staff development (and if so why dont they bother

Perhaps it's because many managers feel that training of any sort is over rated and they don't get VFM from it.

I think it is a mixture of the two. Many contact centres seem to 'pull' training when service levels are not being achieved and training budgets are always the first to get cut backs need to be made.

Considering that most NVQ's are taken by front line advisers and agents who have the most impact on customer service you would think that company's would be wanting to continue to develop their staff and give excellent services to their customers.

On Monday 3rd Oct there was a damming article in the Mirror newspaper about contact centres not providing service etc and focused on 4 main company's in the UK (if anyone did not see the article and want a copy I can email it to them. At somepoint someone must understand that if contract centres are going to continue and up the service they provide, they to provide on going training and development for their staff.

Contact Centres should be crying out for advisers/agents that have NVQ's in this field as it proves they can do the job!

Many contact centres seem to 'pull' training when service levels are not being achieved

Yes, this is true. Because it doesn't give an immediate return (I'm talking minutes) - then in the heat of the moment people assume it's not worth the money.

Perhaps there's a niche for training professional that can demonstrate, in a simple way, what the benefit is being received and how the service would degredate if the training budget was cut.

Any ideas how you could manage that easy task?!

NVQ's in this field as it proves they can do the job

Do you honestly believe that qualifications prove someone could do the job? I've had trouble in the past with people who seemed to have the right experience and qualifications, yet when it came to it wasn't very good at the job. Some people are very good at theory but just can't put it into practice.

How much does the NVQ prove an individual has the "aptitude" for the job?

Regards,
Darryl

>>>>Many contact centres seem to 'pull' training when service levels are not being achieved
Yes, this is true. Because it doesn't give an immediate return (I'm talking minutes) - then in the heat of the moment people assume it's not worth the money.
Perhaps there's a niche for training professional that can demonstrate, in a simple way, what the benefit is being received and how the service would degredate if the training budget was cut.
Any ideas how you could manage that easy task?!

Firstly trainers have to say when training will not produce the desired outcome. Sometimes training is not the solution - often managers assume it is a panacea for all ills and then if it fails its easy to blame the training and not some other more subtle influences (eg. poor team management)

Secondly one has to always consider what will be the impact on the business of not training.

Thirdly cost/benefits analysis with regard to training interventions are relatively easy to do (although quanitfying quanitative measures is a contradiction in itself) however many trainers have simply fallen into the job and are unable to conduct TNA, design, deliver and evaluate. In call centres trainers are frequently not developed themselves as Darryl pointed out earlier - Catch 22.



>>>How much does the NVQ prove an individual has the "aptitude" for the job?
It doesnt, you cant train aptitudes, you can train skills and knowledge and measure these against a set of conditions to prove competency and gain a qualification.

..should ready quanitfying qualitative measures...

easy mistake as I'm sure you'll agree if you've tried to say it