I'm interested in hearing about people's experiences of training/learning within the call-centre industry... what worked well for you, what horror stories you may have, how effective you feel the training/learning you've undertaken has been for you, etc?

Have you ever been placed in a position within a call-centre where you've felt ill-equipped to deal with the demands made of you by customers.. has anyone any first-hand experience of e-learning or computer-based training and what impression do you have of the priority your company places on training/learning?

I Look forward to hearing your views!

Best regards

Tony Lock

Hi Tony

I currently am responsible for new staff training for a small call centre. When I first started I received very little training and was advised to answer the telephone and if I got stuck... ask!!!

With this bad experience still a vivid memory - I now try to ensure new staff are properly equipped before they take their first calls. Staff receive a mixture of classroom based and on the job training. New staff spend a lot of time listening to calls with experienced staff so that they can understand how calls should be dealt with and learn best practice.

The main problem I have had implementing training for new staff is the lack of suuport from managers. Of course they want the staff taking calls as quickly as possible but sometimes quality suffers because of this.

Should staff take calls they don't know how to deal with and don't feel ready for?

How can you strike balance between operational requirements and ensuring training is fully covered?

I would be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on this.

Shirley

Being thrown in at the deep end can be extremely good for some jobs where it can often be difficult to provide "classroom" training.

However, when you are dealing directly with the people who buy and use the companies service, surely you want people with the knowledge and skills to provide the customers with the best experience possible. By taking calls too soon you create the possibility of undermining the service offered by the company. That's not to say the agent should be in training forever.

I have been in an environment where the agents go through induction training and then spend up to 3 months gradually being opened up to more and more of the business whilst retaining close support from trainers, but in the call centre itself. It's like teaching someone to swim, one day the arm bands or float are taken away and the person sinks or swims at that point. If you did your job well then they'll start moving off. Too soon or poor training and watch them dive to the floor and probably decide to give the next lesson a miss.

Proud to say that my first job at my current employer was as an agent and in an industry I knew nothing about. This approach allowed to me build-up confidence to the point that I wanted the float removed and I managed several lengths before eventually running the post induction process last year. Couldn't have been that bad.

Hi Tony,

I have worked in several call centres and now work for a training consultancy, so have seen this issue from both sides of the fence. I think that it pays to take a holistic look at the call centre itself because there are so many influencing factors. For example, are you recruiting self-motivated experienced people? If so, you could expect them to cope reasonably well with the 'in at the deep end' approach. What is your culture like? If new people feel OK about making mistakes and asking a lot of questions then you will have more success with less in depth training.

In my experience, training has a great value, but should not be seen as the only solution to creating and maintaining an efficient & motivated workforce. E-learning has its place, but since most people learn through interaction and discussion with others, as well as through being 'fed' information, it does remove several important avenues for learning. I wouldn't rely on it to deliver the results you are looking for. The more successful companies I have worked for tended to put the emphasis on creating a coaching culture in which learning is constantly encouraged and reviewed. This involves training at the team leader level and needs to be pitched right. (If you would like more info on an excellent course.... please ask).

On a personal note, 'in at the deep end' works for me but only when I know what is expected from me, and I can have regular coaching and feedback sessions with my manager. Without the support it's a nightmare and I lose confidence. I hope this helps.

Regards,
Sari Robinson