The Use Of Roleplay in Training New Hires

[Carrigman]

We put new hires through 4 weeks of training. The first 3 weeks are devoted to familiarising them with the different processes they are expected to master (fairly complex) with the last week focussed on taking live calls assisted by the trainers.

I am anxious to get them to take roleplay calls (made by Team Leaders) after the first day or so (and based on course on what would have been covered in training) as I suspect they become too comfortable in the classroom environment resulting in a major shock to the system when they have to take live calls in week 4.

The trainers are somewhat sceptical of this approach but I am convinced its the best way forward. Are roleplay calls used in such a fashion elsewhere? Any drawbacks I should be careful of?

Regards,

John
Ireland

[dreamer07]

Yes it is a very important factor for the training success of new agents that u have role plays but then please take scripts or data relevent to your project ie job situations good or bad.
Complacency will set in cause of three weeks of training but have noticed the following points in the agents
!. Are they prepared enough to take calls ?
2.What is the behaviour pattern during training?
i.e there could be the rotten egg phenomenon
3.How far role play along with a few hrs of on job training will benefit them?

Please do go ahead for role plays cause it is only going to make the agents more prepared on the floor but follow up with a few live calls and then have a feedback session.
a.What they felt about the calls?
b.Now what is their view on the project?
c.Identify ur key people for depending on the kind of project u have .

Cheers,
Dreamer07
dreamer07@rediffmail.com

[tobias01]

We also agree that role play or "mock calls" are an extensinve learning tool. We start in the first week and introduce them to our company greeting, curtiousy comments and closing requirements. THis works to "De-program" them from the standards they used at other companies.

I would also suggest this, schedule time for them to go out to the floor and shadow experienced advocates/agents. The new advocates respond well to this becuase many of the first questions that arise in class are questions about the type of calls and enviroment. This allows them to see it for themselves rather than me telling them it is great! An added bonus to shadowing we did not forsee, by doing this in the first week and continueing throughout the training, this helps them focus on what they need to learn and how it applies to their job.

Role play + Shadow + classroom = success!

Using this method the last two classes my adovcates are coming out of the gate about 10% improved (Internal call audit scores) over advocates who have been here 1 yr or more.

[Michcall]

Role plays are a great learning tool. They allow you to control the learning to teach how things should be done. When they get on the floor and listen to calls with others they might see some bad habits from agents who have found their own "short cuts" to getting the job done. Your use of role plays will reinforce the correct way to do things and serve as a discussion point when they hear different versions on the floor.

We used graduated role plays: week 1 were simple greetings, how to put the customer on hold, telephone etiquette, etc. Each successive week the role plays got more complex based on what they were learning in class. Role plays can be a lot of fun, and you can build in a lot of interaction with the entire class.

Another thing you might try to fend off the shock of taking live calls in week 4 is a graduated "On-the-job training" approach. Week 1 we had the class listen to calls with mentors (strong agents who were specifically chosen to be class mentors---also a perk for experienced agents). Week 2 the agents would handle the typing portion of the call while the experienced agent talked to the customer. This allowed them to get hands-on with the system in a real environment while not having the stress of figuring out what to say. Week 3 the trainees talked to the caller while the mentor typed---got them geared up to take calls, but it was a safe environment because they didn't have to remember everything. On the final week of training, the trainees talked and typed with the mentor there for support and side-by-side coaching. After each session, we would discuss what they heard/saw in class which brought up real-life scenarios that are so valuable to learning. The class also love sharing their stories.

By the time they hit the floor by themselves, they gained a lot of confidence and were less apt to be overwhelmed. This also allowed the trainers to determine how well the trainees were understanding because they would get feedback from the mentors after each session.

[caforsgren]

Our experience of 17 years training contact centre teleservice, helpdesk or telesales is to integrate call simulations with the training. A call simulation uses a typical customer profile, access to a simulated customer record, keyborading, screen migration, contact management & CRM systems, telephony, and the soft skills you are tyring to build (inbound customer service/support, inbound up-sell/cross-sell, or outbound sales/lead generation).

This model works best when the training outline is broken into smaller modules (i.e. half-day), and supported with immediate focused call evaluation and coaching. The closer the simulation is to the "real-world", the easier the transition from the training environment to the job. Another Critical Success Factor is to have the simulated workstations in the perimeter of the training room for immediate access and to minimize transition time from workshop to lab.

We also believe in building the skills/behaviours rather than scripting -- much more comfortable and productive for both the customer and the agent.

We have used this model successfully for several years with organizations such as Imperial Oil (EXXON) - Inbound Service, Xerox Canada and US - Virtual Outbound Sales, Star Choice Television (Shaw Cable) - Inbound with Up-sell/Cross-sell, McCain Foods - Help Desk Inbound Technical Support, Mitubishi - Outbound Business Development.

[Tron Jordheim]

Greetings,

We are a small center with 22 seats. But we do a lot of role playing with new hires. It seems the best way for them to master the call structure and the specific prhasologies they need to master. If can be uncomfortable for people, which is fine. If new reps can learn to find the right phrases when they are uncomfortable, they will be ok on a real call. Role-playing has its limitations, but I think it is a wonderful tool.

[Inesr]

I strongly agree that role playing will minimize any errors when the representatives hit the floor; however, I only use use role play after the product has been presented (theory), and live calls have been monitored. Good luck!

[Carrigman]

Many thanks to all for your input. It is greatly appreciated.

John