Call Centre Training

[jpatten]

As a training consultant for a large call centre one of the issues I am continually dealing with is the businesses request for uptraining for its staff, however the training in continually concelled due to service levels. I am looking for some help in getting ideas of how other call centres deal with this issue. Can anyone send me ideas of how they created alternate training solutions other than the traditional in class format

thanks for your help

[isis329]

We have a hard time scheduling training as well due to call volumes. One of the tools we use for at your desk training is Knowlagent. It allows the rep to use their own computer, and it makes the learning process a little more interactive. We use this program for refresher training or new policy training. The training normally doesn't exceed 45min. During times when call is are in que, reps can put the program on hold. You might want to look into this. It's been very effective at our call center.

[Bender]

The first thing is to look at times with lower call volume. First look at (or ask for) the timeslots that have the least average of call volume historically. Then ask for days. For example, our call centre best times are Friday. If we have anything going on to take our agents off phones, it's during that day.

If you've already done this, maybe there is a better time of month or year. During the holidays our centre gets pretty slow and that would be the best time.

Perhaps if it's a long training session, you could offer to break it down into smaller time periods stretched over a longer time frame. I.e. instead of one eight hour course, try 8 one hour sessions spread over two months.

If you can get it down to smaller time periods, maybe you could do the training during a time that is normally scheduled off for like meetings or even see if you can get them to agree to do training during one lunch break a week. Or if the company is willing to pay for lunch, have them all do one hour/half hour sessions for the entire week during their lunches.

If the company is that desperate to get the training done, offer to do it on the rep's day off for overtime or just paid meals during the day (at the company's expense of course.)

[jimmmaaa]

At the Call Center that I work, work force management just asks the for agents to volunteer for overtime to cover the levels becuase of the missing people. I guess that method may be a little unpredictable.

-James

[Moriarte]

Hmm, this time of year, our volume is very slow... but since we are a third party vendor, and our client is billed by the labor hour, we have some lattitude. We are actually pulling agents off the phones for training, to help raise the Service Levels.


But it isn't always like that. Come January, we will get slaughtered by call volume. Training will be short and sweet then. Pre-Shifts help. By having most of the agent training kept to around 15 - 30 minutes, we then build in the expectation when we hire agents, that they need to be at work 30 minutes earlier than when they are scheduled to take calls, so they can attend the training.

It isn't every day, and it offers the agents Overtime, so most don't have an issue with it.