Training – ‘One of a Thousand Moving Parts’

By Colin Taylor

We often say that there are a ‘thousand moving parts’ in any call or contact center and we developed this phrase to illustrate the level of connectedness and inter-relationship that exists between multiple elements and activities in any center. Training, the training process and the training curriculum illustrates this point.

Training is a key element in any successful call or contact center, but is not something you can hive off and deal with in isolation. Training is a critical and interdependent activity touching recruiting, hiring, culture, quality, performance, customer satisfaction, employ satisfaction, morale and customer experience.

There are a number of trainers and training firms that work in the call center space. Often this is an extension of customer service training. Most of these individuals and organizations deliver ‘canned’ content rather than custom work. There are also a number of consulting firms (like Taylor Reach) that work with organizations to develop a training curriculum for the call or contact center. A custom designed curriculum is preferable to a ‘canned’ approach as it can deliver significantly better organizational alignment and as a result better center performance.

Training is not a discrete and stand alone activity, it is part of a continuum. The continuum extends from the recruiting and hiring activities, through training and into quality and performance management. It is essential that training content reflects and reinforces skills and competencies that align with superior performance (and that were key hiring elements in the recruiting process). Training is one of the first activities a new hire will experience that demonstrates the culture of the organization and as such, we must ensure that the training accurately reflects and reinforces our culture.The training must be closely tied the to the call flows and work flows in the contact center to drive efficiency and the quality outcome must be one that aligns with the organizational goals and objectives for the center.

Understanding the inter-relationship and inter-dependencies related to how your training process works will make you a better center.