Self paced online call center training reduces work from home agent training time

Home agents are self-motivated, quick learners with a strong desire to work independently. Using self paced online e-learning system, combined with some webinar instruction can replace the need for premise based training and increase agent comprehension, reduce training time and trainee turnover, as well as improve performance results immediately following the training period. This is true whether the training period is normally 4 days or 4 weeks.  E-Learning also helps identify agents who are proficient in using the internet and accessing the company's network systems. One of the most effective ways to measure the effectiveness of different learning systems or different trainers is to measure agent performance during the first thirty days after completing the training program.

Training management systems are software programs that keep a record of which agents are scheduled for training, who attended each training class, which agents completed each course and their testing scores. Management is also able to evaluate each agent's progress throughout the training program.

This system allows for the easy production and dissemination of changes in information, company policy, communication between management and agents, or implementation of a new learning module on any subject matter. The subject matter module is electronically delivered to the agent's desktop. The agent is required to acknowledge receipt of the module before they can log into their desktop call applications. A comprehension test can be attached, which the agent is required to pass within a pre-determined time to be allowed to continue handling calls. The test scores are automatically posted online for managers to review.   This significantly reduces the high cost in both time and money normally necessary to keep agents updated with changes in company policy, campaign information, work schedules or any other communications between management and the front line agents.

This technology allows trainers or supervisors to conduct live online meetings with single or multiple agents in private meeting rooms while making use of both audio visual presentations and slide presentations. This effort can be very low cost through VOIP connections and the results are very effective in delivering consistent training and messages.

A recent study of over 100 company Knowledge Management Systems found that over half of them made available inactive and unnecessary information. It was also found that internal search engines waste a great deal of agent time by having searches result in anywhere from 5 to 30 pages of links from which the agent is expected to locate the one needed to address the customer's question.

A new subset of Knowledge Management Systems has recently emerged that are designed to deliver product information, work instructions, and knowledge in a truly targeted fashion. The original knowledge base need not be discarded, but instead of requiring agents to wade through page after page of information, the best technologies point agents to the exact paragraph or sentence of the company's information needed to handle the customer's needs.

Agents are also provided with optimal questions to ask at appropriate points of every call, enabling them to unearth all the essential information needed to get to the root of a problem and ultimately solve it in the shortest time. 

The proper system will improve customer satisfaction, reduce handle time, increase first call resolution, decrease hold times, and improve conversion, up-sell, retention or other appropriate performance measurement results. The system also dramatically cuts down the After Call Work Time by auto-populating much of the post call documentation notes that are generally required.

Differences in the natural abilities of agents represent a major and continuous challenge for most contact centers. Scripting is one of the tools many contact centers have traditionally used to help overcome this problem and ensure a more consistent and positive customer experience.

Many scripts fail in their objectives because they are often based on what the script writer personally perceives to be effective. Agents who handle calls day in and day out often resent when management requires them to use these sorts of scripted solutions, because of the disconnect between the words presented in the tool and the concepts they observe to work or not work in the real world.

Interactive scripting, on the other hand, is based on extensive call monitoring. Call flows are developed with accompanying word-for-word modules of the call handling techniques of the very best performing agents, with the pitfalls of the lowest performing agents eliminated.  This type of scripting has been  perfected to control agent interactions, call handle times, sales performance, first call resolutions, and updates databases in real-time.  The properly constructed interactive script works like artificial intelligence, and has been successfully used to sell and lease cars over the phone, do financial planning, sell and process financing applications and much more.

Many studies have shown that employees are motivated by becoming part of a social structure. For Home Agents this can be accomplished, with proper planning, through online chat, instant messaging, emails and social networks like Twitter, Blogs, and other systems that are like Facebook, but designed for a corporate environment. For Home Agents these systems serve the same function as the break room and water cooler.  These systems must be monitored to avoid unproductive time or derogatory interactions.   There should also be scheduled periodic webinar or conference call meetings between a team of home agents and their supervisor.