From the Call Center Learning Center
"Best in Class" Tutorial Series
Module 1 Attribute 1: Skilled Workforce

Download an excerpt from the Training Agents toolkit at this end of this tutorial.
What defines a best-in-class call center?
Centerserve conducted a benchmarking and best practices study with 250 call centers from over 50 countries. As described in our Benchmarks in Call Center Operations report, "best in class" call centers are characterized by five prominent attributes.  These attributes are: a skilled workforce, company strategy, new technologies, management practices and quality monitoring.

In the coming weeks we are going to expand on the five attributes to ensure you call center meets the "best in class" standard.  First, let's briefly describe each of the five attributes.

 
1 Skilled workforce A well-trained, motivated and seasoned workforce with ongoing training to continually build business knowledge and customer service expertise. Also important in establishing best-in-class status is developing long-term relationships with customers- skilled agents build trust and loyalty.
2 Company strategy A service-oriented and forward-thinking company that is open-minded, pro-active and accepting of change. Additionally, communicating a consistent, clear and focused strategy in the call center establishes a company as a recognized industry leader.
3 New technologies Cutting-edge technologies including web self-service and multi-channel tools provide customers with choices and ease of access. Advanced technologies result in streamlined call handling which reduces call times and costs and improves customer satisfaction.
4 Management practices  A mature and flexible management team that promotes trust and develops motivated and empowered teams is key to a satisfied workforce and customer base. Good management also supports situational (crisis) management as well as long-term strategic and operational planning.
5 Quality monitoring

Promoting a balance between quality and quantity in call centers, call monitoring focuses on improving agent performance and customer satisfaction. Actively monitoring calls and regularly coaching agents to achieve better call outcomes are key attributes for the best call centers.

Let's look at the first attribute of a "best in class" call center:


 What is a skilled workforce?
A skilled work force includes:
  • well-trained, motivated and seasoned agents
  • ongoing training to continually build business knowledge and customer service expertise
  • developing long-term relationships with customers
  • skilled agents build trust and loyalty
     

How do I obtain this attribute for my call center?

Centerserve's Training Roadmap has 15 components to ensure "best in class" training as your agents become a proficient, skilled workforce.

The 15 components are grouped into 5 major perspectives, each deserving of attention, to serve as
the backbone to your training program:

  • Strategy
  • Management
  • Development
  • Learner
  • Delivery

Steps to having a best in class skilled workforce:

Action Step: Strategy
  • Review corporate and call center mission and goals
  • Examine corporate and call center strategies
  • Development training mission statement
  • Establish training budget
  • Secure management endorsement

Action Step:
Management
  • Design organizational structure
  • Develop job descriptions
  • Determine/fill temporary requirements
  • Revisit budget

Action Step: Development
  • Design curriculum
  • Develop training content
  • Select delivery methods
  • Develop courseware

Action Step: Learner
  • Assess individual competencies
  • Prepare individual learning plans
  • Schedule individual training

Action Step: Delivery
  • Deliver training
  • Evaluate performance
 

Don't reinvent the wheel!

With over 40 checklists, we will help you answer:
  • What training is needed?
     
  • Where are the gaps in our training?
     
  • What are all the activities I will need to perform for best in class training?
 

The Training Agents Toolkit has a robust set of assessments and tools for all 15 step in the Training Roadmap.

 
Download an excerpt of the
Training Agents Toolkit.


Download excerpts from the
 2007 Best Practices Report:
Benchmarks in Call Center Operations

 

970-669-6554 -- Email Us -- Sitemap
About Us. Copyright 1998-2008. All rights reserved.
Centerserve is a division of Prosci, Inc.