Step 1: Develop a needs assessment plan and gather data

Purpose: to create a needs assessment plan that answers the following questions

• Who will be the participants – supervisors, agents, call center management? Others

• How will the data be gathered?  Interviews, observations, surveys, focus groups, benchmarking?

• What data will be required?  What questions will be asked?

• When will the data be gathered?  Timelines?

• Who will conduct the assessment? Training personnel, call center personnel, or contractors? 

• Are there enough personnel to conduct the needs assessment/?

• Has upper management been informed of the upcoming needs assessment?

• Have you checked with the supervisors of the participants to get permission?

• What data collection method will be used?  Is it he most effective? Cost effective?

• When will the needs summary be completed?

• When will the needs assessment be presented to senior management

• If surveys are used, who will write them?  Will they be examined for credibility? Reliability?

• Is your sample size adequate?

• If interviews will be used, will the interviewers be trained?  Pilot sessions? Focus groups?

Step 2: Data gathering methods

Purpose: to determine which methods work for your program

How you choose to gather data will depend on these constraints:

• time

• money

The chart below lists the data collection methods you might use in your needs assessment and the expenditures in terms of time and money.

Interviews are the most costly in terms of time and money, but they provide a rich source of information.  Managers, supervisors and agents should all be included in the interview process. Group interviews or focus groups are also effective.

Surveys are effective since they can be administered to large groups very quickly.  Surveys can also be administered via personal computers at the agents desktop.  They can be easily quantified and analyzed. 

Call Observations, particularly those done through a Quality Monitoring process are an important source of data.  The Quality Monitoring for Call Centers eToolkit outlines the criteria effective all monitoring and integration with training requirements.

Records of metrics such as customer satisfaction, handle time, one call resolution, cost per contact, etc. can give an indication of training needs. 

Product portfolios should be reviewed periodically.  They show timelines of new product offerings.  This gives the training group a trigger to plan new training.

Many times a combination of methods may be used in gathering data. Be sure that your data collection methods include gathering both the “what training is needed?” and “what is the current gap or competency in this area today?”

Step 3: Analyze findings

The findings of the data gathering are analyzed and prioritized as input for both the training strategy and the training curriculum. 

The findings will fall into three categories:

• Basic skills/knowledge- might include company policies and procedures, reading, math, typing, language, etc.

• Technical and product skills/knowledge- includes product knowledge, computer applications, troubleshooting skills, problem solving, etc.

• Soft skills- refers to customer service skills, sales skills, teamwork, supervisory competencies, etc.

After categorizing the findings, they are then analyzed- your analysis will result in three distinct activities:

1. Organizing your data by category to describe what training is required in your call center

2. Determining the current gaps or current competency levels of incoming new employees for each required training area

3. Determining the current gaps or current competency of existing employees (if applicable for redesigning existing training programs) for each required training area.

We recommend that you prepare your analysis similar to the example below for each job title.

Example only:

Step 4: Prepare and review needs summary

Purpose:

The needs summary is the vehicle that provides information to all stakeholders in the organization about the call center’s skills/knowledge needs. 

It is the training manager’s responsibility to review the contents of the document with call center management, corporate sponsors and the training organization. 

The reviews may uncover needs not mentioned in the data gathering or potential misinterpretations in the analysis. 

It gives all constituents a final opportunity to make suggestions.

Exercise

• Prepare an executive summary view of the overall needs assessment analysis.

• Review the results with management and supervisors in the call center to validate your findings. Be open to suggestions and improvements.

• Is there consensus on your recommendations?

The next tutorial in the Evaluating Your Call Center Training Program series
will focus on analyzing competencies for your organization.