Go BackHow to get royal approval for your contact centre
"In the end, probably, the training is the answer to a great many things. You can do a lot if you're properly trained."
Queen Elizabeth II in 'Elizabeth R', BBC Documentary, 1992
You might not be partial to corgis and horses; you might be short on ermine. For that matter, Her Majesty probably doesn't spend too much time in contact centres. But when it comes to a faith in training you and the Queen may have more in common than you'd thought. No doubt you would agree with her that people can do a lot if they're properly trained. But that word 'properly' is an important one: what is 'proper' training in a contact centre setting?
Some companies tend to view training as a tactical solution to an immediate problem. "The agents aren't performing as well as we'd like - let's give them some training." It's the 'shot in the arm' approach, typically increasing motivation but not effectively developing skills. While such sessions can produce a lift in performance the effects are often short-lived.
Another trend we see is for companies to rely on standardised packages and modules, not tailoring them to the individuals or to the situation the training is intended to support. Contact centre activities are becoming increasingly commoditised and formed into standard processes, and training is no exception. The effect in some companies is for training to be applied without real thought or reflection; a rote process that is under-valued and lacking in investment. And it is an accepted wisdom all too often proved correct that when times are tight the first thing to go is the training budget.
In maia's view 'proper training' means not only that it is well designed and delivered, but also that it is ongoing, appropriate, well-timed, and makes a real difference to performance.
Think about how you learned to read. Did you fill in an orientation questionnaire, go on a two-day course, give your feedback and then find that you were fully equipped with your new skill? Perhaps you've learned a new language recently, taken up a musical instrument, or started playing golf. When you consider the steps involved it becomes clear that we develop most skills through a cumulative, iterative process. Development and learning come from repeated experiences, from practice and from feedback. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." (Aristotle)
So it is in the contact centre. The skills that agents need are best developed when they're constantly reviewed, reconsidered and reinforced. Training is not something just for the classroom; it is ongoing, and it should be a key part of the job of managing people. That's why maia consulting advocates that every company should be a 'Training Organisation' - committed to developing its people, to training, coaching and encouraging, so raising its game, building a wide base of expertise and securing its future.
There is a place for classroom training. When you are introducing new skills, when it makes sense to work collectively with a group, when you need to create time to think together classroom training works well. But the transition from classroom to workplace needs careful management, and the learning outcomes from the training need to be aligned with the working realities of the organisation. It's no good training agents in creative selling skills if their supervisor is not on board and insists that they follow a verbatim script - just one example of many misalignments that we have seen. The management team needs to pick up where the training left off, coaching and reinforcing the skills so that they take root and flourish. This means that operational managers at all levels need to have coaching and basic training skills, ready and able to drop into a supportive development role whenever it's needed.
For some organisations this might seem like a tall order. But those who commit themselves to developing the skills and abilities of their staff reap valuable benefits in terms of succession planning, job satisfaction and attrition, not to mention bottom line results. So get your team leaders, your supervisors, your managers out from behind their PCs. Get their heads up from producing reports for a while. Redefine their main purpose as coaching and developing your agents. The Queen would approve. But more importantly, your performance will improve.
