How to Train Customer Service Agents Right and Help Efficiency

A key challenge facing customer service managers is as follows: how can you ensure that your central body for customer care, the contact center, is equipped with well-trained agents and the most effective technology to be efficient and proficient in resolving customer questions? In the high pressure environment of a contact center, although more time is needed to ensure that new recruits aren’t overwhelmed, not all contact centers have this luxury. In such cases, simplifying the environment and/or using better technologies and techniques is required to do it in the same amount of time. The progression from raw recruit to experienced, high-performing agent cannot be pushed too quickly. Research firm Gartner details some of the key challenges when it comes to contact center onboarding of agents, and how important a process it is.

• The pressure to maintain appropriate staffing levels in contact centers often causes new recruits to be transitioned from initial training to full deployment before they’re fully acclimatized.
• Agent churn for first-time agents is often its highest during the first 90 days of employment, and it usually results from being overwhelmed by the demands of the role, after being “thrown in at the deep end.”
• Due to the increased diversity of systems, processes and channels now supported, the evolution from contact center to engagement center adds to the need for onboarding best practices.

Technology can of course play a key role in ensuring that training new agents, whether on an internal CRM software or in how to engage with customer or respond to support requests, are well-trained and equipped to do their jobs well. Effective training should have a clear impact on agent productivity and efficiency – and in the bigger picture, have a positive impact on contact center efficiency as well. In order to discuss strategy and available solutions to overcoming some of these challenges, I encourage you to register for the upcoming webinar, “The Art of Contact Center Efficiency” which will take place on Thursday February 26 at 1:00 PM EST/ 6:00 PM GMT. The webinar will examine how real-time and contextual guidance can help train and boost performance of customer service agents, particularly on key business software. It will look how such guidance can assist with onboarding, performance support, change management, and more. Most importantly, it will discuss how to help agents be able to focus on WHAT they need to successfully complete their tasks, not HOW to do it. Register for the free webinar (and recording) by filling in the table below.