Training Contact Center Agents Right Raises Overall Efficiency

A key challenge facing contact center 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 raising contact center efficiency by strengthening the UX on websites and key business software and deploying real-time guidance onscreen and self-service options which will reduce incoming support requests. In addition, the webinar will also look at enhancing the traditional IVR experience by providing a Visual IVR Menu for customers trying to contact you. Taking a look at the bigger picture, this webinar will present best practices and use cases to reduce contact center costs and the overall customer experience.

Register for the free webinar (and recording) by filling in the table below.