ICMI's Customer Management Insight - September 2007 - (Page 53)

EXPERT’S ANGLE the initial call. A training program that builds these critical skills — and keeps agents stimulated and progressing up the career ladder — requires much more than an old-fashioned classroom approach. Traditional classroom training is obsolete. One-size-fits-all training no longer works in today’s dynamic call center, where agents require a wide range of specialized technical skills and customer knowledge. Incoming call volumes are higher than ever. Interactions take place via multiple applications such as the phone switch, the database to track the calls, the knowledgebase to provide the answers to the inquiries, emails, live Web chats and other necessary tools. With staffing budgets stretched to the limit, few, if any, call centers have the luxury of trooping groups of trainees off to classes for extended periods of time. The state-of-the-art solution is a well-designed blended learning environment. This combines group classes and multimedia training sessions with interactive, independent, on-demand e-learning that agents can accomplish on their own time and pace. To be most effective, blended training needs to include exercises that involve agents practicing the wide variety of actual customer interactions that they are likely to encounter on the job. These M Finding the Best Candidates for Call Center Jobs Before you can initiate an effective training and development program, you need to get top-notch candidates on board. This is a challenge, to say the least — particularly in an era where competition is intense and entry-level job candidates are often illprepared for the workplace. Call centers need to take advantage of every available tool and resource in their recruiting efforts, yet many are falling short in this critical area. According to ICMI’s 2007 Contact Center Recruiting and Hiring Survey Report, most centers are not taking advantage of the most advanced and progressive candidate assessment tools and approaches. ICMI reports that: > 11.9% use job simulation software to help gauge candidates skills; > 13.4% use written (manual) attitude/motivation assessment tests; > 14.4% conduct job simulations via live role plays; > 20.6% use PC or Web-based attitude/motivation assessment tools and software; > 27 .3% use written (manual) skills and knowledge assessment tests; > 35.6% have applicants interview senior/experienced agents, and; with Further, just under half of respondents said that their call centers use a job-preview tool or approach — such as a video of agents at work, a detailed tour of the call center, and/or job simulation software — to give agent candidates a good picture of what the job and work life in the call center are like. And only 41.4% of call centers surveyed said that they formally track the success of their recruitment methods to determine which methods most often lead to the hiring of a solid performing, long-term agent. To make the best hiring decisions, use live phone screening and simulations that require candidates to demonstrate competency in handing specific types of customer interactions. Also, test candidates in handling e-mail and live Web chat if these channels will be used on the job. Remember that while you may be looking for candidates with college degrees, experience can be an even better teacher than education when it comes to building solid skills. The most successful centers administer pre-hire tests to assess customer service skills and attributes such as intelligence, personality and honesty. Identify the skills and traits, or core competencies, needed to do the job and measure these up front, using every tool at your disposal. That’s the best way to get the best on board. Then once you have great candidates on the team, you can provide the training and development opportunities that will keep them growing and going strong with your company for years to come. > 39.7% currently use PC or Web-based skills and knowledge assessment tools and software. icmi’s insight www.icmi.com | SEPTEMBER 2007 53 http://www.icmi.com

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ICMI's Customer Management Insight - September 2007

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