Training & Development

The world of contact center training is complicated. Trainers are responsible for helping the onboarding process run smoothly for new agents by delivering the best possible training program tailored to the training class and...

As a trainer, I’m usually good at reading facial expressions and body language to determine if someone is getting the point or needs a break before explaining the next concept. Our face-to-face new-hire training...

In the mad scramble to move more than 90% of our nation’s contact center agents to work at home, the focus was on technology—keeping our agents online, connected and maintaining service continuity. The next...

Contact Center Pipeline’s AUTHOR WALL OF FAME Mike Aoki is President of Reflective Keynotes Inc., a Canadian training company that helps contact centers improve their sales and customer experience results. Area of Expertise: Training contact center agents to...

Frontline agents are under pressure to perform in a role that has become increasingly challenging due to more complex products and services, constantly updating information, and an internet-savvy, informed customer base. It takes a...

Anyone who manages, or has managed, a school or community athletic program no doubt is already aware of Gopher Sport’s products and their reputation for exceptional customer service. As a leading supplier of sports,...

The senior population has been a fast-growing customer segment since the first wave of baby boomers turned 65 in 2011. This year, the number of seniors topped 50 million, and the U.S. Census Bureau...

The idiom “fine art” (first half of the 1800s) is defined in the “American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms” as “something requiring highly developed techniques and skills.” Conversation certainly qualifies as “fine art.” Unfortunately, it appears...

Nothing can short-circuit an online class faster than “technical difficulties.” I’ve seen so many talented facilitators prepped and ready to deliver their carefully planned content—only to lose control of the classroom due to a...

“They are just temps,” said one contact center manager describing his seasonal agents. “They will be gone in a couple of months!” That condescending attitude was reflected in the seasonal team’s environment. They were...

David Merrill, renowned educator and coauthor of Reclaiming Instructional Design, defines instructional design as a “technology that incorporates known and verified learning strategies into instructional experiences which make the acquisition of knowledge and skill...

Training and coaching are two different approaches, but people often use the words interchangeably—and even worse, they use the tactics interchangeably. Let’s clarify our terms. To train means to provide the learner with the tools...

When trying to meet and improve service level agreements, reviewing agents’ performance and providing adequate training is imperative for success. Unfortunately, making time for agent training doesn’t always seem possible. Contact centers are notorious for...

Education expert Bernard Bull once said, “In order to create an engaging learning experience, the role of the instructor is optional, but the role of the learner is essential.” A massive increase in online...

Chris Shortall is Vice President, Store Communications and Contact Center Operations at Destination XL Group. Chris does a wonderful job of explaining how their contact center supports their mission to provide better merchandise, better...

One of the most vital components of any contact center is the training department. No matter what kind of center you operate, it’s critical that those interacting with customers possess and maintain a solid...

In the Contact Center Challenges & Priorities Report released last month, contact center leaders revealed that one of their top priorities for 2016 is to improve training, focusing on the amount, content and/or the...

When I managed the call center training department at a major wireless phone company, we invested six weeks in our new-hire training and coaching. That investment in training paid off in improved agent performance....

I am a huge proponent of teaching all of our frontline leaders about contact center management foundations—those principles that factually define our organizations. These are the keys that unlock the “why” behind most of...

I remember my first day as an agent at a major phone company. It was at the start of my working life. I was nervous. I had no idea what to expect for my...