Rachel has just finished your agent orientation program and is ready to hit the phones. She’s passed the call center product knowledge test with flying colors and seems to have better than average communications skills. She’s actively using the new soft-skills she learned in the final phase of orientation and you’re sure she’s going to be one of your stars.
But you have this nagging feeling that you’ve forgotten to teach her something. And you ask yourself, “Is there anything else Rachel should know before she begins her ‘tour of duty’?” Is there any other new supervisor training she needs that will make her more effective in handling customer service contacts, as well as be a more satisfied call center employee?
The answer is “yes.” There’s one more piece. The missing link here is to equip Rachel with knowledge about the unique call center environment and how it operates. Let’s face it – she’s had to learn a lot in the last few weeks. And part of that training should have been an operational overview so Rachel can better understand the context in which she plays such an important role.
So what exactly do new employees need to learn about the call center? We asked agents and supervisors alike what the missing pieces were and below is their “Top 5” list. How many of these areas are you covering in your own management training programs?
