Is Virtual Call Centre Training the next big thing?
New technologies have allowed call centres across the globe to undergo substantial transformations over the past decade.
New technologies are consistently being developed to better serve both the customer and the company.
One technological development, in particular, is virtual training.
Training new recruits in the contact centre environment is crucial to ensuring your employees are equipped with the tools necessary to excel at their jobs.
It can also help to improve customer satisfaction, reduce attrition, and increase revenue.
Kevin Cline, in ‘Call Centre Training In A Virtual World‘, claims that “any one of these outcomes is valuable in its own right, but combined, they show the undeniable advantage a company possesses when it has a well-run and supported training program,” and he’s right.
Virtual training opens up a variety of possibilities that would otherwise be at best, clunky and impractical.
The primary example is training in-home consultants. Kline suggests that for the best outcome, a blended training solution is required.
The traditional training model generally involves new employees sitting in a classroom-like environment with an instructor or instructors leading the sessions.
To ‘move with the times’, call centres are now embracing the technological changes and incorporating them into their live training environments.
Training models built entirely virtually involve no central physical meeting space, and may not even be bound to specific meeting times.
Training is done via computer portals, with instructors interfacing with trainees remotely.
To find a blend that best fits the intention of the training, Kline suggests providing limited in-person training, while focusing on virtual interaction and opportunities when trainees are not in the same physical location.
The benefits of virtual call centre training
Virtual call centre training exposes trainees to a technologically immersive environment, which allows them to become proficient in the systems they will eventually rely on more quickly.
This can lead to a shorter adjustment period once a new agent is placed on his or her team.
It also allows trainers to more quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses of individual agents.
This permits more time to focus on these individual traits, thereby making for a more well-rounded agent.
For BPO call centres, in particular, virtual training allows for greater access to subject matter experts (SMEs), providing an exceptional opportunity for trainees to learn from the best.
The fact that these SMEs might be 3 or 4 time zones away no longer matters.
And with virtual training, one facilitator can run a training session for new hires across the globe.
From a cost perspective, virtual training reduces both facility and staff costs, while still providing an outstanding training experience.
Kline says that many organisations are now using a blended training model, combining the best aspects of traditional classroom-based training with the recent breakthroughs in virtual training.
In your call centre your customers, your employees, and your bottom line will all reap the benefits.
Recommended further reading: 5 Tips for Effective Training in Contact Centres
Find a list of specialist contact centre consultants, trainers and technology suppliers who can transform your training in the CX Directory >>>
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