Workforce Management Featured Article
The Next Level of Agent Training: Teaching Empathy, Organization and Communication
It’s 2019, and we tend to still consider call center work “low skilled.” While once upon a time, this may have been the case, customer support today is a highly complex process requiring multiple skills, multitasking, technology knowledge and quick thinking. Agents need to be problem-solvers, tech whizzes and empathetic “people persons.” For this reason, training agents has also become more complex.
While you may have your classroom training process and onboarding system in place already, it’s probable that you’re not getting time to teach the higher-order skills that agents increasingly need. Yes, agents need to know how to use the telephony system, the CRM, the order system, the workforce management and messaging, but they’re going to require more than that. Some of the more complex skills you need to consider training for include:
Empathy. While one might argue that empathy is an inborn trait and not something that can be learned, this isn’t entirely true. Scientists estimate that about fifty percent of empathy is inborn, but the other half is learned. Consider having new agents role-play – one as the customer, and the other as the agent – and be sure they’re navigating a complex simulated problem that shows both sides of the conversation and allows them to draw on their personal feelings for reactions. When calls get difficult, agents should be able to step into the customers’ shoes and imagine how they would feel under the same circumstances.
Organization. With the complexity of the call center job today, agents must be well organized. Before this can happen, however, the call center must be well organized. Ensure that all relevant information agents need is in a single database and not strewn across the network in mysterious places. Consolidate the agents’ apps into one or two desktops so they’re not having to toggle between eight different screens on each call. And ensure operating procedure is clearly spelled out, easy to reference and easy to understand.
Product expertise. One of the biggest customer complaints when it comes to poor customer service is a lack of product or service understanding on the part of agents. If you put newbies on the phone who have little more than surface knowledge of what you’re selling, you’re bound to run into trouble. When you onboard agents, ensure that deep and broad training on your company’s offerings is part of the training. Get agents to use your products and services regularly (if possible), and consider pairing new agents with experienced agents in a kind of “buddy system” in the early days.
Communication soft skills. While most people think they’re pretty good at communicating, the truth is that it’s a distinct skill, particularly in customer support. Teach agents the difference between positive and negative language (“Let’s see if we can find a good alternative for you” instead of, “I’m sorry, we don’t have what you want”) and how it can affect the outcome of calls. Also ensure that agents are trained to deescalate difficult calls by showing empathy and using positive language.
Edited by Maurice Nagle