Your call center is only as good as your agents’ aggregate performance, which means that time invested in training call center agents potentially has a major return in increased productivity. As the saying goes, the chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so ensuring that your agents are all star performers is essential. Training isn’t as simple as reading off rules and tips to a huge classroom full of new hires, though. Here are a few tips to facilitate effective trainings that will boost the success of your agents and help each individual reach their full potential.
1. Teaching the Art of Rapport
Regardless of what type of call center you’re running, helping agents finesse their telephone manner is the first step in the right direction of being able to effectively engage with customers. For example, in the case of outbound cold calls which are some of the most difficult sales to make, Inc. states that the best tactic for eliciting a positive response is to focus on establishing a relationship with the contact, rather than pressing a hard sell straight out of the gate. While not every agent is going to be a sales superstar, there’s usually ample room for improvements using easy tactics. Coaching agents on how to relate to inbound callers or the people they’re calling for a potential sale, rather than just forging ahead with a blind sales objective, can make a huge difference in productivity and sales. Teaching the art of subtlety is underrated.
2. Training Call Center Agent Proactively
Developing a well rounded call center staff is all about information rich and diversified training. The best way to ensure that your agents are well prepared and have the skills to succeed at their jobs is to pinpoint individual training needs, according to Call Center Helper. This can be achieved through tracking the performance of each agent, assessing weak points, and then implementing individual coaching. Larger trainings can also be useful by identifying common problems that multiple agents are having and addressing it in a group setting. Not only does this maximize the use of your time, but it also facilitates an environment of comradery amongst your team.
3. Teaching Positive and Negative Language
Understanding the difference between positive and negative language is essential, but this goes beyond the script that your agents are reading from. Instructing call center agents to think about how to rephrase statements that might be construed as negative is important and needs to be a guided process. For example, Informing someone that they’re about to be placed on hold is negative language since it’s perceived as dismissive, and could be rephrased to tell the customer that they’re being transferred to someone who can handle their issue more effectively. By using positive language, the person on the other end of the line feeling doesn’t feel as if they’re being brushed off. The opposite effect is achieved by making them feel as if they’re being paid careful and special attention.
Training call center agents is all about providing useful and relevant information to your team, coaching them on effective tactics, and exploiting their innate talents to the fullest. Not only will your call center reap the benefits of improved performances, but it also imbues each agent with a more personal sense of investment in their job.
