Training, Coaching, Hand holding, Performance management, Appraisal, Skills & career development

 

Training and Coaching For Skills Development & Performance Improvement

 

The most important asset in any service operation is of course its people.   We know that the service they provide and the relationship they build with customers is key to a successful operation.  We also recognise that the difference between the highest performers and many others can be significant - for a whole variety of reasons and not normally purely due to the individual’s ‘fault’.  Nevertheless all agents benefit from training and a rich variety of work and the organisation’s performance depends on the continuous development of their skills and knowledge.

 

Our experience at Touchpoint Management allows us to design and deliver any bespoke training required, but three of our most popular courses are outlined below.

 

1. Team Leader Training

 

Historically call centres have promoted their best agents to Team Leader positions, often in order to try and retain them.  The challenge for them is that being good on the phone does not automatically translate to being able to lead or manage people well.  We have found on many occasions that call centres have an excellent wealth of product knowledge at Team Leader level.  That is helpful when handling escalated queries and complaints but it does not always ensure that the combined efforts of the team are achieving the required service levels or sales.

 

We therefore designed a course that would help Team Managers and Team Leaders to develop the soft skills for running a team through the following:

 

• Developing the motivation levels of the team, whatever their personality type, aligning objectives and managing perceptions;
• Managing the performance of others via better communication, understanding the needs of the audience when delivering different types of messages, and providing positive and negative feedback;
• Understanding telephony and performance statistics to develop a clearer picture of high level and detailed performance measures;
• Service commercial management, driving profitability through effective goal setting, planning and monitoring.

 

The course is split into four modules, each module consisting of a 3-hour interactive session followed by on-the-job coaching.  The course is facilitated by one of our Contact Centre specialists who has successfully managed operations and developed teams themselves – rather than by a trainer relaying the messages from a text book.

 

 

2.  Sales Through Service Training

 

This course has been designed to offer call centre staff, both inbound and outbound, the skills and confidence to improve sales conversion rates through delivering a quality of service that would encourage the customer to buy and continue to buy.  It is built around the philosophy of 'people buy people before they buy products and services'.

 

The course is split into two three hour modules that cover Communication Skills and Telephone Sales Skills.  The course looks at understanding the customer and grasping why and when they might buy.  We help the delegates to understand the key buying signals, the power of positive language and the rules of listening.  The course is interactive and allows time at the end of the session for a series of role-plays when delegates have the opportunity to practice what they have learned.   

After completing the course, we would expect to see an improvement in customer interaction including:  

• Sales opportunities more frequently spotted and acted on;
• Better rapport building with customers;
• A higher conversion rate and improved sales results;
• Fewer cancellations and customer complaints.

This course can be followed up by on-the-job coaching whilst the skills are absorbed and practised.  A review of customer analysis, business processes/policies and service development is of huge benefit too, and builds on the additional enthusiasm that the course stimulates. 

 

 

3.  Objection and Complaint Handling

 

This course is primarily geared towards inbound customer service and helpdesk staff.  It aims to improve delegates' understanding of why people complain and how they can turn the situation around.   We look at customers’ perceptions and expectations, and analyse them in order to manage them more effectively.

 

The course again is an interactive 4 hour session with a practical blend of role plays and theory.  Our experience has found that clients have enjoyed the following tangible benefits: 

• A reduction in escalated complaints;
• Reduced call handling time and average call duration;
• More confident agents and in some cases lower attrition;
• Greater satisfaction scores from customers.

 

 

For further information on any of our courses, contact us and we can tell you about the other training courses we have, or design an event to meet your objectives.

 

© Touchpoint Change Consulting Ltd, 2009.