|
Educate
Your Agents And Reduce Turnover: Can E-learning Help?
By
Todd Beck, AchieveGlobal
There's growing consensus that training is
effective in reducing turnover, even in the 'revolving door'
environment of the contact center. The questions, however, are: 'What
type of training can be most effective in the contact center?' and
'Will all training methodologies produce comparable results?'
Managers in organizations of
all types and sizes have grappled for years with the question of the value
of training for 'revolving-door' organizations with high employee
turnover, such as contact centers.
With contact center staff often
serving as the primary source of customer support after the sale, their
level of product knowledge and interpersonal skills are critical factors
in maintaining a company's competitive edge. And for outsourced contact
center operations, their very survival depends on the performance of
frontline agents.
Although success begins with
selection and hiring, the real key is how well the organization equips its
contact center staff with the tools and skills they need to deliver on the
company's value promise while meeting their own personal and
professional goals.
The Case For Contact Center Training
There are a number of compelling reasons for training employees, whether
or not they become long-term employees.
To attract and retain
customers. The defining moments that occur when the customer
interacts with a contact center agent determine whether that customer will
come back, and the tools and strategies needed to be effective in this
respect far exceed what can be acquired through experience alone. Poorly
trained agents can significantly damage a business, even during a brief
tenure.
To maintain a competitive
edge. Today's customer is much more 'service savvy' as well
as demanding of a high level of product knowledge from the contact center
agent.
Training as a recruitment tool. Surveys conducted by the
Gallup Organization indicate that employer-sponsored training is a major
attraction for employees entering the workforce or deciding whether to
remain in their current position.
The learning contract.
Years of downsizing have irrevocably changed expectations of an
employer's loyalty to the worker. This has been replaced by a more
explicit quid pro quo: 'We'll offer you new skills while you work for
us ' skills that can be taken with you when you leave. While you are
here, you not only complete tasks, but also use your talents to improve
our competitive position.' Thus, training benefits both the individual
and the organization, even if only for a short time.
Training as a retention tool. Trained employees who feel
they contribute to the organization are less likely to leave prematurely.
When people have skills to deliver and are recognized by managers for
delivering these skills, they are less likely to look for another job.
Although it's true that the better you train your staff, the more
attractive they are to other organizations, it's equally true that your
organization becomes more desirable and your recruiting becomes easier by
offering training opportunities.
Creating a unified
culture. Training can be particularly valuable in keeping
employees motivated during periods of uncertainty such as downsizing or
pre-merger by confirming that the organization is willing to invest in
them, whether they are short-term or long-term employees. Such training
can also be a cost-effective way to establish a common language and focus,
speeding the transition to effective, integrated operations.
Commitment and innovation. The more skilled and efficient
your contact center agents become, the more likely they are to be
committed to organizational objectives and interested in seeking
innovative ways to become more effective. Untrained workers seldom look
for a better way or suggest workable improvements.
Profitability.
Logic suggests that achieving the benefits listed above will improve any
organization's overall profits.
Unique Training Challenges In The Contact Center
Training can be particularly challenging in the contact center, and some
of these challenges have led to the widespread consideration of
e-learning. Let's examine these challenges and how e-learning fits into
the picture.
Balancing time
requirements with production goals. Traditionally, training was
delivered in a classroom setting, requiring agents and supervisors to
leave their workstations and offices. E-learning was perceived to be an
on-demand system, capable of being accessed at a time and sequencing
individualized to the learner.
The need for 'systemic' as well as 'systematic' training.
It's particularly important
for soft-skills training to 'cascade' from level to level within the
contact center to create lasting behavioral change and keep staff engaged.
Although e-learning can provide systematic product-related training, it
has distinct limitations in the systemic, soft-skills training area
because staff participate in training in 'silo' situations, with no
opportunities for integration. Lacking feedback and reinforcement,
frontline staff may become disaffected and leave.
The need to align
agents' personal goals with organizational goals. Answering the
question of 'what's in it for me?' is a critical consideration if
training is to be effective in retaining staff. The credential of having
completed an e-learning course is often considered less valuable than
having completed the equivalent classroom course. That feeling, and the
impersonal nature of the medium, can reduce the value of e-learning in
meeting this goal.
Allocation of time to
technical/product training versus that available for soft-skills training.
With time at a premium for contact center staff at all levels, the volume
of technical or product training (training most likely to be provided
through e-learning) required to keep current with the business often
overwhelms available resources ' whether these resources are defined as
trainer, time and/or mindshare. It's not surprising that so little time
remains for soft-skills training.
The technical
capabilities of both the call center workstation and the call center
employee relative to the technical requirements of e-learning.
Just because the workstation is a computer or just because the employee
can use a workstation doesn't guarantee that either the machine or the
person is capable of e-learning. Too many organizations underestimate the
technical requirements of e-learning or overestimate the technical
aptitude of their agents.
The hope that reactive electronic performance support systems can
eliminate proactive training for all skills ' hard and soft. The
harried supervisor might like nothing more than to skip training and,
instead provide agents with a menu of just-in-time information and cues,
all of which are available and accessible as e-learning. Unfortunately,
live customers usually won't wait patiently while an agent learns how to
provide the expected service.
Value produced by
training versus the cost of turnover. The following section
discusses this issue.
Calculating The Value Of Training 'Short Termers'
Following are calculations to assist in analyzing the return on training
investment in terms of both skills improvement and employee
retention. In some cases, we've estimated values for purposes of the
analysis.
Identify the average
compensation package for the position to be studied. In this case, we've
assigned a conservative annual value of $30,000.
Working with HR and L&D
staff, develop a competency profile for each position, such as frontline
contact center agents, assigning a relative importance to each set of
skills, with all skills adding to 100 percent. For example,
problem-solving skills may account for 20 percent, accuracy 10 percent,
listening skills 10 percent, etc., adding to 100 percent.
Identify levels of proficiency
for staff, both pre- and post-training. For example, the average
pre-training proficiency in problem solving for new staff may be 25
percent and they may be expected to progress to (a conservative) 50
percent proficiency after training, based on a review of the proposed
curriculum.
Estimate the per-agent cost of
training by dividing the total cost of training by the number of agents
trained. For example, a $30,000 training program for 20 agents costs
$1,500 per agent.
Estimate the cost of agent
turnover. Turnover often costs a typical organization between 100 and 150
percent of the departing worker's annual salary. For our example of
$30,000 annual compensation, turnover costs would be $30,000 to $45,000.
It's then possible, with some straightforward math, to use these figures
to calculate the ROI of training.
Description
of calculation
|
Example
|
|
Calculation of
pre-training performance: Average compensation multiplied by
importance of skill, multiplied by pre-training level of
proficiency. |
Average compensation of $30,000 X 20% value X
25% proficiency = $1,500.
|
|
Post training
performance: Average compensation multiplied by importance of
skill, multiplied by post-training proficiency percentage. |
$30,000 X 20% X 50% = $3,000 |
|
Predicted value of
training: Post-training performance minus pre-training
performance value |
(b ' a = c)
$3,000 - $1,500 = $1,500 |
|
Payback period based
on skills improvement: Divide the per-agent cost of training
by the predicted value of training to learn the number of years it
will take to achieve training payback. |
$1,500 (per-agent cost of training) divided by
$1,500 (predicted value of training) = payback period of one year
|
|
Payback threshold
based on employee retention: Compare the total cost of the training
implementation to the cost of turnover to identify when training
pays for itself in terms of retention of agents.
|
$30,000 (total cost of training implementation)
divided by $30,000 to $45,000 (turnover cost per agent) = number of
agents whom training initiative must help retain to justify training
cost
In this example, training more than pays for
itself with the retention of just one agent. |
Using E-learning Wisely And Effectively In The Contact Center
The first issue is to
differentiate between training for product or operational skills and
soft-skills training. It is generally recognized that e-learning is at its
most cost-effective when it transmits facts, whether these are related to
products or contact center procedures and operations.
Soft-skills training is another
issue entirely. People have always acquired social skills through
observation, practice and feedback. To ensure the maximum application of
new interpersonal skills in the workplace, it's vital that training
reflect the phases of adult learning. Only then can the methods, media and
technology be put in place to promote lasting behavior change.
Following is a suggested
approach that balances classroom and e-learning methods for soft-skills
contact center agent training. This approach considers media and methods
to achieve the desired outcome for each learning phase, using technology
as is most appropriate to achieve the desired outcomes.
|
Learning Phase |
Description and Training Methodology
|
|
Commit to learn |
Training requires commitment on the part of
both the learner and the leader. Leaders must support the
value of training, model key skills, coach and recognize skill use.
For the learner, an effective training experience generates
commitment by highlighting both the need for a skill and the impact
of its absence. This is best accomplished live or in a
classroom setting.
|
|
Assess current performance |
Specialized instruments allow the trainer or
manager to measure and help learners focus on skill gaps.
Post-training assessments measure recollection of training content
and frequency of new skill use. This lends itself well to
asynchronous Web methods. |
|
Acquire knowledge |
During training, learners gain a detailed
understanding of skills through presentations, readings,
discussions, simulations and observation/analysis of examples. This
can be accomplished through asynchronous Web methods.
|
|
Develop competence |
In this critical yet often-neglected phase,
learners gain proficiency by rehearsing skills with other people.
Real-time practice with another person, whether face-to-face or
voice-to-voice, is essential to soft-skills mastery. This
phase will be most effective if it is delivered through live or
classroom settings. (You don't want an employee's very first
'live' practice opportunity to be with a real customer!)
|
|
Apply new learning |
Learners are more likely to use new skills when
they have a plan and consistent reinforcement. Managers can
promote application by coaching and modeling skills. Application
is best done in a live setting, and reinforcement lends itself to
asynchronous Web methods.
|
Drawing The Conclusions
It seems clear that training is a valuable tool for retention in the
contact center. The challenge presented, then, is to select the proper
training methodology to convey the content and achieve the desired
objectives in the most cost-effective ways. E-learning is certainly a
cost-effective methodology for providing product knowledge and operational
and process information. And, with careful execution of a balanced
approach to soft-skills training, e-learning can be a valuable and
cost-effective component of this training as well.
Todd Beck is senior product manager, service portfolio, for AchieveGlobal, an international
provider of skills training and consulting services in customer service,
sales performance and leadership. A former call center supervisor and
trainer with Continental Airlines, Beck received an MBA in marketing from
Brigham Young University.
[Return To The June 2004 Table Of
Contents] |
