The top 9 strategies for call center agent training

Upgrade your call center agent training so they can upgrade the service they provide to your customers. Here are some tips:

Get the team acquainted

All training should begin with an introductory meeting (either video or in-person) to help the new agents get connected with the call center director, agent supervisors and department heads. Don’t forget to connect them with other agents for camaraderie. Reps benefit from knowing who they can go to for certain questions and concerns and putting faces to names can make all the difference during the onboarding process. 

Make sure your reps know everything about your business

Be sure your newest team members have a comprehensive understanding of your organization. They need to know everything about the products and services. They should also have a thorough grasp on your call center operations. Information about company culture, core values, and the mission are things they should get familiar with so they can understand the bigger picture for how their job plays an essential part in meeting business goals.

Explain their role in the customer experience

Motivated agents are agents who know the role they play in delivering an exceptional customer experience. They should be educated on how to provide a low-effort experience, the significance of customer loyalty and all the selling points against your industry’s top competitors. 

Clarify best practices

Things like appropriate greetings, transfer techniques and best ways to close a conversation should be part of the training for all new hires. Providing recordings of low-effort and high-effort interactions can be a great teaching mechanism. Don’t forget to have one-on-one practice conversations with them until you feel comfortable setting them free.

Utilize videos for call center agent training

One of the easiest ways to engage your new hires is via video. Whether you have your own training curriculum or identify existing excellent videos on platforms like Youtube, it’s much easier to hold someone’s attention when videos are involved. 

Provide recordings they can look back on

You probably have plenty of recordings on file that demonstrate the most tricky customer situations. Find best and worst practices on how to handle a frustrated customer, how/when to offer a refund, and the proper responses for when you don’t know the answer to a customer question. The more examples they hear for themselves, the more likely it is that they will avoid some clumsy communications.

Give continuous feedback during call center agent training

Training never ends. Consistently monitor rep performance and give them the feedback they need to improve. Keep call center agent training top-notch by providing refresher curriculum and coaching them on new techniques. Be sure to also explore call center management courses for yourself to ensure you’re being the best coach you can be.

Invest in your top-performing reps

Your best reps should be provided with additional training opportunities. Chances for continuous education show that you care about retaining your best team members and that you want them to succeed. Having this process in place also helps set the bar high for new hires. 

Provide agents with valuable tools

Provide reps with the call center software they need to excel. Tethr’s technology works to combine what’s going on in real-time with historical data for context to lead your agent to the best practices. Automatically surface impactful coaching opportunities to help your reps reach their goals. Zero in on issues right when they happen and coach on the spot.

Customer expectations for service are always increasing. Call center managers have a responsibility to their organization to keep up their call center agent training.