The world of contact center training is complicated. Trainers are responsible for helping the onboarding process run smoothly for new agents by delivering the best possible training program tailored to the training class and industry. It isn’t easy to develop training programs, implement exercises to keep your audience entertained, and make sure all the correct information is relayed properly. By staying on top of the upcoming trends in contact center training, trainers can be sure they’re delivering the best possible training, all while helping agents become confident sooner. ProcedureFlow wanted to help, so we surveyed contact center professionals across North America to get to the bottom of the top trends for this coming year.
Trend 1: Engagement, engagement, engagement!
Engagement may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of contact center training—however, that may be on track to change. According to our findings, half of the training professionals reported wishing their training was more hands on and engaging. Additionally, contact center leaders said that making training more engaging was one of their top areas of improvement. Great examples of engaging training include techniques such as scenario-based learning, simulators and role-playing.
Trend 2: Remote is here to stay, kind of.
The switch to remote and virtual training was sudden but not completely unexpected. Virtual training tools and solutions have been on the rise for years, and the pandemic was the push they needed to become an industry staple. Our survey showed that 73% of contact centers will be keeping remote training, even after the pandemic has settled down. That being said, the future of training likely won’t be “all remote” or “all in-person.” Our study participants stated that large portions (at least 60%) of their training programs will remain remote, with a blended learning style being taken into effect.
Trend 3: Shorter training and onboarding.
For an industry with turnover rates of 30%-45%, long training and onboarding times seem to be the accepted industry standard. Over half of survey participants stated that their total training time ranges from 6-12 weeks. On top of that, a third of training professionals feel it takes 5-7 months for their agents to become fully proficient after their training ends. In fact, helping agents reach proficiency faster was listed as the number 1 area that leaders said was the greatest area of improvement in their training. The overhead costs attached to long training and onboarding stand enough on their own as an argument to shorten the training life cycle. Adding in the forgetting curve (longer training time + less practice = less knowledge retention), it’s easy to see why contact center leaders want to work toward optimizing their training and onboarding programs.
Jenna Dobson is the Marketing Coordinator at ProcedureFlow. She has a passion for startups, and B2B marketing and technology. She loves getting to do her part in helping contact centers empower their agents and deliver their best customer service. [email protected]