As
I have stated in my previous blog, being in a call center is like going back to
school. The only difference of a call center from a school is you are paid for
studying.
After
you are profiled to a specific account, you will then undergo training to know
more about the product. You need to know the product so that when the customer
calls in, you know what to answer. Just like in school, there are two parts of
the training: the theoretical part and the practical part. The theoretical part
is the classroom lectures while the practical part is the Abay training.
Whatever
account you are profiled to in any call center, you just need to remember four
things as part of the theoretical training: (1) Product specifics (2) System
Navigation (3) Tools and policies and (4) Knowledge base. We are going to
discuss each of these in a detailed manner.
(1)
Product Specifics
All
businesses exist because they have a specific product to sell. That product
could either be in a form of services or a commodity. Product in a form of
services could include telephone subscription or a cable installation or a
healthcare insurance. Product in a form of a commodity could include purchasing
an item online. That item could either be a phone or a dress or a bag.
In
product specific training, it is important what product you are supporting and
the line of business (LOB) you are associated with. Knowing what LOB you are
supporting would determine your scope of function and would also determine
whether a specific call is really intended for you or another department.
Example:
Product:
Prepaid telephone subscription
Line
of Business: Retention
Scenario:
Customer would like to purchase a new phone
How
would you evaluate the above scenario? Is this call intended for you?
In
the above scenario, the LOB you are supporting is Retention. Your scope of
function is to save customers from cancelling. Since the customer would like to
purchase a new phone then that would be under the Sales Department
necessitating for the call to be transferred.
In
learning about the product, you need to know the “core” function of a specific
product because that would serve as your foundation for competence. What do I
mean by that?
Example,
Telecommunication (Telco) account.
All
Telco account whether they are Sprint or Verizon or Straight Talk or AT & T
has just three product to sell: minutes, text and data. Ano pinagkaiba? The price and the package. Parang sardinas lang yan. Iba–iba ang kulay ng lata. Iba–iba ang presyo
pero isdang sardinas rin ang laman.
Another
example, Cable Account.
All
cable providers whether they are Comcast or AT & T or Dish has just one
product to sell: cable subscription. Ano
pinagkaiba? Channel Lineup and devices. Say for example, Disney Channel. It
could be that this channel is under the “economy package” of one provider and
under the “deluxe package” of another whatever package they would name it. And
of course, different package has different price. The only way the customer
would decide is at what price they can afford to pay it.
What’s
in it for you to know the product aside from answering customer’s question?
Knowing
the account would give you leverage in the future for higher position. If you
are a Site Director or General Manager of a call center and on your site, you
are supporting a Telco account, a Cable account, a Healthcare account and a
Retail account. Technically, alam mo
lahat yan!! or kung meron man na
dapat matutunan pa, madali na kasi it is already incorporated to those
previous account that you already handled. Say for example, retail account.
Order processing yan, eh sa Telco CSR
nag–o–order processing na rin. Ano pa ba pinagkaiba? Sa retail account, different products are
being processed as compared to Telco account na puro telephone but the means of processing is the same and that
is using a credit card. The carrier who will be delivering the item maybe
different but tracking the order is the same which in return would be easier
for you if a Logistics and Transportation account will be under your site kasi yung progress of delivery is
already on the software provided. Do you now see the importance of knowing a
lot of account? If you are stucked in a healthcare account for two years and na–i–profile ka sa Telco account, will
you make it? Nasa learning curve mo yan and the competence of the
Trainer.
Teaching
is a gift. Being able to present a product to the simplest way yet in a
detailed manner is something that you cannot learn. It is embedded in your
personality. Being able to transfer information in a comprehensive manner
entails logic and discipline and not all people has that character.
As
I have mentioned before, most call center are addictive to external hire
including Trainer. In one call center I know, product specific training is like
a commodity in grocery store. They externally hired a Trainer who came from
another account then she undergo training just like anybody else and when she
was certified, she became a Trainer. That fast???!!! The questions that I have
in mind, Is she a genius to learn that fast? How could she answer questions
pertaining to arrival to a specific decision?
All
Trainers should come from the account because how can they produce competent
agents if the product specifics training is poor.
Your
approximate learning curve for product specifics is one month.
(2)
System Navigation
Once
you know the product you are dealing with. It’s now time to know where to
search for specific information pertaining to the product. The search for
specific information about your product through the software provided is called
system navigation.
Before
you will be able to know how to navigate a system, you need to know first the
parts of the software you are using. The Trainer should be able to present the
software in an outline manner.
All
software are compose of “Tabs or Folders.” Within that Tabs or Folders could be
sub–Tabs or cluster of information. Another composition of software are
“buttons.” If you click a specific button, what function will it serve? Will it
allow you to give credits? Will it allow you to notate something on the
account?
If
you are viewing this blog using Internet explorer, click on the drop down for
“tools” on the bar above then click “Internet options”. When you click
“Internet Options” a new window will open, Do you see “General,”
“Security,” “Privacy”? All of these are
Tabs or Folders? Under “General Tab” you will see “Browsing History” then
there’s a button there, “delete” click on that one and a new window will open
with header “Delete browsing history.” Tick the box which has “History” then
click the “Delete” button below. It will then delete all the site you visited.
In
this illustrative example, what is the pathway to delete browsing history?
Tools
>> Internet Options >> General >> Browsing History >>
delete >> Delete browsing history >> History >> delete.
This
is what you call the navigation pathway. The practice of executing the
navigation pathway is called system navigation. And mind you, not all Trainer
could present it in a simplified manner.
If
you are in Financial account, At what Tab of your software will you find the
“pending authorization” for a payment? If you are in a Telco account, at what
Tab will you find the IMEI number? If you are in a cable account, at what Tab
will you find the type of box the customer has?
There
are two types of system you need to be familiar with also: (1) the Web–based
and (2) the DOS format. For “web–based” system you just need to use your mouse
to point where you would like to go and it will open the file for you. For DOS
format, you need the function keys to go to a specific location and those
function keys are the F1 to F12 keys on your keyboard. It could also be a
combination of “Ctrl– Alt–Shift” function (e.g. Ctrl F12)
It
takes a great deal of hands on experience before you will be able to master the
software you are using. Your approximate learning curve for system navigation
is two to three months.
(3)
Tools and Policies
Tools
are supporting software that you use to resolve customer concern. Tools may
vary but it may have the same purpose as it is intended to be.
Policies
are set of guidelines that you have to follow before processing a specific request.
The
most common request in a CSR scope of function is “payment extension.” Cable
account has payment extension. Telco account has payment extension. Car
insurance has payment extension. Credit card has payment extension.
Let’s
say that the tool you are going to use is called “PayFast”.
Before
you can process a payment extension, the policy is the customer should be at
least six months in service, no delinquency for the past three months, no
broken promises for the last two months and should not exceed 15 days from due
date.
You
evaluate based on the policies then once the customer qualifies, you process
the request.
The
tool that you will be using to process this request may be different if you are
in a Financial account or if you are in a Telco account or if you are in a
Cable account and the policies may be slightly different over the other but the
request and the purpose of the request is the same.
Another
tool that you might be using is let’s say named, “Towerload.”
Towerload
allows you, for example, to check whether there is an outage in a specific
area. The policy if you are in Telco account is you have to tell the customer
first to reboot the phone before you run the test. And if you are in a cable
account, you need to connect it to the internet. Or if you are in a car
navigation account, you need to be sure that there is no interference with the
signal such as phone before you send in a signal. All of these things
constitute “tools and policies.”
As
part of the training, tools and policies allows you to better understand the
account.
(4)
Knowledge Base
Another
thing that you need to learn during training is learning how to use your
knowledge base.
Knowledge
base is your bible. It is your ultimate reference to survive on the account. An
account without knowledge base is chaotic.
Knowledge
base are series of articles which you can use either to provide information to
the customer or to come up with a specific a decision. Knowledge base should be
concise, comprehensive and up to date. Most of this articles are numbered which
you can add on your documentation or notation.
Subject
Matter Expert may be wrong. Team Leader maybe wrong but the knowledge base is
in serious trouble once it go wrong.
My
Team Leader once told me “Ba’t hindi ka
nagtanong kay SME bago ka
nag–decision diyan?” I simply said one
thing, “If I will ask an SME about it, I will get “second hand information”
whereas if I consulted the knowledge base, I’ll get “first-hand information”
and first-hand information with documentation is always the best information.”
As
an agent, you have to remember that “mere opinion” may put you in trouble. But
if you have reference for a specific information you provided with, you are
always on a safe side. If somebody questioned your decision, eh di isampal mo sa kanya yung article
number dun sa knowledge base na “provided ng client” para yun ang sisihin niya!!!”
There
might be instances wherein you might have pulled up the wrong article then
that’s an avenue for brainstorming as to what makes it wrong and what would
have been the correct one. There may also be article which is “non–specific”
for a specific concern. You maybe basing your decision based on that article
because that is the closest you can get. If you are encountering scenarios like
this then that’s an avenue for escalation. Either you can escalate that concern
to the Head Trainer of the account and the Head Trainer will then inform the
client for that specific concern so that the client can update their knowledge
base so that the next time you will be encountering the same scenario, you know
what to do and that’s improvement!!!
Theoretical
training is just a slice of a cake. Those theories are nothing without
application. Likewise, too much “theories” creates “information overload.”
Theoretical training should be “gradually transitioned.”
To
gradually transition to the practical part of the training, it would entail
regular visit to the production floor. As a Trainer, what you can do then is to
get the list of agents on the upper 20% of the stack ranking and let your
trainee do “side by side (SBS)” with those agent. In doing so, you need to
mirror their schedule.
The
ideal training is up to 8 hours only. Others will argue that as early as training,
trainee should already mirror their shift once in production. I tend to
disagree because if on an 8 hour training, trainee tend to be bored or sleepy,
what more if it is more than 8 hours. If you put them on a schedule like 10pm
to 6am, expect it to be worse.
In
transitioning to production floor, 5 hours should be classroom training and 2
hours production SBS. How do you transition then? The first three hours of the shift
will be dealt with regular lectures to other procedures of the account. After
their lunch, you need to assign them to the production floor. In the production
floor, make sure that they are partnered on a one is to one basis, not one
agent, two trainee on a Y–chord, parurusahan
mo naman yung agent eh
nakiki–echosera ka lang naman!!! And make sure also that they are rotating
every 30 minutes to every agent so that they can learn the “best practices” of
those “top agents” and to make sure that they are mobile para hindi sila ma–bored!!! Also,
you need to allow them to bring their tickler so that they can jot down the
things they find opposite with theoretical training. And at the production, the
Trainer should endorse the trainee to the “Abay Supervisor” to facilitate the
rotation of the trainee. While your trainee is on the production, you as a
Trainer can then concentrate on your “back office” stuff. Hindi rin naman puedeng ocho oras kang magtatatalak sa klase.
Pupudpudin mo lang yung dila mo diyan!!!
After
two hours of production floor SBS, they need to go back to the classroom for debriefing.
The remaining hours of the shift will then be dedicated to question and answer
to consolidate the information they learn from theoretical training with that
of the practical part. Oftentimes, what was being practiced was the visit to
the production floor are done before the end of the shift thus hindi na nache–check kung ano yung dapat
i–clarify na issue na natutunan sa production??!! Once they returned to the
classroom from production, as a Trainer, you need to encourage the trainee to
ask question and this is where you will be able to evaluate the comprehension
skills of the trainee whether you need to focus on him or her.
If
the trainee has question regarding a specific issue that was not yet tackled
then you need to park it at the “parking lot question” because discussing it at
a premature stage will just distort the learning process and the timeline,
however, you need to inform them as to when it will be discussed with a punch
line, “that’s why you need not to be absent on that date because I will get
back to you to answer that question” thereby lessening the absenteeism on the
class. If the trainee has question regarding a discussed topic already, you
need to answer it indirectly by telling them the exact date when you discussed
it thus your timeline should be highly structured. Once they checked their note
on that date and what are the topics discussed on that date, you just need to
verify the information and let them do the practical side now, eh di interactive and vibrant yung learning!!!
By
having a strictly followed timeline, this is where system of check and balance
could be established. If the Trainer was absent for a specific date, even if,
there is a substitute Trainer, everything will be intact. And if the Training
Manager has knowledge about the account, he or she would be able to do a spot
check whether a specific topic was discussed on a specific date.
SBS
can be done in one week increasing the number of hours of up to 3 hours. By
doing this, once the trainee hit Abay, they will be able to know how to handle
the call and at the same time familiar with the system.
There
are instances when an account is new to the site called “pioneer account.”
Technically, no Trainer locally will be available to train the trainee which
will comprise the “pioneer batch.” Of course, if literally, there are a lot of
Trainer, it’s just that learning an account is not an overnight process thus
those who are “externally hiring” a Trainer who just trained for one month
really has a questionable competence in producing result.
What
would be the approach then? In other site, they send the Trainer abroad to
learn the account. In other site, there is a so called “Trainer to Trainer
session” wherein the “Trainer from abroad” will pass on the information to the
“Trainer on site.” Once the “Trainer on site” learn the fundamentals, he will
be the one to train the newbies of the pioneer account with the “Trainer from
abroad” on standby to answer questions. This is a good approach also since it
tends to lessen the expenditure on part of the call center. Also, the trainee
would be more familiar with the verbiage of the “Trainer on site” thus the
absorption of information could be maximized. Another positive thing about this
approach is that the logic is “If the “Trainer on site” cannot comprehend with
the principle behind the account, the learning can be contained to just one
person and could be immediately rectified.”
I’ve
known one pioneer account that was launch in one call center for a car
insurance account. What happened was a “Trainer from abroad” was sent to Manila
to train the pioneer batch and that batch was composed of 30 trainee. In a
sudden twist of fate after a month, the attrition sky–rocketed thus out of those
30 trainee only 12 were left necessitating for the call center to call back the
“Trainer from abroad” to train the newly hired. The Operation Manager is so
keen in assessing every applicant for “attrition risk” because calling back and
forth the “Trainer from abroad” would prove to be costly and second if it
happens again, the account will go extinct and if it go extinct, technically,
the Operations Manager will be sacked. In this situation, it wouldn’t have
happened if the call center just did a “Trainer to Trainer session” in order to
secure the account. It’s that simple!!
Now
that you already know the process of learning an account. It’s now time to
check how you will be able to harness your skills through Abay training.
