5 Handy Tips for Training Call Center Agents

Motivated agents are the key to your call center’s success. Also, it is your agents who can keep your customers happy in the long run. Therefore, we collected some handy tips for training call center agents to help you get the most of your agent team. Make sure to check them and out and start using them today!

1. Provide agents with the proper tools

First things first: if you want your agents to perform well in their job, then pushing them too much won’t help you, but using reliable and up-to-date technology tools will definitely make a difference. A reliable call center software is fundamental to any well-run call center. Software options these days come with extremely smart features, such as a predictive dialer, CRM integration, or call blending. In addition, system integrations will allow your agents to rely on a single all-in-one platform, instead of having to navigate among several systems.

2. Make your agents handle real customer calls

Role-play exercises are an inevitable part of call center training. In fact, learning about possible customer service scenarios is a great way to prepare your agents for any future customer issues. Still, it is real call handling that pushes agents to perform 100%. Of course, throwing your agents in the deep end is not recommended but as they proceed with their induction period, you can slowly start allowing them to handle real customer calls. Just make sure to be ready to help them out if needed.

3. Offer feedback on recorded calls

Call centers often record their calls for training purposes, so don’t miss out on this great opportunity to use recorded calls to give useful feedback to your agents. Amongst other benefits, by reviewing calls together with your agent, they can receive a crystal-clear example of what is and what is not acceptable during a customer call.

4. Provide one-to-one feedback sessions

Our pro tip for training call center agents is to always allocate time for regular one-to-one feedback sessions with each of them. One-to-one sessions are by far the best way to discuss things, and much better than offering negative feedback publicly, which we would never recommend. Also, when it comes to giving feedback to your agents, always ensure all feedback you give is clear and specific. You can learn to give valuable feedback through different coaching methods, for example.

5. Reward your best-performing agents

Agents have to work hard to hit their target KPIs. Of course, in such a competitive environment, they crave recognition from management. Therefore, another call center training best practice is to give away prizes each month to agents who successfully meet their targets. For example, handing out tokens or creating coupons for work-from-home days might be a great idea to keep them motivated. After all, motivation is the major driving force that keeps your agents going.

Do you have any call center training tips that you would recommend? If so, don’t hesitate to share them with us in our comments section!