Congratulations on embarking on a journey to build a successful career in a contact centre. We know you are eager to get into the heart of the action and start delivering. The initial part of your journey is designed to put you through a comprehensive training so that you will be fully equipped to carry out real-life customer conversations and get accustomed to the work environment quickly. Therefore, the training phase is the most crucial in determining how you will fare when you actually start working. Training is usually carried in the form of interactive sessions and online modules followed by assessments to test your knowledge intake.
Here are some tips to help you make the most out of your training.
Get an in-depth understanding
The initial training is designed to familiarize you with the culture of your organization and the brand you will be working for, tools you will be using, product information, and modules to improve your communication and cognitive skills. The training will also include hands-on experience through mock calls, rules involving your work, and how you will be measured in terms of performance. Some of the skills are directly used during customer conversations, while others will help you become a better professional—both are equally important and needs to be mastered. Your goal is to deliver customer delight in every conversation, and all these diverse pieces of training that have been thoughtfully put together will ensure that you hit the ground running from your first customer call.
Be fully committed
A trainer’s responsibility is to impart information and training to help you get job-ready. However, it is your responsibility to make sure that you take in as much as possible. Asking questions ensures that there is no knowledge gap. Don’t think that asking questions makes you look incompetent in front of others because it does not. Remember that the trainers are your allies! They have a wealth of information and experience that will help you succeed.
Be regular in attending the training. The training schedule is carefully planned to ensure that you have acquired all the necessary skills. Missing sessions may set you back in important areas. Similarly, be punctual and arrive on time for your sessions. These are very good work habits to absorb early on and will help you through your entire professional life.
Hone each customer interaction skill
Customer conversation is an art – you will have the power to transform each interaction into a positive brand experience. You will be able to help people when it matters the most, which in many ways, is a position of responsibility and influence. It’s not just enough to listen to customers’ problems; you need to engage with them accordingly, such as empathizing with their situations, instilling confidence that you will do your utmost to provide solutions, and being as transparent about the situation at hand. In many scenarios, you will have to leverage your innate traits such as problem-solving, multi-tasking, thinking on feet, empathy, etc. While your trainers will focus on some of these areas, it is up to you to brush up on these aspects so that you come across as a confident, knowledgeable, and efficient customer service professional.
Training is the stepping stone towards a successful career. When you think about training, in the context of the job ahead, a quote by Oprah comes to mind – “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” When you have made the most of the training phase, you are best prepared for starting a wonderful professional journey.