In today’s fast-paced world of customer service, call centres remain at the forefront of customer interactions. However, with the rise of digital transformation, AI and changing customer expectations, the demands on call centre staff have never been higher. As such, the ability for them to learn and grow is more crucial than ever before.
Harry Kitchen, Partnership Executive
I always think back to a certain Benjamin Franklin quote when we talk about learning, that being “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” For a quote that is over 300 years old, it certainly does resonate today.
However, with recent challenges in the industry, be that COVID-19, the cost of living and other hardships, opportunities for employees to learn and experience personal growth have been somewhat limited. Surely something needs to change?
What do the stats tell us?
Recent studies underscore the importance of continuous learning and development for call centre professionals:
- 44% of employees in the service sector will require reskilling during 2023 to meet the demands of evolving job roles. This will rise to 57% over the next 5 years (Future Skills);
- 87% of call centre leaders believe upskilling and reskilling are essential, yet only 40% feel prepared to address the skills gap (McKinsey);
- 32% of customers would leave a brand they loved after just one bad experience. With well-trained call centre staff, companies can mitigate these negative experiences (PwC); AND
- Companies that invest in employee training and development see 21% higher profitability due to increased employee productivity (Gallup).
Quite telling stats don’t you think?
What is clear, is that the numbers collectively highlight the critical nature of proactive upskilling and reskilling in the service sector. Businesses that prioritise and act on this will not only safeguard their employees and customers but also realise enhanced profitability and future-readiness.
Making it personal
It’s always important to remember that no two employees are the same. Businesses need to ensure each employee’s learning journey is highly personalised. There needs to be a departure from the ‘one-size fits all approach’ that many standard training and induction courses deliver.
AI-powered, learning and development solutions help with personalising a learner’s journey, as these platforms can identify and close knowledge and skill gaps whilst giving managers the analytics to see exactly where those gaps are.
Rather than having to redeliver training on a whole subject, they can focus on the content that is performing the lowest, thus freeing up time and budget.
Solutions that are bucking the trend
Such solutions are helping to quash these stats by embracing the principles of continuous engagement and development, helping to create a deep sense of ownership in each employee’s learning journey.
I recently sat down with Georgia Harbison, Head of Sales at Cognito Learning, to discuss her thoughts on these statistics:
“The statistics speak for themselves. Investing in L&D and upskilling for contact centre staff is not just a nice-to-have; it’s imperative. As the nature of customer interactions shifts and the role of call centre professionals evolves, continuous learning will be critical to success. Businesses that recognise this and invest in their employees’ growth will not only see improved customer satisfaction, but, will also benefit from improved staff loyalty and productivity as well as enhanced profitability.”
Sound familiar?
If you too are going through a renaissance with your learning & development strategy, then give us a shout. We can help to supercharge your employee’s learning journey.
