The final goal of running a marathon can seem more daunting than it really is, but with practice, it becomes a manageable reality. Just as marathon runners train daily to stay in shape and live up to their goals, call center agents work constantly at effectively managing customer calls and meeting service goals. With a combination of computer-based training tools and simulations, as well as e-learning modules and classroom-led instruction, call centers can build their agents into goal-oriented, performance-driven winners - faster and more efficiently than ever before.

The growth of the much touted e-learning training method - customized courses designed to instruct agents through a Web browser on a computer - trains agents through a variety of lessons that can be custom designed. E-learning alone should not replace the other forms of training; it is most effective when complemented with classroom learning and computer simulations that present difficult scenarios and form a powerful means of "blended" learning.

Take for example Continental Airlines, which chose LearningByte (Minneapolis, MN) to develop on-line courses to help train 1,500 new reservations agents. The on-line courses gave agents the skills to handle frequent flier calls, allowing agents to train in realistic call scenarios using a simulation of the airline's reservation system. The modules used included essential background information about each case, instructions for handling particular calls, an opportunity to practice, and feedback to determine the mastery of necessary skills (all through a combination of Web courses, needs analysis, and video, graphic and print materials). Thanks to the on-line courses, Continental went from a 28-hour instructor-led course to a more effective 18-hour course consisting of 16 hours of on-line learning and simulation coupled with two hours of mentor-based training. Inevitably, the company found that those agents trained with blended learning outperformed those trained through the all-instructor-led course.

"We tracked information with Continental to find that their agents were retaining more information after coming out of computer-based training, versus instructor-led," says LearningByte's marketing communications manager, Anne Aarness. "Continental was looking for consistency so that there was no variation between the instruction and course materials given to students."

Other companies have found the best diet for training is one that balances mediums. Total Systems (Columbus, GA) manages different bank card portfolios and collections, support, fraud, and dispute claims, and was recently recognized as one of the top ten "best places to work" by Fortune Magazine. Total Systems manager Willie Wells explains that the ranking is a direct result of the company's training.

"Every week, agents spend one hour in the classroom getting everything from updates on new products to lessons in something they are deficient in," says Wells. "We grew so fast with so many different call centers that it was hard to put everyone in a classroom all the time, but we were still looking for a way to do this weekly and push material to them whenever they needed it. Eventually, we didn't have enough training room, and we also realized that we didn't have to take them off the phones and march them into the training room for 15 minutes when we could just put them on the computer."

The company employed Knowlagent (Alpharetta, GA) to help it create and administer a training series by computer. "Trainers could use this system to put together a training session by themselves," says Wells. "Since starting, we have had internal quality checks, and I can see where scores went up; we also had an organization check us against other banks, and we took first place in five of seven categories."

Wells says that above all, the system helps the company manage its time better. "We don't worry about paper or redistributing exams," he says. "Also, when we have low call volume, instead of sitting idle, an agent can work in some training - it's integrated with our workforce management software. What's really important to us, is that it is user friendly on the front and back end. Knowlagent also does a lot for us, such as generating reports about our effectiveness."

Blended learning wasn't always in the cards for most call centers. "Everyone originally talked about on-line training and e-learning becoming the dominant form of training, but now it has become companies trying to pick the best solution for the problem at hand," says Dave Evangeliste, vice president of marketing for Pathlore (Columbus, OH), a developer of e-learning and computer-based training. "Now we find that it's interchanging and blending with other trends. That trend has gone toward more sophisticated on-line learning with smaller courses, and little pieces of knowledge delivered in chunks."

Rob Grimes, the chairman and CEO of Cyntergy (Rockville, MD), a developer of on-line learning, says that any kind of electronic training is just a delivery mechanism, not a final end-all, be-all. "What we see happening is the need to access or offer learning on a push basis that is now only one type of learning, with classroom training guides, audiovisual materials and a labor force supplementing it."

Others stress that e-learning must not replace live instructors. "You use Web-based self-paced training when needed, as it's important to have a consistent training experience as opposed to different instructors with different patterns of teaching," says Susan Schwartz, of PrimeLearning.com (Stamford, CT), an e-learning provider. "But you want to get some real-life experience in there, too."

Call centers have found that combining e-learning with classroom learning is the best balance for keeping agents up to speed and customers happy. Call centers have been able to cut down on the number of mentors and time needed to train agents in a live setting, and create the curricula in a way that saves money. In addition, use of a CD-ROM or the Internet to train agents means they learn at their own pace, and can receive training as often as they wish. Many call centers are able to cut turnover, because agents don't feel rushed through the material and can periodically test themselves again to understand how well they have retained the knowledge. Many systems now have evaluations that allow agents to rate how effective the training is, which can help you improve the training process.

Customizable Courses And On-line Training

A popular new way of training agents is through customized on-line courses. Agents learn at their workstations, typically through a Web browser.

HorizonLive (New York, NY) provides customized Web-based training with its HorizonLive version 2.3 software. "We can create presentations from material that you make on PowerPoint and Microsoft Word," says the company's media director, Matt Wasowski. You upload HorizonLive's Class Administration Toolset from the company server and use it to save visual files that you want to include in the course. When combined with text chats (so that agents can ask instructors or each other questions) and RealPlayer for video streaming, you end up with a very effective learning mechanism that offers a variety of learning options. HorizonLive 2.3 also contains a white board and the ability to share content across the Internet during training sessions. It also can capture and record training sessions as they occur.

The final goal of running a marathon can seem more daunting than it really is, but with practice, it becomes a manageable reality. Just as marathon runners train daily to stay in shape and live up to their goals, call center agents work constantly at effectively managing customer calls and meeting service goals. With a combination of computer-based training tools and simulations, as well as e-learning modules and classroom-led instruction, call centers can build their agents into goal-oriented, performance-driven winners - faster and more efficiently than ever before.

The growth of the much touted e-learning training method - customized courses designed to instruct agents through a Web browser on a computer - trains agents through a variety of lessons that can be custom designed. E-learning alone should not replace the other forms of training; it is most effective when complemented with classroom learning and computer simulations that present difficult scenarios and form a powerful means of "blended" learning.

Take for example Continental Airlines, which chose LearningByte (Minneapolis, MN) to develop on-line courses to help train 1,500 new reservations agents. The on-line courses gave agents the skills to handle frequent flier calls, allowing agents to train in realistic call scenarios using a simulation of the airline's reservation system. The modules used included essential background information about each case, instructions for handling particular calls, an opportunity to practice, and feedback to determine the mastery of necessary skills (all through a combination of Web courses, needs analysis, and video, graphic and print materials). Thanks to the on-line courses, Continental went from a 28-hour instructor-led course to a more effective 18-hour course consisting of 16 hours of on-line learning and simulation coupled with two hours of mentor-based training. Inevitably, the company found that those agents trained with blended learning outperformed those trained through the all-instructor-led course.

"We tracked information with Continental to find that their agents were retaining more information after coming out of computer-based training, versus instructor-led," says LearningByte's marketing communications manager, Anne Aarness. "Continental was looking for consistency so that there was no variation between the instruction and course materials given to students."

Other companies have found the best diet for training is one that balances mediums. Total Systems (Columbus, GA) manages different bank card portfolios and collections, support, fraud, and dispute claims, and was recently recognized as one of the top ten "best places to work" by Fortune Magazine. Total Systems manager Willie Wells explains that the ranking is a direct result of the company's training.

"Every week, agents spend one hour in the classroom getting everything from updates on new products to lessons in something they are deficient in," says Wells. "We grew so fast with so many different call centers that it was hard to put everyone in a classroom all the time, but we were still looking for a way to do this weekly and push material to them whenever they needed it. Eventually, we didn't have enough training room, [and we also realized] that we didn't have to take them off the phones and march them into the training room for 15 minutes when we could just put them on the computer."

The company employed Knowlagent (Alpharetta, GA) to help it create and administer a training series by computer. "Trainers could use this system to put together a training session by themselves," says Wells. "Since starting, we have had internal quality checks, and I can see where scores went up; we also had an organization check us against other banks, and we took first place in five of seven categories."

Wells says that above all, the system helps the company manage its time better. "We don't worry about paper or redistributing exams," he says. "Also, when we have low call volume, instead of sitting idle, an agent can work in some training - it's integrated with our workforce management software. What's really important to us, is that it is user friendly on the front and back end. [Knowlagent] also does a lot for us, such as generating reports about our effectiveness."

Blended learning wasn't always in the cards for most call centers. "Everyone [originally] talked about on-line training and e-learning [becoming the dominant form of training], but now it has become companies trying to pick the best solution for the problem at hand," says Dave Evangeliste, vice president of marketing for Pathlore (Columbus, OH), a developer of e-learning and computer-based training. "Now we find that it's interchanging and blending with other trends. That trend has gone toward more sophisticated on-line learning with smaller courses, and little pieces of knowledge delivered in chunks."

Rob Grimes, the chairman and CEO of Cyntergy (Rockville, MD), a developer of on-line learning, says that any kind of electronic training is just a delivery mechanism, not a final end-all, be-all. "What we see happening is the need to access or offer learning on a push basis that is now only one type of learning, with classroom training guides, audiovisual materials and a labor force [supplementing it]."

Others stress that e-learning must not replace live instructors. "You use [Web-based] self-paced training when needed, as it's important to have a consistent training experience [as opposed to different instructors with different patterns of teaching]," says Susan Schwartz, of PrimeLearning.com (Stamford, CT), an e-learning provider. "But you want to get some real-life experience in there, too."

Call centers have found that combining e-learning with classroom learning is the best balance for keeping agents up to speed and customers happy. Call centers have been able to cut down on the number of mentors and time needed to train agents in a live setting, and create the curricula in a way that saves money. In addition, use of a CD-ROM or the Internet to train agents means they learn at their own pace, and can receive training as often as they wish. Many call centers are able to cut turnover, because agents don't feel rushed through the material and can periodically test themselves again to understand how well they have retained the knowledge. Many systems now have evaluations that allow agents to rate how effective the training is, which can help you improve the training process.

Customizable Courses And On-line Training

A popular new way of training agents is through customized on-line courses. Agents learn at their workstations, typically through a Web browser.

HorizonLive (New York, NY) provides customized Web-based training with its HorizonLive version 2.3 software. "We can create presentations from material that you make on PowerPoint and Microsoft Word," says the company's media director, Matt Wasowski. You upload HorizonLive's Class Administration Toolset from the company server and use it to save visual files that you want to include in the course. When combined with text chats (so that agents can ask instructors or each other questions) and RealPlayer for video streaming, you end up with a very effective learning mechanism that offers a variety of learning options. HorizonLive 2.3 also contains a white board and the ability to share content across the Internet during training sessions. It also can capture and record training sessions as they occur.