What is call center training software?

Call center training software helps companies create, manage, and deliver training to agents and other customer-facing employees so they are prepared to provide exceptional customer care. This software enables trainers to create call center training courses that agents can access right from their desks. These online lessons focus on:

  • Company-specific knowledge
  • Products and services
  • Technical information
  • Policies and processes to follow
  • Customer service skills

The evolution of call centers and the impact on training

Customer service has quickly become a competitive advantage and proven driver of long-term growth for organizations. However, the rapid pace of business, paired with evolving customer preferences, means that companies need to enable agents to deliver outstanding service time and time again. Let’s take a look at how the call center industry is evolving and how it impacts agent training.

New service channels and customer preferences

More customers are turning to self-service channels for simple, transactional interactions like checking an account balance or the status of an order. When it’s time for a customer to reach out to an agent, it’s likely because they can’t find the answer or solution through self-service. Therefore, these interactions tend to be more complex, unique, and unpredictable.

To adapt to new service channels and customer needs, call centers need to provide agents with training opportunities that prepare them to handle and solve detailed interactions. Additionally, agents need to be equipped with a wide range of customer service skills to handle interactions across multiple support channels like chat, email, and phone.

Dispersed workforce

More call centers have also embraced a remote or hybrid work model in the post-pandemic world. In fact, a 2021 study showed that more than 87% of agents work from home compared to only 19% in 2019. Studies also predict that anywhere from 60-80% of agents will continue working from home long-term.

The days of relying on in-person, instructor-led training sessions are a thing of the past. Now,  leaders need to find a scalable and efficient way to provide training programs for call center employees who are located in different cities, states, and countries

Agent turnover and decreased engagement

On average, call centers experienced an average attrition rate of 42% in 2021. In addition to this retention challenge, 31% of agents said they are disengaged with their role and actively looking for  new jobs. Of those surveyed, the lack of employee training and development opportunities were the top reasons why call center agents are disengaged and looking for new roles.

If call centers want to improve agent retention and engagement, they need to give agents access to the ongoing training they want. This will not only provide crucial upskilling, but also provide agents with a clear career growth path.

Setting Agents up for Success

The benefits of using online tools for call center training

While industry change is unavoidable, the good news is that call center agent training software can help companies overcome these challenges and ensure customer satisfaction. Unlike other training methods, call center training software is a great way to automate the training process, provide ongoing learning opportunities, and track training progress. Take a look at this quick comparison between traditional training and call center training software:

Unlike traditional training methods, call center training software delivers consistent learning to every agent, tracks training progress, organizes training materials in one place, and scales with growing teams.

Essential call center training software features

Now that we’ve covered the benefits of  call center training software, it’s important to note that not all call center training software is created equally. While some companies may be tempted to turn to an old-school learning management system, the best call center training software is purpose-built for frontline agents and includes the following features. 

  • User friendliness: Call center training software should be easy to use for training leaders and users. Look for a simple interface that allows you to drag and drop text, videos, images, and documents into your call center’s training courses. Then, make sure it’s intuitive for agents to access and use. 
  • On-demand access: Employees forget 90% of what they learn within one week, so be sure your tool provides agents with on-demand access to training content. This will allow them to revisit training during customer interactions and ensure they are providing accurate information. 
  • Blended learning: Sometimes your organization will need to rely on in-person or virtual training sessions that are led by an instructor. Call center training software can also support these training sessions and provide agents with supplemental training materials. 
  • Assessments and quizzes: It’s not enough for agents to just complete the call center training courses assigned to them. Training leaders need to ensure that agents understand the material and can correctly apply that knowledge to their roles. 
  • Role playing and practice scenarios: As we mentioned earlier, customer interactions are becoming more complex and taking place across a number of support channels. Find a tool that gives agents the chance to walk through common customer scenarios and practice crucial customer service skills needed for email, chat, and video before they actually interact with customers. 
  • Tracking and reporting: Call center training software also keeps track of training completion, satisfaction, development progress, and learner feedback so that training leaders can measure the impact of training. 
  • Data-driven coaching and feedback: Leaders also need to be able to identify skill gaps among agents and provide ongoing coaching to improve performance. 
  • Learning paths: No two agents will be exactly the same when it comes to their skill set and performance. With call center training software, leaders can create custom learning paths to address specific call center skills training and areas of improvement for each agent. 
  • Call center certification programs: Certifications are great for call centers that have tiered support agents who require expertise in a certain area. So find a tool that enables you to create certifications that provide agents with the development opportunities they want. 
  • Integrates with the tech stack: Agents have to jump from tool to tool on a daily basis. Look for a tool that seamlessly integrates with the software they already know how to use to create a simplified learning experience. 

Train agents 62% faster.

Call center training best practices

Call centers that leverage online training software have a great opportunity to create an engaging, scalable, and effective training program for their agents. Here are some best practices to keep in mind when it comes to creating and delivering your organization’s call center training program. 

Deliver call center training online with Seismic

World-class call center teams deliver exceptional customer care time and time again. And with our call center training software, teams can onboard new agents quickly, deliver ongoing learning and coaching, and track training progress against business goals. Read how one customer earns an average CSAT score of 90% by delivering call center training online with Seismic. Or, get a demo and we’ll show you how to take your call center training program to the next level. 

The top choice for agent training

See why Seismic Learning (formerly Lessonly) has earned a 4.7 out of a 5-star rating with over 520 customer reviews on G2.