Training the key for call centres

Reading David Reed’s article on call centres (MW February 12) reinforced in my mind the certainty that only the most serious training will produce a successful call centre.

The need to offer training and career progression is essential if your telemarketing personnel are to remain committed and well motivated. Anticipating the response and the feedback from those you have worked so hard to stimulate must be top of your agenda in any campaign.

Our operators use the state of the art “Script to Screen” method of response handling, which is customised for every campaign, turning mere response data into full conversion statistics. At SR Communications, 90 per cent of teleresponses are screen driven.

Each of our operators are product and service trained at the beginning of every campaign, and, in order to deal with any problems that arise, supervisors continually monitor the operator’s product knowledge. The operator must understand the script structure and scoring sequence – or rather which answers will lead to which pathway – enabling the operator to anticipate the next question. The sequence of questions is interactively logical and caller-led.

At SR, we have a grading structure for our call centre operators and their supervisors, with key skill level requirements for each grade. Development is a mix of internal and external training. Training results are then reviewed with the manager concerned.

Clearly the call centre is a pivotal element in the business of managing an effective and trouble-free teleresponse campaign. To achieve the best results, invest in your people as well as in your telephone technology.

David Wells

Director

SR Communications

London SE9