Hello,
I am looking for opportunities to improve our current call center training. I'd like to create a training survey and collect feedback from the department on how we can enhance the training and how they rate our current training program. Does anyone have a survey that they have used in the past? Or have ideas on what type of questions should be asked? Thanks for your help in advance!


Natalia

Hello -- Could you be a bit more specific about your thoughts on improvement? Is it because the results are not what was expected? If that's the case, I wouldn't start with a participant survey. I'd begin by reviewing my own process and how I went about implementing the learning. Did I appropriately prepare the learners? Did I ensure that the "wiifm" was clear? Did I provide an interactive learning environment? Are managers playing their role in the transfer process? Did I communicate that appropriately? Did I design the learning to ensure I addressed adult learners' needs? Did I research my audience before I designed the learning? etc...

If you ask participants about improving training, you might not receive information that truly assists you in improvement efforts -- usually, you'll get feedback you'd just as likely get in a level one smiley sheet. While their subjective feedback can be enlightening sometimes, unless you get the same remarks from a large population of respondants, it's not necessarily indicative of something that needs to change.

Thanks for your response. I would like to make the technical procedure training a bit more interactive. It seems CSR's sit through the training, have no questions, and say were do I sign. Sometimes the material that is being trained is a bit dry. I have encouraged participation by asking questions, but get little to no response. Would you suggest letting the trainees read the procedures and do a round robin?

IMHO, for call center agents I think the best training experience needs to include case study role playing or simulations. If possible, use actual cases (changing names and personal identifying information of course) and order them from the most simple cases to more complex and involved cases. The case studies should involve having the call center agents applying what they are learning, and motivated by letting them know up front that they will be expected to demonstrate what they have learned in the exercises.

If your content deals with problem solving, make sure they have the tools and resources they need to solve the issue, but they need to apply their skills to use the appropriate tools or information accordingly.

If your content includes handling customer service issues, be sure they are applying the personal interaction skills taught to respond to a variety of emotions and personalities they may encounter. The case study role plays should include those personalities as part of the practice.

They say "practice makes perfect", and I say "practice makes permanent", which means that as people practice applying what they have learned with constructive feedback and coaching, they can reach proficiency in the most direct and accelerate path that imprints a permanent skill.

Just my $.02

I agree with Comida in regards to the survey process. Though I've received a few insightful responses from trainees, the majority just tell you what you want to hear.
Usually I have them pair up and role play different scenarios. You could either create specific situations and hand them out or let the trainees make them up as they go along.
Anything you can do to demonstrate the effectiveness of the training by allowing the participants to get their hands dirty is always beneficial.