Are your call centre agents making customers more restless than a squirrel in a pet store?

We understand how crucial it is to satisfy customers and how frustrating it can get when this is not achieved.

However, this blog is here to save you. This article will show you the best training resources and practices for your call agents.

Say goodbye to frustrated customers and hello to glowing reviews. 

Ready? Let’s begin.

What are the benefits of training your call centre agents?

There’s a lot to gain from training your call centre agents with the best resources.

For starters, training with the right resources:

• Improves customer satisfaction scores (CSAT):  Customers will gladly pay more for an exceptional customer service experience.
• Gives you happier agents: If your agents know you’ll tell them what to do, they’d more likely stay with your company.
• Increases your revenue: Skilled agents keep your customers coming back for more.
• Freshens agents’ skills: As technology advances, problems upgrade. Agents with fresh training will be updated with best practices in call centres.
• Reduces backlog tickets: 52% of customers want quick resolutions. With trained agents, your backlog of tickets will be reduced.

Those benefits are yours to grab.

And what are the best resources to achieve this?

Let’s find out.

10 best call centre training resources

There are many training resources you can put your hands on. You may already have some up your sleeves.

For best results, check the resources below.

1. EdApp

EdApp is a training platform for businesses and institutions.

It’s free to use, with a simple interface. And it has some of the best call centre training resources and best practices.

The exciting part? EdApp is flexible.

How?

You can customise courses to suit your needs. It has over 80 templates. Videos, quizzes, games, and assessments, name it.

EdApp freshens your team skills. This helps you stay ahead of any competition.

And the pricing plans? You can get a free package. Or you could settle for monthly pro pricing plans like:

• Do it Yourself – $2.95 per user
• Managed – $2.95 to $5.95 per user
• Enterprise – Custom, depending on your needs.

Access EdApp’s training software and tools here.

2. Universal Class

Universal Class gives you access to best practices in call centre training. 

And the good thing? It’s online – no geographical limitations. Your call centre agents can connect with expert trainers worldwide.

There is no need to relocate to keep up with advancing technologies. Universal Class brings learning to your doorstep.

Want some recommended courses?

This Call Centre Management course is great. It’s ideal for your call centre agents.

Is Universal Class Free? No. But it’s affordable.

Pricing at Universal Class’ in four categories:

• Course Only (no certificate): $70 for six months
• Certificate Course: $95 for six months
• Platinum Yearly (all courses): $189 for one year
• Platinum: $299 for two years

And the sweetest part?

Universal Class courses are self-paced. Students can start and finish the course at any time.

3. Study.com

Study.com is an online learning platform. It’s a pathway to a new college degree.

Study.com helps adults prepare for better education. It is a good fit for your call centre.

Study.com offers Call Centre Skills Training courses. This course highlights the best practices in training call centre staff. Its Call Centre Skills training is a 3-hour course. The course also includes 7 practice tests.

Here are the monthly pricing plans:

• Study Premium Edition: $59.99
• Test Prep Edition: $65
• College Accelerator Edition: $199.99
• Classroom Teacher: $29.99

4. High-Speed Training

High-Speed has some of the best call centre training resources worldwide.

And its sweet spot? The CPD Certification Service accredits its Customer Service Training Course.

This course trains your agents on effective communication. It includes effective responses to customer comments and reviews.

The course is available for $25 + VAT.

5. Alison

Alison is a renowned learning platform. It was created for non-profit social enterprises.

Alison provides the best training resources for call centre agents.

They were founded in Ireland in 2007. Since then, they have helped numerous professionals upskill.

Here, we feature Alison’s Guide to Call Centre Management. It takes 3 hours to complete. It teaches call agents essential customer behavioural patterns. 

This Alison course helps your call agents improve at handling calls and messages as they implement these coaching best practices.

Pricing is free.

6. International Customer Management Institute (ICMI)

ICMI helps your call centre improve customer service.

How? By providing more than 20 of the best training resources for call centres.

ICMI offers vital training topics in every significant role. You can run a 1-day course on Managing Difficult Customers.

Who’s this course for?

It’s available for agents and Team Leads. And ICMI’s Certified Associates are the anchors. Your agents and team leads will learn extreme customer retention techniques. They’ll learn how to manage different types of demanding customers.

And ICMI’s pricing plans vary. For more on this, consult their account manager. If you want customised private training for your team,speak with a representative.

7. Reed Courses

Reed Courses provides certification courses for organisations worldwide.

CPD Courses also offers their Call Centre Training Certificate course.

This course shapes your team leads and agents for the future. They’ll gain new skills that’ll help them enhance your customer experience.

And the certification fee? It depends on the participant’s choice of endorsement.

Here’s what I mean.

If the Quality License Scheme endorses your licence, the price is $103.04. And if the CPD does? The PDF certificate is free. But the hard copy is $30.31.

Prices are according to Reuters rates.

Access the Call Centre Training Certificate Course.

8. Oxford Home Study College

OHSC is an independent private online college headquartered in the UK.

OHSC has some of the best training resources, allowing call agents to earn certificates and diplomas. Their Advanced Diploma in Customer Services QLS Level 5 course can be a good start for your team.

No entry requirements. And the Quality License Scheme endorses the certificate.

Your team leaders will learn call centre coaching best practices. Then, they’ll provide high-quality customer experiences for your customers.

This course is priced at a discounted fee of $155.02 (Reuters rates).

9. Unicaf

Unicaf Professional Development Courses collaborates with Unicaf University. They offer training for call centre agents.

Call agents can use this course to refresh their customer service skills on how to use their communication skills effectively. Plus, how to manage stress.

Pricing is set at $39.

10. The Call Centre School

This institute is in the United States. Established in 2001, it’s one of the best training providers for call agents.

The Call Centre School empowers call agents with top-notch customer skills.

Its 50-minute Selling Through Service course is self-paced.

What will your call agents learn?

• How to identify upselling opportunities at the end of a regular sales conversation.
• How to sell using the customer’s perspective.

The pricing is undisclosed on their website.

So, click here to speak with a representative.

Get started with these courses. Pick the ones that meet your needs.

Not sure what type of training your agents need?

Stay with us. 

Types of call centre training

There are 5 different types of call centre training:

• Live virtual training
• Online training
• One-on-one sessions
• Coaching and mentoring, and
• Classroom sessions

Find out how each one improves agent productivity.

1. Live virtual training

Live virtual training has three characteristics:

• Day
• Time 
• Platform.

And the tools?

• Video
• Voice
• Whiteboards. 

Students and course trainers must be online.

Why?

Classes aren’t pre-recorded (unlike online classes).

During live virtual training, call agents can discuss and ask questions.

2. Online training

Online training doesn’t have to be in real-time. It’s more self-paced.

That’s beneficial during peak periods.

You (or the training organisation) upload pre-recorded resources online. Then the call agents go online and access training resources online.

They can either download to watch later or stream online.

3. One-on-one

One-on-one is highly recommended.

Why? Everyone has a different learning pace.

Trainers can personalise lessons to suit the agent’s needs. That’s why you need one-on-one training opportunities.

4. Coaching and mentoring

This can come in so many ways. One is the after-call or after-message feedback from a monitoring coach.

It usually takes 40 to 60 seconds.

The coach gives the call agent constructive feedback.

The result?

It immediately prepares the agent for the next call.

It also boosts the immediate practice of excellent tips.

5. Classroom

Do we mean a classic classroom setting? Where the teacher stands close to the board, and the students sit facing the teacher?

Ideally, yes, but not necessarily. You can spice this up to suit your needs.

In a call centre, you can set up workshops. The aim is to help call centre agents collaborate with their teammates physically.

The difference?

A flexible classroom setting encourages role-plays. It’s more of a practical approach to training. Although it comes with cons. Like limited participation for remotely based agents.

So, in that case, what training method serves everyone equally?

Let’s find out.

What are the best call centre training methods?

Here are the 5 best call centre training methods for call agents:

• Role-play
• Video conferencing
• Storytelling
• Lunch and learns
• Peer-to-peer mentoring

1. Role-play

Role-play involves two or more people practising roles. Although imaginary, these roles require real-life scenarios.

Let your agents switch between customer and call agent roles for role plays.

This helps the call agents get used to different customer situations.

With more practice, they’ll master their roles. It’ll help them relax as they can make mistakes without consequences.

This prepares agents for real-life situations with customers.

It’ll also encourage problem resolution using creative thinking.

2. Video Conferencing

In video conferencing, trainers and call agents engage in chat rooms and discussion forums.

Everyone meets face to face without relocating physically.

Video conferencing has a lot of benefits:

• Spicy training sessions with screen sharing and chats
• Ensure there are no back sitters as everyone participates
• Saves time and money with remote training sessions
• There are no geographical limitations, and
• You can record sessions for agents to review later

Want the best video conferencing to get started? Check out the best video conferencing tools for online classes and conversations. You can also check out TelebuJoin. It’s easy to use and allows recording.

3. Storytelling

Customers respond better to agents with storytelling skills.

You must leverage this.

Part of your training is training them in the art of storytelling. It contributes to a positive customer experience.

Not sure how to start? You go first.

By your example, show them how to structure a good product story.

Use the storytelling structure:

• The story’s beginning
• The middle, and
• The end.

In this structure, apply the two powerful emotions:

• Fear
• Greed

Use role-play for this session. It makes learning practical and more effective.

4. Lunch and learns

Who doesn’t love a good treat? Especially during lunchtime training sessions.

Host your call agents per department or team. Bring in external facilitators or feature training companies. 

Spice things up with a good lunch.

This makes everything easier.

5. Peer-to-peer monitoring

Let call agents monitor one another for quality purposes.

For best results, make them switch roles.

One call agent should act as a mentor. And at the end of the call, they should leave constructive feedback.

The result?

Knowledge retention.

Both agents will remember the experience. And they’ll be more prepared to tackle their next real call.

How do you set up a learning strategy for your agents?

Good planning is the foundation of successful learning. You must get the plan right before execution.

Use these steps to set your call agents up for the best training sessions:

1. Set clear goals: Consider what you want to achieve. Then, be clear when showing your call centre agents these goals.
2. Schedule the entire training program: Breaking it into tiny bits will ensure progress.
3. Make it flexible: Use good call centre management best practices, like those in TelebuHub.
4. Use successful examples: Let new agents study an experienced agent’s successful call. Then, let them mirror the style. It’ll help them to resolve customer issues better.

Call centre agent training best practices

Trained call agents enhance the customer experience. Yet, training them can be an uphill task if done wrong.

To succeed, observe these 5 best practices:

• Teach proper call etiquette: improper etiquette sends customers away. And they’ll never return.
• Train agents on emotional intelligence: Complaints, insults, and threats are norms in their job. So, emotional intelligence is a must.
• Adjust agent’s needs per location: personalised conversations improve the customer experience.
• Encourage role-plays: it helps agents practise resolving real-life issues beforehand.
• Measure your KPIs and metrics: They’ll tell you where to focus your training.

TelebuHub helps you measure and track your call centre performance

The best call centre agents need the best call centre solution to put their skills to work. TelebuHub can help you.

It’s easy to use and helps you track agents’ performance. And the best part? All of this at great pricing plans.

So, do you want to resolve customer complaints faster, build loyalty, and drive more sales?

Then wait no more. Book a demo with TelebuHub, or sign up for free.