The quality of service (QoS) depends on the type of training the employee receives and subsequently how he implements his knowledge while working. This becomes particularly important in the Indian context when there has been lot of criticism over the quality of service and training of the call center agents. In initial days call centers companies saw training as a burden on their revenue and preferred giving ‘some’ in-house training. However, slowly the need for specialist trainers was realized and training today, has been developed as an integral part of the whole process.

l To Outsource Training or Not: The BPO industry is still evolving and people are experimenting with various models to draw a feasible training structure. Most of the big companies have made their training section a part of the human resource department and onsite training is preferred than sending their agents to a external center.

However, a mixture of both outsourced and in-house training schedule makes perfect combination and financially viable for the BPO companies.

Outsourced training may have two streams:

l Outsourced-onsite Training: In this the trainer is provided by the training company but the classes is conducted within the premises of the call center. This model has been popular as it reduces the headache of supporting training staff and developing course material. The call center HR just has to monitor the quality of training being given and at the end of the day pay fees to the training company.

l Complete Outsourcing: Outsourcing training completely means that a training agency is hired and either the recruited agents would be sent to the agency for further grooming or the agency trains and then company picks the candidate. But this model has not gained popularity as BPO firms have difficulty in monitoring the quality of training. In case of pre-trained agents, often the training given is not up to the mark or is not relevant to the company.

However, many call centers have their own trainers and have developed their own course material to suit their needs. Companies like North Star Call Center College started as a training institute, and entered into call center business. Their students get absorbed in their call center. But for large BPO firms maintaining trainers and developing course material means deviating from their core competency and this model does not make good business strategy either.

It makes more sense for a company to outsource their initial training, which is conducted onsite, and have a few in-house trainers for subsequent skill enhancements. This model also leaves the company free to focus on their service provider business than struggle to update course materials. In telemarketing and product-specific outsourced services, it is better for the vendor to give product specific training.

l Training Modules: Every training course keeps in mind that degree of skill requirement varies according to calls being handled and situations being tackled. The task of the trainer is to provide those skills to the agents on a varying scale. This scale has to be adjusted not only as per the needs of the call centers, but also that of the individual.

The degree and type of training would vary for domestic or offshore call centers. The scales would tilt further according to the diverse cultural background of the country from where the call originates.

A training plan has its priorities set according to the requirements and ideally, would be categorized into ‘must know’ (vital information that the trainees need in order to do the job effectively) or ‘should know’ (the knowledge which is useful but not essential to the job) sections.

The ‘should know’ training of an agent is almost the same for all call centers. The first step for a call-center fresher would be the induction orientation. He will then graduate to culture-training module. Culture training depends on the clients that he would be dealing with and helps in acclimatizing and empathizing with the customer’s lifestyle.

Then comes the training in voice and accent. For Indian agents, learning an accent is not the first priority. Rather he needs more of accent neutralization. By the time a graduate joins the BPO industry, it is very difficult to teach him the grammar of foreign languages as well as train him in accent. At the most, he can be trained not to let his mother accent take over, while speaking to a customer. India has the first mover advantage of knowledge of other languages, but the accent still needs to be modified according to the client requirements.

The next module is the campaign training. This is a process that never ends and the agents are constantly updated on the current campaign. Campaign training is attached to the product being offered and is often conducted by the clients or the vendors themselves. Regular trainers are also used for this module but they have to be familiarized with the campaign first.

l Quality and Standard of Course Material: Though the need to have the content certified has been felt across the industry, as of now, there is no government or private authority which monitors or regulates the course content. Creating such an authority will improve the quality of training, but there is no immediate plan or move to create such a body.

Initially, most of the course material was developed abroad, but now foreign course modules form the base on which India-specific courses have been developed. This has been done by the training institutes and each one claims that their course complies with the industry standards.

The basic training modules would not change, but there is always a scope to improve the training aids and methods. Some agencies have adopted the latest software, which scans the facial movements and suggests ways to improve the accent. Interactive and practical techniques have been introduced to give the agent a feel of things before he is put on the job. And as the market matures and demand for better training arises, the industry will adopt newer methods.

l Training Never Stops: The traditional wisdom says training is an ongoing process and is never completed. The BPO companies have to find strategic alternatives to outsource training. Realizing that very qualified students will are not likely to make make this a career, companies are preferring people with low skill set and trying to train and retain them in the outsourcing business.

This poses another challenge as far as training goes. The intensity and the style of training have been changed accordingly. For this trainers have to be specialists with a high level of understanding of the job. As the market matures, an academy to train and certify trainers is also being recommended. A good call-center agent needs to have the 7 Ps of tele-services—being prompt, prepared, professional, polite, precise, practical, and positive.