This training series is designed to address the specific knowledge and skills needed by people that manage and support frontline staff in a call center.  For many companies, the call center is the main contact point with customers.  Therefore, much is riding on the shoulders of the frontline staff and each customer interaction.  Ensuring that these staff perform well and are satisfied and happy in the job is the primary role of the supervisor or manager.

This series is designed to help supervisors and managers make the most of their staff's performance.  Most of the web seminars in this series address the unique problems and issues associated with people and performance management.  Topics range from recruiting and hiring the right people, to analyzing performance, to coaching and counseling.  There are also seminars devoted to the unique aspects of call center operations such as calculating staff requirements, understanding call center technology, and complying with labor regulations.

Every attempt has been made to make the concepts easy to understand, with simple language and real-world scenarios.  It is suggested that as you attend each seminar, you take some time to review the examples and think about how you would apply this learning in your own call center with your own employees.

The Call Center Supervision Web-Based Training Series is designed specifically for the specialized training needs of supervisory professionals and leaders that influence frontline performance and service quality.  In ten targeted sessions, participants will learn best practices in agent staffing, performance management, workforce management, agent monitoring, monitoring form design and calibration, technologies, and effective coaching techniques.

Don't miss this rare opportunity for your entire supervisory staff to be trained in best practices.

Connect to the RCCSP Professional Education Alliances' presentation of the Call Center Supervision Training and Certification Series.

For one low price, all your in-house leaders and supervisors can hone their skills and learn innovative ways to raise your agent's quality of service.  Taught live by leading experts members of the Professional Education Alliance, and delivered in-house in a virtual classroom at your location, the Call Center Supervision Training and Certification Series brings the best the US has to offer in supervisor techniques directly to leading call centers worldwide.

This US management seminar series will be delivered in English.

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Series Schedule

Making the Match:
Recruiting, Screening, and Hiring the Call Center Workforce

Fall 2008:

Thursday, September 4, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST

This class provides tips and guidelines for creating a more effective hiring process. You will be able to predict how those candidates you're interviewing would perform on the job and how long they will stay. You will learn proven strategies for creating an effective recruiting pool and how to "skim the cream" to select the individuals who will be both effective on the job and happy on the phones for long-term retention. This Web seminar will also provide an overview of the latest screening and assessment tools and legal guidelines to follow in the interviewing process.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Perform a job task analysis to define candidate requirements.
• Identify traditional and creative ways to attract a large, qualified base of recruits.
• Design an effective set of interview questions.
• Identify the hidden factors that lead to initial staff turnover.
• Paint a realistic picture of the call center environment and daily work.

Finders Keepers:
Proven Strategies to Increase Employee Retention

Fall 2008:

Thursday, September 19, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST

Turnover problems are running rampant in today's centers. In this session we will discuss the main reasons employees leave (as well as the reasons they list for why they stay) and which of these are actually under management's control. Through a case study exercise, find out how to calculate the true cost of turnover in a typical contact center and receive a free spreadsheet for calculating the costs of turnover in your own center. Finally, you'll learn about fifteen proven ideas and tips for how to improve motivation and morale to further employee retention.

By participating in this live Web seminar you will learn to:

• Calculate the hard and soft costs of turnover to the business.
• Identify the main reasons employees leave and why they stay.
• Identify specific actions supervisors can take to improve morale and retention for their teams.
• Describe the key elements of an effective retention program and motivation program.
• Outline fifteen different strategies for improving morale and retention within a work team.

Setting the Standards:
Defining Performance Objectives and Measuring Results

Fall 2008:

Thursday, September 18, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST

Set smart performance goals and develop a balanced system of measures to ensure that positive or negative behaviors are being inspected and recognized appropriately.

It's critical that each employee understands his or her role and responsibilities and what performance will be expected. One of the toughest tasks is defining the desired performance in terms of measurable behaviors. For example, it's not enough to tell staff they need to portray a positive corporate image when communicating with customers. Call center management must define every single performance expectation down to specific behaviors that can be identified and measured objectively.

By participating in this live Web seminar you will learn to:

• Define the components of a performance management model and why such a model is needed.
• Describe how to set individual performance objectives that are in line with enterprise and call center goals.
• Define the five SMART guidelines for defining performance goals and objectives.
• Practice defining competencies and specific expectations for a specified agent role.
• Identify poorly defined performance objectives and describe how to fix them.

Don't Know, Can't, Won't Model:
Diagnosing and Treating Performance Problems

Fall 2008:

Thursday, September 25, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST

Learn about six basic reasons call center employees don't perform and symptoms of each one.

An employee who has been on the phones for three months keeps transferring difficult calls to a supervisor. This person must need some more training on handling this type of contact, so you schedule them to sit in on a refresher training class. Problem solved? Probably not! There are many different reasons employees don't perform, and lack of training is a common (and expensive!) misdiagnosis. Buy the end of this training course you will be able to better diagnose performance problems and prescribe a more effective treatment for each problem situation. Anyone that supervises employees can benefit from this session!

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Define performance gaps - what you have versus what you want.
• Identify the six reasons why call center employees don't perform.
• Practice diagnosing performance problems and identifying proper courses of treatment.
• Describe why training isn't necessarily the right solution.
• Identify the steps in setting up and conducting a performance review using this model.

Fundamentals of Coaching:
Techniques for Shaping Employee Performance

Summer 2008:		Friday, August 15, 2008 -- 10:00-11:30 CST
Fall 2008:		Friday, October 2, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST

Call center supervisors have multiple opportunities in a variety of settings and situations to communicate with staff about their performance. In this session you’ll learn about recommended practices for doing side-by-side coaching for improved performance, including tips on providing both positive and negative feedback. You’ll also learn about techniques to use in counseling and formal review sessions. Perfect for call center supervisors or team leaders, this session outlines the step-by-step approach to coach problems employees as well as reward good performers.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the differences between monitoring/coaching and coaching/counseling and when to use each.
• Describe “best practices” to use in side-by-side coaching, including tips on presenting both positive/negative feedback.
• Outline the steps of applying various feedback methods and when to use each.
• Assemble a coaching session planning guide.
• Identify the steps of a positive discipline plan.

Motivation Marvels:
100 Ways to Improve Motivation and Morale

Fall 2008:

Thursday, October 9, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST

This class provides several different motivational theories and presents dozens of ideas and case studies about what's working well in other call centers to keep the staff motivated and happy.

With customer satisfaction depending on the quality of the agent/customer transaction, it's critical to keep your staff for the long term and motivate them to perform well. You'll learn about some creative contests and games you can use, as well as pick up some ideas on how to reward individuals and teams for meeting performance goals.

By participating in this live Web seminar you will learn to:

• Identify supervisory strategies for providing guidance and support.
• Outline the principles of an effective reward and recognition system.
• Identify the important factors in implementing a new motivational program or contest.
• Describe the implications of using individual versus team rewards.
• Identify dozens of new ideas you can implement in your own center for improved performance and retention.

Teamwork Template:
Techniques for Building and Managing Teams

Fall 2008:

Thursday, October 16, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST

Supervisors and team managers will learn how to create and build a successful team, beginning with team charters and assignments. Team development will be discussed, including how to motivate team members to take on expanded roles and responsibilities.

By participating in this live Web seminar you will learn to:

• Write a team charter to identify the team’s purpose and objectives.
• Organize a team matrix to outline member responsibilities and roles.
• Identify new skills that will be needed to be successful as a team member or leader. Describe ways to motivate individuals and the team as a whole.
• Identify most effective communications techniques to ensure cohesiveness and productivity.

Introduction to Workforce Management:
What All Call Center Staff Need to Know

Fall 2008:

Thursday, October 30, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST

In this session you will learn about the implications of getting the numbers wrong, as well as the step-by-step process of effectively forecasting calls, calculating staff requirements, creating staff schedules, and tracking daily service and performance. You will also find about the critical tradeoffs between staffing, service, and cost and how each of these tradeoffs affects the final staff count.

By participating in this live Web seminar you will learn to:

• Define workforce management and its implications on cost and service.
• Describe why call center staffing is such a unique kind of problem.
• Outline the step-by-step process of forecasting calls, calculating staff, and creating workforce schedules.
• Identify the impact that every single individual has on meeting service goals and balancing workload.
• Outline ways to improve attendance and schedule adherence.

Key Performance Indicators:
Managing and Reporting the Numbers

Fall 2008:

Thursday, October 23, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST

This class presents formulae and calculations for understanding the math associated with today’s most common key performance indicators (KPIs). Participants will learn about the most common measures of performance and how to calculate and analyze them. The seminar will explore the top ten performance indicators and de-mystify the math behind the numbers.

By participating in this Web seminar you will learn to:

• Identify the most critical KPIs for call center and agent performance and how to calculate them.
• Calculate the service, cost, and productivity implications of staffing decisions.
• Define the critical KPIs to reflect quality of service as well as service efficiency.
• Identify the most common math mistakes made in call centers today.
• Describe how to perform a correlation analysis to ensure the correct KPIs are in place to support business goals.

Introduction to Call Center Technologies:
A Beginner's Guide

Fall 2008:

Thursday, November 6, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST

This online training course will provide an overview of the many technologies used in the incoming call center to improve customer service and maximize efficiency of the center. Three categories of technologies will be presented:

• The first part of the workshop will focus on various call routing and delivery mechanisms for getting the call to the agent desktop.
• The second part of the workshop will focus on related call center technologies that benefit the organization as the center grows in size and complexity to manage performance.
• The third part of the workshop will focus on wide array of CRM technologies to support the customer experience. The session will also include tips on procuring and implementing these technologies in the call center.

By participating in this live Web seminar you will learn to:

• Define the three basic functions of technology: call delivery, performance management, and customer interaction.
• Identify what alternatives are available for routing calls and contacts to the agent's desktop.
• Describe the technologies that are available to help manage the performance of the contact center and the staff.
• Describe the latest in front-office and back-office CRM technologies.
• Identify some inexpensive technologies that could benefit your call center immediately.

Who Should Attend

Managers, supervisors, team leads and coaches who are responsible for managing agents and activities in the call center.  The material in this seminar is at an intermediate level.

How to Attend

Access to all seminars in the Call Center Supervision Series is provided via an Internet connection and a separate audio (telephone) connection.  Two days prior to each seminar, the Resource Center will email access instructions for the web portion and the telephone number to call.  An unlimited number of your in-house employees may participate around a single web/audio connection.

Certification

The optional Mastery Certification in Call Center Supervision certification consists of two parts: attendance in all ten sessions of the Call Center Supervision Series and a certification exam. The exam is web-based, open-book, and must be proctored.  Candidates are to be given 2 hours to complete the 40-question exam and must achieve at least 80 percent accuracy in order to obtain certification.  Certification exams administrations may be purchased for $25 each.  The 2-hour certification session at your location must be proctored by an independent leader from your organization.

Candidates will be advised of their exam scores within two week following the completion of the exam.

Course Instructors

The Call Center Supervision Series sessions will be led by faculty of the RCCSP Professional Education Alliance, a horizontal alliance of US call center training providers.

Location

A training room at your facility, with an Internet connection, projection unit, projection screen, telephone line and audio amplification capability.

What's Included

The registration/connection fee includes a single Internet and single telephone connection to the ten web-based seminars and a course manual master for internal duplication and internal distribution only.

Seminar Start and Stop Times

Registration Fees

The fee for this seminar is $2500 USD for the entire series of ten seminars for an unlimited number of your company's employees around a single connection.  Mastery Certification exams  for the Call Center Supervision Series attendees may be purchased separately at $25 per exam administration.

Payment in advance is required for attendance of the seminar series and exam administration.

To register, click on the "Book Now" button or call (708) 246-0320.

Private Online Certification

Can't make these dates?  Why not schedule a private in-house seminar series on the dates of your choosing? Any number of your employees may attend each of the seminars around a single web connection (such as in your training room).  The cost of a private seminar series, for a single connection, is $6000.  To schedule dates for your private series, please call (708) 246-0320.

Payment is due prior to the seminar.

Cancellation Policy.  Registrants may cancel up to fourteen days in advance of the seminar start date for a full refund, less administrative fees of $500 USD.  Or, you may transfer your registration to another member of your company at no additional charge.  Registrants cancelling within fourteen days of the seminar will receive credit, less administrative fees of $500 USD, toward any other Resource Center seminar.  In the unlikely event that a seminar must be cancelled, you will be notified at least one week prior to the seminar date.