To get the most out of online training, buyers need to understand how to choose elearning technology for call centres that will meet their future needs, as well as their immediate requirements.
Good elearning is fast, flexible and efficient, and savvy call centres use it to help their staff to improve skills and manage everyday challenges at work. Yet, not all elearning technology yields the same results. While some elearning software manages to put new and useful information in front of staff, others cause stress and frustration for both instructors and learners.
There are three major points to consider when selecting the best elearning technology for call centres:
- A good user experience
- The ability to make changes and updates on the fly
- Compliance with industry standards
eLearning Technology Should Be Easy to Use
Bill Byron Concevitch, Chief Learning Officer at Witness Systems, believes that elearning is three times more efficient than classroom training, in terms of retention rate. But to achieve optimum results, you need elearning software that people are comfortable with.
Efficient elearning software is, above all, user friendly. Most learners access courses during off-peak hours, or whenever they have some spare time, so it should be an easy task. Any difficulty obtaining information will keep your staff from learning and improving their skills.
Instructors need simple tools to create useful classes and interesting tests. If it takes days to put the right content together, elearning becomes less efficient. Your teams should also have everything they need right at hand. This includes an intuitive menu, clear buttons, the ability to go back and forth inside courses, and easy access to tests.
Managers Need to Buy eLearning Technology That’s Easy to Maintain
If you’re looking to get the most out of your elearning software, make sure your team can use and update it easily. It has to help not only your learners, but also instructors and administrators. If they need to ask for a vendor’s help every time they have to perform changes, your training programme will become slow and expensive.
Make sure you choose elearning technology that allows administrators and instructors to:
- Add and remove users – Call centres are dynamic working environments. Every time you hire new staff, you should be able to connect them to the system without having to ask your providers to increase capacity.
- Delete or add content at any time – Companies launch new campaigns and services every day. You and your staff need to keep up with these changes and be able to add new courses often.
- Modify and update content without damaging the system – Content and structure should be separated. That way, you can update courses without causing any major changes to the menu.
- Recycle old content and quizzes – Choose a software that allows you to reuse older courses or tests with new users.
Choose eLearning Software in Line with Industry Standards
Technical standards are important when choosing elearning technology for your call centre. Complying with industry norms ensures that your courses are portable across various devices and browsers.
If you have to go from one learning management system (LMS) to another, you need elearning technology that is compatible with both the old and new systems. That’s why it’s important to work with a vendor whose technology respects recognised standards. Otherwise, you may be forced to work with the same provider (known as vendor lock-in), even if they don’t meet your expectations.
The most common technical standards include SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model), AICC (Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee), WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and Tin Can / xAPI. But these aren’t the only ones on the market. There are several other compatibility standards to consider, so select the ones that better suit your current needs.
Choosing the right technology to deliver the best elearning for your call centre is as just as important (and as difficult) as any other business investment. You need to review costs, set clear goals, and establish the best method of measuring ROI. A good elearning set-up can have positive long term effects on your training delivery and your staff’s ability to develop their skills – so, over time, bringing better customer service and higher revenue for your business. So be sure to use the right technology that provides all users with the best possible experience, while allowing you to make changes at an affordable cost.
