“We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.”
—Peter Drucker
Here is a question I hear often: “How do I keep new hires engaged to learn during training?”
In this article, I will touch on the engagement for both new hires and existing team members. It is a challenge that almost every training team discusses. So, let’s discuss a few points to consider.
Three Key Challenges
Although there are many, I will share three key challenges frontline agents face.
- Feeling isolated.
- Short attention spans. Unsure of how to stay engaged during training.
- Technology challenges.
Let’s go deeper into the first three points!
1. Feeling isolated. Many agents, especially new hires, feel nervous about being totally on their own especially if they feel unsure about who to ask for help. In the remote world, the uncertainty can increase the feeling of isolation.
Here are several solutions industry leaders can implement.
- Daily team huddles and check-ins through online tools i.e., Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams.
- Increase one-on-one emails and conversations to reduce the feeling of isolation.
- Online coffees, lunches, and after-work games (can be online or in-person depending on your structure).
- Set up online exercise or yoga for your teams to log in to.
- Immediate responses to internal messaging as agents ask support-related questions so that when there are technical issues, the agents do not panic.
- Use remote monitoring to check how the agents are emotionally doing versus “did the agent say the customer’s name three times or did they follow the Thank You script 100%”?
2. Short attention spans. Are you finding increased disengagement amongst agents? Are you unsure of how to have them stay engaged during training?
It is reality that attention spans are becoming shorter. So I am surprised that trainers are still doing 40-minute monologues and expecting a new hire or anyone to stay engaged!
Training and coaching should be fully interactive and conversational. The point of training is not to hear your own voice, but rather to create an environment where others can reflect, speak, and win!
You should also ensure to have a variety of activities for agents as you work through sharing the knowledge.
Today’s learners require “Edu-tainment”, so make it enjoyable, have some laughs. Whether you/your agents are in-person or remote, make your sessions warm and welcoming, with bite-size knowledge modules and blended learning, inclusive, and loads of FUN!
3. Technology challenges. When the tools that the agents use fail to work, or are too slow, the anxiety and frustration are intense.
Trainers and coaches need to ensure that there is clear empathy shown towards the agents (new hires or existing) who may be having technology challenges.
It is frustrating at the best of times, but imagine starting training, learning new content, and then if everything freezes, you fall behind in training.
The point of training is not to hear your own voice, but rather to create an environment where others can reflect, speak, and win!
Solutions
In speaking with industry leader Clare Santos, Director, Knowledge & Quality, Customer Experience, Aviso Wealth, she shares some common pain points with practical solutions.
- “Participant engagement during virtual training, especially new hire training.
- Making cameras on mandatory in specific points, e.g., instructor-led learning, group discussions, role-playing, etc.
- Having activities which require them to interact with other participants, e.g., role-playing, teach backs, etc.
- Asynchronous learning: provide time on their own to complete eLearning and other activities.
- “Encouraging cohort learning during virtual training.
- Create Teams chats for them to ask questions during asynchronous learning.
- Decide which lessons/modules or points in the training where it makes sense to bring them together in-person, e.g., Day One to get their laptops and introduce each other, communication skills/soft skills learning, or learning where it’s an integral part of how they’ll be measured, e.g., quality assurance, etc.
- Lots of scenario learning, e.g., here’s the scenario, how would you resolve the issue? Where can you find the answers, etc.
- “Job shadowing in a virtual environment.
- Make use of the breakout rooms in your virtual platforms: you can still watch and hear how peers talk to customers while using their applications; experienced peers can watch and listen while new hires take calls, etc.”
Making a Difference
How can trainers and trainer/coaches make a difference?
Becoming a better version of ourselves by conscientiously developing our soft skills!
With increased remote workers, clear concise communication and highly developed soft skills, along with well-developed emotional intelligence, will be required much more.
“About 85% of the factors contributing to success are related to the ability to work effectively with people.”
—Dale Carnegie, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”
With the increased isolation of remote working, we need to go into full commitment to creating meaningful Human Experiences at every point of contact. It starts with being kind to ourselves, our family, our community, and our team members. This will all impact our customers.
We need to be extreme in terms of building trust, caring for others, and showing genuine empathy during these very challenging times!
Nothing shows that you care more than listening!
When you are training/coaching, make sure to truly LISTEN!
Listening to your team members (really listening without any distractions). Serve your team members just as you want them to serve your customers.
Not everyone wants the big shiny red star!... It is important to find out what matters to your team members and make the recognition meaningful to them.
Communication
“Words have power, words carry energy.”
I teach these words all the time.
Regardless of the tool used for communicating, it is so important to be mindful of WHAT we say and HOW you say/write it.
Many times, there is a big difference between what you think you said, what you actually said, and what the other person actually heard.
Understanding the communication styles and needs according to personality temperament is so important as we navigate through stressful times and primarily all remotely. It is also important to be aware of your temperament and style.
(Note: We all can ADAPT once we are AWARE of our BEHAVIORS and TENDENCIES).
- Understand yourself and how you tend to communicate under a variety of stress levels.
- Understand each other and how those around you will respond to your communication style.
- Adapt your style to communicate in a more clear, concise, and thoughtful manner to serve the needs of those around you.
(Look out for future articles as we explore this in detail.)
Communication is also, in today’s contact centers, body language. On video calls, maintain eye contact just as you would in a face-to-face meeting.
Namely, don’t look down at your keyboard or phone or look away from the screen (except to take notes or look something up) and watch your facial expressions: as everyone can see you and in turn feel your emotions (whether good or bad).
Instruct your agents to do the same when on video, like if they were working in an office or storefront business such as a bank, medical clinic, restaurant, or retail.
Recognition
Not everyone wants the big shiny red star! Leaders may think that everyone is motivated by the big shiny star but not everyone is. Depending on their temperament, and their motivational needs, the “star” may not be the motivation that the individual needs!
It is important to find out what matters to your team members and make the recognition meaningful to them. Some new hires/agents prefer quiet, genuine, and personal recognition. Others prefer greater challenges and leadership opportunities.
Be mindful that everyone has their own motivating factors, but everyone has a desire to feel that they matter and that what they do has purpose.
Stop Accepting Poor Behaviors!
During new hire training, give clear expectations. Do not accept poor behaviors such as showing up late, keeping the camera off, and disrespecting the trainer or peers because of fear of the attrition numbers.
Instead of worrying about losing the poor performers, the focus should be on developing and retaining the highly engaged high performers with a strong work ethic.
There is a difference between coaching and just giving feedback.
Adapt, Adapt, Adapt
It is important for coaches/trainers to adapt to the persons they are speaking with. For example, if the coach/trainer is a fast-paced, task-oriented communicator but the person they are speaking with is more people-oriented, soft-spoken, and speaking at a slower pace, then the coach/trainer should adapt to meet the person where they are at.
This does not mean the coach/trainer has to be fake or totally different, it just means they need to adapt and maybe slow down the pace, bringing in the human aspect instead of just listing tasks.
When coaching, it is important that the coach provides thoughtful feedback and not in a reactive manner. Rather, the advice should be helpful, positive, and given with full respect.
When coaches react quickly to give feedback, they may think they are “coaching.” But when the conversations are purely reactive, in the heat of the moment, the desired change will not be transformational.
There is a difference between coaching and just giving feedback. Delivering feedback correctly does require coaches to adapt to have a sustainable change.
The Benefits of Understanding
Taking the time to understand your learners as whole beings and adapt to serve them as you train or create the training programs will have a direct impact on your organization’s retention and employee engagement (especially in the first 90 days).
It is great to see how leaders in the Training and Development space have pivoted to create a better learning experience for learners across the organization.
With the mindset around adapting to the environment and to the learner, we can collectively make positive learning experiences for all resulting in a meaningful, welcoming learning experience as part of the overall employee onboarding experience.
I hope you are able to apply some of these solutions within your workplace to help create an environment of highly engaged learners with a desire for ongoing learning, unlearning, and relearning!