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This article details the results of the most recent QATC quarterly survey on critical quality assurance and training topics. Contact center professionals representing a wide variety of operations provided insight regarding remote training.
The largest number of participants are from contact center operations with between 51 and 200 agents. However, the balance is widely dispersed across all ranges. This mix of respondents provides a broad spectrum of contact center sizes. Financial, healthcare, insurance, and utilities have the largest representation, but there are participants from a wide variety of industries.
Respondents were asked what percentage of their staff is working from home. Forty-four percent indicated that over 75% of their staff are working from home, with another 18% indicating more than 50% of staff at home. Only 13% reported having no staff at home. Before the Covid pandemic, few operations utilized home workers, and more recently there has been a shift to bring workers back to the offices in some industries. However, this group of respondents appear to have found a balance of home and office workers.
Respondents were asked what percentage of their hiring and onboarding is done remotely. Only 24% reported handing all of this in person, while 31% indicated that it is all done remotely. The remaining 45% utilize both remote and in-person interactions. With a large percentage of respondents utilizing remote staff, conducting the interviews remotely can provide a good indication of the candidate’s interaction skills. When remote staff live some distance from the central site, remote hiring and onboarding may be the best or only option.
Survey participants were asked what percentage of new hire training is done remotely. Approximately one-third do all this training remotely, while another third delivers it all in person. The remainder utilize a combination of remote and in-person programs.
Some of these choices may be driven by the location of the trainers and the new hires. Where agents work at some distance from the central site, or trainers are working from home, the remote option may be required. In operations that have a central site operation, doing some training in the facility may be more feasible. The respondents indicated that 42% do all their training in-house, while 25% deliver it all remotely. The remainder utilize both options in their training programs.
Percentage of New-Hire Training Done Remotely
Where Trainers Deliver New-Hire Training From
Respondents were asked what the typical size is of a remote training class. The answers are widely dispersed and may be driven by the size of the center overall, the frequency of classes, and trainer availability.
The respondents were asked what the longest stretch of on-line training time is before the students get a break. Thirty-nine percent indicated that breaks come after 90 minutes of training, while 19% schedule the break after 60 minutes. The rest of the respondents indicated breaks at either longer or shorter intervals. It may be more difficult to maintain attention in a remote environment than in a classroom where the trainer can more easily see if the students are engaged. Typically, elearning programs are built in smaller segments such as 15 minute modules.
Respondents were asked what mix of synchronous (live instructor-led) and asynchronous (self-paced elearning) are used in their training programs. While 21% indicated they use only synchronous training, none indicated that it is all elearning. The rest use a combination of both delivery modes. Some material lends itself well to elearning delivery, but other content is best taught live with options for questions and discussion. Some students are comfortable with elearning and do well with these courses, but others find this option less effective. Finding the right balance for your operation can be challenging given budget constraints, trainer availability, and elearning development talent.
Respondents were asked how much of their training content has been adapted for elearning delivery. Over half of the respondents have adapted some of their content, and 30% have changed most of the programs. However, 18% indicated that their content is the same for both live and elearning delivery.
Survey respondents were asked what the impact of remote training is on their skill and knowledge testing capabilities. Seventy percent indicated that it has not changed from the in-person model. The remainder are split between more testing and less. Building mini-tests into elearning modules can help to ensure that the students are gaining the needed knowledge and skills as they go through the programs.
Respondents were asked if they find the success rate of remotely trained students is higher, lower, or the same as in-person training results. Two-thirds indicate that the results are the same, but 35% reported that the success rate is lower for remotely training personnell. Only 2% indicated a higher success rate for remotely trained staff. Understanding where the challenges are and developing training techniques to address the problem areas is key to the long-term success of any training program. Working with the quality assurance department to help identify where additional training would be helpful can be useful.
Respondents were asked to provide free form text thoughts about the biggest challenges of remote training delivery. Here are some of the responses:
Survey respondents were asked for their biggest tip to make remote training successful. Here are some of the responses:
This survey provides some insight into the utilization of remote agents and the interactions for hiring, onboarding, and training. Home-based agents are likely to be part of the environment going forward so adapting training to be successful is critical to the overall mission.
We hope you will complete the next survey, which will be available online soon.