Every business depends on quality customer service to survive the ups and downs resulting from a shaky economy or simply due to industry changes. With the costs of online access decreasing and bandwidth availability increasing, companies welcome the idea of employing off-site call center agents to handle their inbound or outbound call needs.
With the growth of real-time digital communications, which have surpassed email as the communication platform of choice, the options available for remote training are becoming widely accepted for both enterprises and small businesses.
Answering Quick Questions with IM/Presence Software
Instant messaging (IM) apps that run on a desktop or mobile device allow managers and trainees to have instant communications without the delays often encountered with emailing. For management and training purposes, it is useful to incorporate presence functionality into the same application. Presence is a feature that allows a manager or other connected user to view at a glance if another user has stepped away or is on the phone, in a meeting, at lunch or another status.
Most people use a form of IM on their mobile devices every day, but it’s more commonly known as chat. While useful for basic social communications, chat lacks the ability to conduct more business-centric operations, such as sending and saving files and displaying the immediate presence status of another user.
While some IM and presence apps are offered as stand-alone software programs, other programs can be integrated into a larger communications network that includes the company phone system and possible third-party backend systems. This integration adds automation to the presence application and is more commonly known as unified communications.
Webinar/Meeting Software for Training
Critical for any remote training is the ability to conduct online meetings and programs. Trainers can prepare presentations and share them online in a live presentation mode. Trainees can sign in and have access to all audio and visual elements, as if they were in the training room.
When training a remote employee, it is important to be able to share both users’ computer screens, particularly in the early stages of training, when the remote employee is learning company systems. For example, remote customer service agents who will be using a customer relationship management (CRM) and trouble ticketing system will be able to watch first hand as the trainer shows them the same screens and operations that he or she would show an employee on site. Likewise, it is possible to switch the sharing mode so that the trainee shares his or her screen.
Some of these programs allow for the use of surveys or polls as assessments. Trainers can see which students understand the topic being discussed and which ones need more training. These programs are useful for one-on-one trainings as well as classroom-style trainings with attendees from across the globe.
Conference Bridge Software for Audio-Only Training
While there are webinar and meeting software programs that enable both audio and visual options, sometimes, trainers only require an audio conference meeting. For example, should a manager choose to conduct a formal one-on-one performance review of the call agent in training, there is no need for video.
If each user can use a microphone, the computer can enable audio training. If that is not feasible, both parties can access a conference bridge using a dial-in phone number. Trainers can limit access to one attendee or more, depending on the training need.
There are multiple digital communication tools that enable companies to easily and cost-effectively train remote employees on their internal systems, processes and products. Thanks to the growth in digital communications technology, there are a number of feasible options available to assist businesses in the training process that meet virtually any size and budget requirements.
