Customer complaints had increased over six months at a healthcare organization, and I was asked to develop training for call center representatives. Before recommending more training, I wanted to understand what was happening in the work. I reviewed call transcripts, audio files, supervisor scorecards and training materials. I also spoke with the trainer, supervisors and employees and held employee focus groups.

The findings changed the recommendation. Employees were enthusiastic about using the new system, but supervisors were unfamiliar with it and could not answer their questions. They referred employees to a coworker for help. Supervisors were not required to take the training their employees completed.

Five business decisions guide conversations like this in my consulting work. The purpose is to determine what needs to change, what the organization can commit to and how leaders will judge the results of their training strategy.

1. Are We Solving the Right Problem?

A training request gives us a proposed solution. We still need to establish the problem.

If a leader asks for customer service training, I ask what employees are doing that needs to change. Are they providing inaccurate information, failing to explain the next step or transferring calls they should resolve? Then I examine the evidence and hear from the people doing the work.

The review showed that supervisors needed preparation to support employees using the system. Another round of representative training wouldn’t close that gap on its own.

Agree on expected performance, current performance and the barriers the evidence identifies. If time is limited, propose a focused review with a date to return with findings. Decide whether you understand the problem well enough to recommend a response.

2. What Business Results Must Improve?

Once the problem is clear, identify the result the organization needs.

A financial services organization wanted to reduce onboarding costs. Onboarding was mandated, but we could reconsider its duration and delivery. We redesigned the 12-week program into an eight-week blended approach emphasizing supervision and mentorship.

The shorter program was intended to reduce costs, but we also needed to examine employee performance. We compared organizational measures, including time on calls, repeat calls and complaints for employees completing the two programs. Some measures improved, others remained unchanged and none worsened.

When leaders ask for faster or less expensive training, agree on the desired financial result and the performance standards that must be maintained. Those expectations give the recommendation a business purpose and clarify what leaders need to review before moving forward.

3. Is This Problem Worth Solving?

Once the desired result is clear, decide how much attention and investment the problem warrants.

At the healthcare organization, complaints had increased over six months. The monthly data showed a continuing problem that warranted attention and resources. My review helped determine where to invest them: training supervisors to use the system and giving them time to support representatives.

Examine the consequences of leaving the problem unresolved, how often it occurs and who is affected. Consider rework, delays, lost revenue and risk. In healthcare and child welfare, the consequences can extend to patients, children and families. A financial estimate is useful when supported by evidence, but it is not the only basis for action.

Work with the people who own the data to distinguish documented consequences from assumptions. Then agree on the scale of the response: a local correction, a pilot or a broader investment. The decision is how much action the evidence warrants and what the organization can commit to.

4. What Must Change for Performance to Improve?

For the healthcare call center, I recommended that supervisors complete the employee training and receive job aids and FAQs. I also recommended discussing employee concerns during weekly huddles and having supervisors spend time each week listening to and interacting with every representative.

Supervisors were concerned about the time this would require. I interviewed them about their daily tasks and worked with them to prioritize. I recommended which tasks could be delayed over the next 90 days to make room for reinforcing the new system. Leadership approved most of the proposed changes and suggested adjustments that supervisors also agreed to.

That conversation made the recommendation feasible. Asking supervisors to provide support would have left the workload concern unresolved. We needed agreement on what they would do and what other work could wait.

Identify the skills, tools, feedback and workplace changes required. Then agree on who is responsible, who can authorize the changes and how time will be allocated. If we can’t make those commitments, revisit the scope, timing or approach.

5. How Will We Know We’ve Succeeded?

Agree on the evidence and the decision it will inform. I use the Five Essential Questions:

1. What specific behaviors should change?
2. How will changes be measured?
3. What outcomes will this training improve?
4. What metrics will be used?
5. When should results be evaluated?

In the healthcare case, I had monthly complaint data from before the original training and immediately before the supervisor intervention. I used the complaint level before the original training as the target. I tracked results at 30-day intervals through 180 days. By day 90, complaints had fallen below that target and remained below it at days 120, 150 and 180.

Management wanted to implement the intervention for everyone immediately, so there was no separate comparison group. The results showed sustained improvement after the intervention, but they did not isolate its contribution from other factors. Track whether the agreed support is being provided alongside the business results.

For the onboarding redesign, management agreed to review results at 180 days before deciding whether to continue the eight-week program. The organization also conducted an ROI study, reviewed the financial findings, and was satisfied. After the 180-day review, management continued the shorter program.

Identify the baseline, target, data owner, and review dates. Measure the behavior as well as the business result. Agree on what the findings will help leaders decide: continue, adjust, expand, stop or investigate further.

Make the Next Conversation Count

You do not need every answer in the first meeting. You do need agreement on what remains unknown, who will investigate it and when you will return with a recommendation.

Before committing to training, help leaders establish what needs to change, what support they can provide and what evidence they will use to judge the result. Those decisions give the training project a clear purpose and the organization a basis for deciding what to do next.