The Call Centre Training Handbook is a complete resource for providing learning, training and development within contact centres. Whether it is induction or periodic training, those who train staff will find it an indispensible resource. It also offers call centre managers and trainers information with which to benchmark training and identifies best practice in learning and development.
The book addresses the key areas of training call centre staff including; quality of customer service, dealing with difficult customers, outsourcing and offshore training, and measuring and evaluating performance. International case studies provide the reader with practical examples of real-life training, while sample exercises and models supply the tools to deliver effective learning.

John P. Wilson is a consultant and researcher and holds positions at Oxford, Sheffield and Bradford Universities, UK. He is the editor of Human Resource Development and author of Experiential Learning (both published by Kogan Page). He is also Director of the EU Commission project Call Centre Training and Knowledge Transfer.

1. The big picture: learning, training and development in contact centres

Introduction; The need for learning and development; Defining a call/contact centre; The development of call/contact centres; Drivers of learning and development; Barriers to learning, training and development; The labour market and employment; The labour market and call centres; Building a positive reputation; Outsourcing and offshoring; Supporting regeneration through training and development; The customer service imperative; Stress; Conclusion

2. Structuring learning and development

Introduction; Supporting organizational objectives; Customer service and training strategy; Responsibility for training; A deskilled occupation?; A skilled occupation; Content areas and forms of delivery; Marketing and promoting training and development; In-house training or outsourced?; Training duration; Training as motivation; Contact centres as learning organizations; Conclusion

3. Skills and competencies

Introduction; Call centre skills; The range of skills; Qualifications; The e-skills contact centre career and skills framework; Skills and employability; Conclusion

4. Recruiting, inducting and socializing new employees

Introduction; Recruiting and selecting; Qualifications; Attitude; Induction; Socialization; Conclusion

5. Communicating and connecting with the customer

Introduction; Theories of communication; Communicating effectively; Sounding right - the aesthetics of spoken language; Spoken communication; Communication skills training; Written communication; Transition from a call centre to a contact centre; Conclusion

6. Delivering excellent customer service

Introduction; Price versus service; Customer satisfaction; Customizing service through attitude training; Customer service techniques; Understanding customers; Handling abusive customers; Conclusion

7. Coaching and mentoring

Introduction; Coaching/mentoring; Stages in the coaching process; Trust; Committing to action; Giving feedback; Types of coaching; Conclusion

8. System skills training Christine Cross and Anthony Brennan

Introduction; The learning cycle; Learning styles; Principles of adult learning; The training cycle; Tips for the trainer; Conclusion

9. Management development in call centres Giles McClelland and Robert Hale

Introduction; What is management?; The importance of strong management; Management ability and contemporary issues in call centres; Different types of call centre management qualifications; Management in the learning company; Developing extraordinary management in the learning company; Conclusion

10. Developing emotional intelligence and managing stress

Introduction; Working in call centres; Emotional labour; The development of emotional intelligence; Using emotional intelligence in call centres; Emotional contagion and remaining positive; Handling stress; Transactional analysis; Conclusion

11. Managing international cross-cultural communications Declan Mulkeen, William Resch and Eugene Piccinini, Communicaid

Introduction; Where are we now?; Communication challenges in offshore call centres; Base language challenges; Training solutions; Empathy: the missing 1 per cent; Emotional intelligence; Cultural intelligence; Linguistic competence; Is there a solution?; Conclusion

12. Managing and evaluating performance

Introduction; Performance management; Measuring quantity; Quantity versus quality; The impact of training; Personal development plans; Valuing people and performance; Levels of training evaluation; Monitoring employees; Conclusion