Includes: Site tour of AAA Mid-Atlantic Center, 3-day workshop, breakfast, lunch & snacks, certificate of completion, course handbook and a call center benchmarking survey/report with a follow-up web-ex style presentation of your benchmarking results.
BenchmarkPortal offers one of the most highly regarded call center management certification programs in the country, led by the industry's top-rated instructors, with over 150 years combined experience. These workshops will equip you with the skill set you need to improve your center's performance. You will be able to return to your business and drive effective change for your contact center and use best practice methods validated by BenchmarkPortal.
Our Call Center Management Certification workshop is composed of ten information-rich modules that include learning activity "case studies" that focus on practical problem solving and current call center best practices.
The curriculum, which was originally developed by Dr. Jon Anton of Purdue University, has been expanded and updated by Bruce Belfiore, Chancellor of the College, Dayne Petersen, Dean of the College, and their staff of industry experts. Typically participants include Call Center Managers, Directors and Vice Presidents. These courses will help you better manage your call center and strengthen relationships with other departments (for example: Marketing, MIS and Telecommunications).
You will be responsible for confirming your own lodging needs. Please note that there are many hotels in the surrounding area, we have provided the closest hotel for your convenience.
The Hilton Garden Inn
800 US Highway 130
Hamilton, N.J. 08691
(609) 585-6789 hiltongardeninn.com
Distance to Meeting: 0.3 miles, 6 min. walk - Link to Map
Airport Directions:
Link to Map: Newark International Airport, 50 minutes to AAA Mid-Atlantic Center Link to Map: Mercer County Airport, 25 minutes to AAA Mid-Atlantic Center
Register early to receive $200 off. Discount expires one month before each course. Discount code and expiration are available at the top of each workshop page. If there is no information available then the discount has expired. Early bird discounts cannot be combined with other offers or discounts.
Group Discounts:
If you have 2 or more individuals that would like to take the call center training course, please contact us for a group discount! 1-800-214-8929 Ex. 1 or Email Us Today. Group discounts cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Groups must all be submitted and registered at the same time in order to receive the group discount.
Attendees
Discount
Price Per Person
2-5
10%
$1795.50
6-10
15%
$1695.75
11-15
20%
$1596.00
16+
25%
$1496.25
Preferred Partner Discount:
Center of Excellence Members - 15% off. Please contact your relationship manager to get your preferred partner discount code. Discounts cannot be combined with other offers or discounts.
To begin, we focus on the importance of Leadership and sharing the mission and vision of the call center. We review all aspects of agent management from best practices in screening, on-boarding, training and ongoing management of our most important resource.
Next, we concentrate on all of the day-to-day management issues. What are the high performing call centers doing to improve their quality assessment processes to drive customer satisfaction? In the Customer Satisfaction module, we discuss the multiple ways to measure, analyze and use the caller satisfaction finding. Then, our favorite topic: What do we do with forecasts, adherence and schedules? How do we find the solutions that meet the needs of the business and the work-life balance of our agents while still being able to meet our service goals?
Next, we discuss the support tools and technologies we use in the call center and that our customers are using to access us and information in the way and at the time they want.
Finally we discuss: "How do we measure and report our successes, progress and failures?" So how do we know if we are succeeding or failing? One part of the answer is to develop a benchmarking process. How do we decide which type of benchmarking is right for our organization?
Day 1:
Organizational Leadership
Strategy Alignment
Understanding the corporate business model
Understanding the importance of customer recognition
Strategic Goal Setting
Strategy setting for the call center
Where do we want to be five years from now
Leadership Styles, Approaches and Assessment
Leadership styles
Leadership roles and approaches
Assessing your leadership style
Organization Design
Organizational design criteria
Understanding people, process and technology
Human Resource Management
Hiring New Agents
Job description
Finding applicants
Screening applicants
Testing applicant skills
Interviewing applicants
Realistic job preview
Training Agents
Training design
Training evaluation
Initial training
Nesting training
Ongoing training
Computer- based training
Training in small call centers
Agent Satisfaction Measurement
Agent satisfaction
Agent satisfaction as related to agent turnover
Agent needs assessment
Picking actionable change initiatives
Keys to a successful agent feedback
Agent Turnover
What's "really important" to agents
Top reasons for turnover
Best practices in reducing agent turnover
Exit interviews
Reward, Recognition, Motivation
Instilling a performance culture
Motivating the front line
Best-in-class motivating techniques
Reward and recognition
Informal and formal programs that work
Generational Issues
What is the impact
Hiring & training changes
Management techniques for Boomer vs. Gen X or Gen Y
Day 2:
Call Quality Monitoring and Coaching
Introduction to Call Monitoring and Coaching
Introduction to call quality assurance
Impact of call handling on company image
Importance of superior service on customer-perceived value
Hierarchy of caller needs
Results from a one-minute survey
Call Recording
Recording alternatives
When to record calls
Which calls to record
How long to save recorded calls
Call Monitoring, Scoring and Evaluating
Introduction to call monitoring
Classic methods of call monitoring
Evaluation process & forms
Building the definitions document
The evaluation form and scoring why the current methods are not optimal
The components of call monitoring
Agent Coaching
The art of agent coaching
Who should coach agents
How often do agents need to be coached
What is the best way to coach agents
Can the caller possibly coach the agent
The New Model
Listening to the voice of the customer
Agent performance at a new level
Performance compensation to ensure goal achievement
Outsourcing Call Evaluations
What does it mean to outsource your call monitoring activities?
Can you improve the number of calls monitored by outsourcing?
Why outsource call monitoring?
Quality Monitoring Solution Providers
Range of solution providers
Features and functions
Caller Satisfaction Measurement
Introduction
Defining caller satisfaction
Survey design and fielding
Listening to the voice of the customer
Survey Design
Determining which customers to survey
Determining which questions should be asked
Determining the appropriate length of the survey
Determining which attributes should be measured
Determining sample size
Survey Fielding Data Collection Methods
Focus groups
Customer advisory panels
Outbound telephone calls surveys
Inbound telephone calls surveys
Post-call IVR surveys
E-mail surveys
Snail mail surveys
Survey Analysis
Statistical routines
Mining the caller feedback data
Most Caller Satisfaction Programs Don't Have an Impact
Most stop after the fielding
Reporting makes the difference
Results must be actionable
Workforce Management
Resource Planning
Forecasting fundamentals
Advance forecasting
Capacity planning fundamentals
Advanced capacity planning
Scheduling Defined
Documenting staff special skills
Scheduling shrinkage
Scheduling options
Intraday Management
Intraday forecasting
Crisis and absentee planning
Intraday adjustment essentials
Analytics and Metrics to Manage Optimizing
From raw data to management information
Data analytics
Organization of the Workforce Management Team
Workforce management organization
Typical control tower organizational structure
Workforce Management Software Tools
Key workforce management metrics and goals
Workforce management tools
Range of solution providers
Day 3:
Technology
New BenchmarkPortal Research: Measuring the Value of Technology
All students attending an In Person/Classroom courses have until thirty (30) days before to cancel your registration or it becomes credit for a future In Person/Classroom course.
Full payment is required prior to attendance.
In rare instances, a course will be rescheduled or postponed:
BenchmarkPortal will provide you at least 10 days notice
You may receive a full refund or take a credit toward another training course
BenchmarkPortal cannot be held responsible for penalties resulting from travel arrangements of any kind.
In the event that we do have to cancel a training course at the last minute, the college manager will contact you to either reschedule you into an alternate course or provide you with a full refund of the course price.
No shows will pay full course rates.
Certification:
After completion of an in person course, you will receive a certificate on the final day of class.
Certification through BenchmarkPortal and the College of Call Center Excellence is an achievement that is recognized internationally.
Purchasing Information:
If you are purchasing one of the courses with a business credit card please check your daily limits to avoid any possibility of the transaction getting declined (most cards have a $1,000 daily limit). Especially if you are purchasing 1 or more In Person courses.
"The tools given in this training will be beneficial for using in our call center. I cannot wait to get back and put what I learned to great use!" Erin Hubert, Associate Manager, MESSA - March 2013
"This is the type of course I needed and sought for our organizational growth as well as professional development & growth for me and my staff. I look forward to taking some of the individual courses to learn and apply." Athena Plummer, Director, City of Virginia Beach: Emergency Communications & Citizen Services - March 2013
"Great surprise for me, a wealth of knowledge was shared by Dayne and the participants. I look forward to an ongoing relationship with BenchmarkPortal & Dayne, she is great! She was an excellent presenter, patient, able to supply complex concepts, methodologies in form we could all understand." Robert Putman, Supervisor Technical Assistance Center, Parata Systems - March 2013
"The course was outstanding. I have supervised a call center for over two years and was amazed to see how little I knew about this business. Dayne was an absolutely wonderful instructor." Greensboro, NC Attendee - March 2013
"Dayne's experience truly made the program worth twice what I was charged. Truly eye opening program with the vast amount of content." Michael Woodard, Director, Learning & Development, Fleetcor - March 2013
"Wonderfully positive experience that had me leaving energized and thinking of possibilities." Greensboro, NC Attendee - March 2013
"I enjoyed learning about best practices. The course encouraged me to think about our current practices and reflect on the areas that we can improve upon to increase employee retention and improve our customer experience." Scottsdale, AZ Attendee - February 2013
"This was one of the best courses I had in years. Normally, after day one I lose focus and want to return to work. This course made me focus on how I can improve operations at work. Scottsdale, AZ Attendee - February 2013
"Great forum for call centers from different industries to get together and talk about what works for them and what doesn't." Scottsdale, AZ Attendee - February 2013
"I feel more empowered than when I walked in." Judy Alstrom, Contact Center Assistant Manager, Consumers Credit Union - February 2013
"Joe's real world experience kept the class totally engaged for 3 days. He is amazing! Eric St. Hilaire-Smith, SVP Customer Relations, Equiant Financial Services - February 2013
"Although I manage a Center of Excellence, based on subject matter covered in the management course, I found that there is so much more that I can learn and put in to place in my call Center. In the upcoming years, I will also be taking the QA and QM courses to get dive deeper in the details." Theresa Bode, Director of Member Services, Teachers Credit Union - November 2012
"I truly enjoyed the opportunity to network wit individuals within my field/industry." Amy Novak, Call Center Manager, Proctor Financial - November 2012
"I was very pleased how well the course was put together. It provides info relevant to small and large call centers. The course provides an indirect approach to the top call center concerns and validates all info that is given. If you run a call center this course is a must. Not only will you learn from the course, but every one else brings their info to the class and you can use them as a reference." Mike Rooks, Call Center Supervisor, Nevada Adult Day Care - November 2012
"It was an excellent training. Very thorough and descriptive. I would recommend to all of my associates." Juanita Swanson, Supervisory, Veterans Administration Health Resource Center - September 2012
"It was a great experience that provided many valuable takeaways for implementation or further conversation at my current job." Christy Casey, CSC Branch Chief, United States Coast Guard - September 2012
"It is rare for contact center managers to learn from a well versed instructor and share real life stories with others in the business." MaryAnn Novajosky, Call Center Manager, Securitas USA - September 2012
"This course has helped provide clarity on identifying the right actions for my business and how to develop action plans for continuous improvement." September 2012 Attendee
The curriculum was very in-depth and can be easily applied. The training was fun, simple and magical! WOW! Khristina Lazalde, Director Global Call Center Training & Quality, Herbalife - July 2012
"Knowing we are not alone and building relationships to enable us to reach out to each other. Changes peoples LIVES." Tina Spalding, Director, APAC Distributor Services, Herbalife - July 2012
"GREAT. Highly recommended and the small class size allowed for a great exchange of practices in play." Kai Martin, Vice President, The Pasha Group - August 2012
"This class environment was amazing. I walked out of the class with many new resources, who I look forward to working with. I enjoyed the collaborative learning." Jennifer Koepke, Global Contact Center Manager, Milestone Technology - August 2012
"I felt the class was excellent on all levels: content, instructor, participants to hospitality and environment." April Cook, American Health Connection - August 2012
"Dru Phelps was a GREAT instructor. She is very knowledgeable in all areas and listens to each person to get a better understanding." Tamica Emerson, Supervisor, VA Health Benefits
Great course! Program material was very thorough, well structured and highly informative. This workshop provided useful examples, proven best practices and training methods that should be implemented by any call center seeking to improve overall performance, agent and customer satisfaction." Gregory Head - January 2012
"Very Educational. We have a lot of action items to bring back! Even the most seasoned call center manager would be stimulated by content." January 2012 - Course Attendee
"This workshop definitely met my expectations. It helped me change my thought pattern about what tools we want to invest in, in terms of technology. I am now going to re-direct dollars in a different way after consulting about where the future is going now." Call Center Campus 2011 - Video Testimonial
"A lot of networking, very personal and small classroom size. The instructor allowed us to ask a lot of questions and see what other call center managers in our industry are doing. The training was great, very comfortable, very relaxed and very enjoyable." Call Center Campus 2011 - Video Testimonial
"The College of Call Center Excellence provided excellent content on a wide variety of Call Center topics that was extremely relevant and immediately applicable to my operation. The interaction with other call center professionals was an invaluable aspect of the learning environment. I came back to my job energized and with clear tools for making improvements to my center." Noel Allen, Director of Customer Service, Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co.
"Once again thanks for an outstanding program, many new ideas to share with my colleagues." George Richardson, Wright Express
"I wanted to thank you for a great class last week. The class exceeded my expectations. I returned to work today feeling very motivated and armed with some new skills and knowledge to make a difference here at Forethought." Shelia Merkel, Manager, Client Services Forethought Financial
"The Call Center Manager Certification class was one of the most engaging classes I have had the privilege to attend. The facilitator for the class created an environment which allowed for an exchange of ideas mixed in with industry best practices. Even though I am an experienced Contact Center Manager, I was able to find value in the material and the class interaction. I would highly recommend this course!" Mark A. Brody, Assistant Manager, DPRV, TG
"I recently completed call center management certification in Altanta, GA earlier this month. The ideas and take aways I left with were great! Dru did an excellent job leading our class through our training sessions while also providing effective examples relating to the subject matter from her years of experience. I have already benefited from this certification and I will be staying in touch with my classmates too." Michael Jordan, Metro Credit Union
"The American Medical Association Unified Service Center management team participated in The College of Call Center Excellence Leadership Certification Program. The content was challenging, well organized, and relevant. The program inspired a cross-pollination of good ideas across a diverse group of call center managers." Gloria Gupta, Director Service, American Medical Association
"I would highly recommend the AT&T College of Call Center Excellence classes, even to people who have experience in call centers. They actually get more out of it - not only because of exchange of ideas, but because there's a good mix of people in the class." Joanna Terlecka-Bos, Operations Manager, M&I BankCard Services
"Since attending AT&T College of Call Center Excellence classes, we have implemented several key changes to improve our operations," Lopez says. In the scheduling area, Banco Santander now uses call center capacity software to justify headcount and schedule agents more efficiently. In addition, the company has developed a more appropriate set of metrics to set and track objectives. The four-day class is user-friendly, practical, and gives you the knowledge to be a leader in customer retention and market share. As for the critical area of satisfaction measurement and tracking, Lopez says, "New caller contact reporting methods have been devised that have justified all the changes made, and our call center data is now seen as valuable information related to customer satisfaction and loyalty." Rafael Lopez, Director of Customer Services for Banco Santander Puerto Rico
"The college's curriculum addresses a variety of topics, from effective capacity planning and forecasting call loads to resource management, recruiting, training and motivating and retaining a first-class team of agents. Many successful businesses recognize that call centers need to be managed as a strategic business tool that delivers competitive advantage. AT&T has enhanced and expanded the curriculum to explore and address current, real-world issues such as improving process measurements and re-engineering management." Dr Jon Anton, Purdue University
"AT&T College of Call Center Excellence classes were extremely well done and helpful. The material was presented well and was very useful and relevant. I look forward to attending future sessions." Stephanie Kennedy, Gage Marketing Group
"Quantum Corporation places a great deal of emphasis and importance on our most valued asset, our customers. To further increase our customer satisfaction and keep our Customer Service call center operation on the cutting edge, we are using the valuable concepts, technologies, tools and ideas that were presented in the AT&T College of Call Center Excellence program. I would recommend these courses to any person who is interested in improving his or her call center operations." Bruce Shadmehri, Technical and Business Support Manager, Quantum Corporation
"I have attended nine call center training classes. AT&T's College of Call Center Excellence program was by far the most useful training I have ever taken. It is run in a professional manner by people who have actually done the job. If you are looking for the best all around training for your contact center management team this is number one hands down." Comet Brower, Contact Center Manager, SafeHarbor.com
"Becoming a Call Center of Excellence can be a game changer for businesses. Fighting to keep customers in today’s economy is paramount to most companies and the Center of Excellence distinction has helped drive us to that end result. Going through this process yearly continues to challenge us to improve processes and service levels. The detailed process that BenchmarkPortal provides in comparing our data with a large peer group is unparalleled. At the end, you have a clear roadmap of what is working well and what needs focus and attention for improvement. Because of this, we have been able to develop plans each year to drive better results and better customer experiences. This, coupled with a knowledgeable staff, helps us to close the gaps and continue to achieve excellence in every area. Every call center out there should be doing this benchmarking process; we are proof that it works." Angela Ballantine, Director, Customer Care, ARAG GROUP
