** Due to Alaska Airlines' adherence to a strict NDA agreement, I am unable to disclose any proprietary information or screen captures pertaining to their operational procedures. **
I served as the Supervisor of Instructional Design at Alaska Airlines, where I was responsible for collaborating with management to identify training requirements aligned with our business objectives. I conducted thorough needs-assessments to determine the most effective training approaches and subsequently implemented customized solutions. Additionally, I oversaw a team of two Instructional Writers who assisted in developing content for these dynamic training initiatives.Issue:
Only 20% of Call Agents at the Alaska Airlines Customer Service Call Center were retained after their two week initial in-person training period. Software training was conducted on a live system, requiring daily deletion of practice records to avoid disruption. Trainees did not communicate with customers until three weeks into their time at Alaska. The majority of trainees performed poorly on final exams conducted at the end of the training period.
Goals:
Increase trainee retention to 70% or above
Improve Call Center Employee self-reliance
Lower costs associated with training and turn-over
Decrease the amount of time between being hired and working as an agent
Improve testing scores at the end of the training period
Needs Assessment:
The needs assessment revealed outdated and overwhelming training. Trainers were given a massive book to cover in two weeks, resulting in exhaustion and frustration. The knowledge was no longer solely in the book, but also held by specific employees.
The training update necessitated easily accessible resources for employees to troubleshoot independently, software learning to be moved to a VM environment, and increased focus on customer empathy. The exam was determined to be inadequate for assessing trainees' values and empathy.
Solution:
All agent software training was transitioned to a virtual machine (VM) environment and supported by self-paced online learning. This online learning module was also self-directed and could be accessed either in a classroom or remotely.
In-person training was streamlined by identifying a prioritized set of core skills that could serve as a foundation for handling more complex cases, rather than overwhelming trainees with learning every aspect of their job all at once.
During training, simulated phone calls were utilized to provide a secure environment for agents to demonstrate their telephone skills and practice empathy.
A comprehensive collection of online resources, including procedures, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and other useful information, were made easily accessible to all Call Center employees via their work computers.
To aid new employees in finding resources and quickly resolving software issues, handouts were created that contained guidance and contact information for assistance when encountering challenges.
The traditional exam was replaced with regular in-person check-ins with the trainees to gauge their understanding of the training material and identify any additional resources or support they required to excel in their role.
Recognizing the background of the trainers as former call-center employees, a "Train the Trainer" program was implemented to enhance their training abilities.
To prevent the reliance on informal knowledge, the training materials and maintenance thereof were relocated from the call-center to my department.
Outcomes:
Although the implementation process was initially slow, the final results were impressive and successful. Over the course of a year, retention rates increased to 80%, leading the call-center to have an excess of employees and enabling them to cater to their expanding customer base. In cases where in-house trainers couldn't meet the required standards, they were replaced with experienced trainers. It was observed that new employees displayed higher levels of self-sufficiency compared to tenured employees.