In our rapidly digitising world, contact centres form a critical interface between companies and customers. Recognising this dynamic, the CCMA recently hosted an online seminar focusing on how to prepare the contact centre frontline for handling increasingly complex conversations. We were joined by Francesca Rea, Director of Customer Operations at New Day, alongside Ryan Rubertazzi, Head of Assisted Sales & Early Life Care at Vodafone and Catherine Oehlers, Vice President at Masimo. 

Towards the end of the discussion, we opened our panel to a Q&A, but we sadly ran out of time to answer all the questions in the web chat. The remaining questions were directed at Fran at New Day, so, Fran has kindly answered all your questions below, providing valuable insights for organisations striving to enhance their customer support. 

Understanding AI Chatbots in Customer Engagement 

Q: Can I ask what product or company you have been using for your AI chatbot? 

A: One of the most pointed questions raised was regarding the use of AI chatbots. It appears many participants were curious about the specific products and tools in use. Francesca has responded with their adoption of LivePerson—a platform spearheading the integration of chat functions with the development of AI-driven solutions such as Co Pilot. 

Training and Accreditation Challenges 

Q: What did the training and accreditation of the existing staff look like? Any standout challenges? What was the context of learning? Changing mindset and behaviour with process and knowledge elements? System based or a balance of all the above.  

A: “Our Digital Coordinator upskill training ran for three days and was focused on changing our colleague and customer mindset rather than answering the customer’s question.  Our digital approach is to support the customer to log into self-serve and to show them how to use this to access the information they are looking for. Training was a process for the technical online and app learnings, through to changing customer mindset and behaviour by giving them the skills and knowledge to confidently self-serve.” 

Internal Accreditation Processes and Practical Application 

Q: What type of Accreditation was achieved? Internal or externally authenticated? 

A: –“ Our accreditation is completed internally by our Quality Team, in the last week of Academy we will check a proportion of their calls, and which must meet our internal quality benchmark to become accredited, where it is not met, we provided further coaching and support, and the colleague will remain in the Academy for further accreditation checks.” 

Induction Periods and Training Models 

Q: How long is NewDay’s training induction for agents? What does this look like? 

A: –“ Our training is two weeks classroom training, followed by two weeks Academy, then a further two days classroom training with a final one week and three days in the Academy. We have found having a break in training where our teams can practice the skills they have learnt in the classroom, and then coming back for refresher and further upskill training has helped improve the success of the new starter journey.” 

Q: How long does your academy period tend to last? 

A: –“ The Academy period is three weeks through to accreditation, although on a case-by-case basis we may extend this if further support is required.” 

Q: Do you use traditional knowledge “tests” at the end of your induction period to facilitate sign off into the floor walking environment? 

A: –“ We don’t have an end of training “test”, we test our colleague learning through each stage of the training, providing additional support in the moment where the training has not been taken on board, rather than at the end of the training period.” 

Transitioning to Digital-First Contact Methods 

Q: As you drive towards a digital first approach, have you been impacted with increased demand on the web chat? What have you found as an acceptable ASA and wait time for customers on web chat?  Is there a sweet spot? 

A: –“We use both a synchronous and instant chat response and it depends on the process and the agreed SLA – as long as you manage expectations upfront with a message, we don’t see too much concern with a synchronous for general chat, but if you’re using it to retain customers online and they need a quick answer then instant response is preferable or they’ll call!” 

Key Takeaways: 

AI Integration: Chat platforms using AI and machine learning, like LivePerson, are becoming standard tools in facilitating complex customer interactions. 

Mindset Training: Modern training modules emphasise behavioural changes and customer empowerment, alongside straightforward knowledge transfer. 

Continual Assessment: Progressive assessment models are favoured over traditional ‘end-of-training’ tests, allowing for immediate reinforcement and support. 

Induction Frameworks: Induction periods with interleaved practical sessions prove effective in solidifying an agent’s skillset before full deployment. 

Digital Engagement: The demand for web chat and response time expectations can vary based on the communication style and the nature of the enquiry. 

To learn more about what was discussed, you can watch on-demand below: 

Related courses: 

You may also be interested in our Frontline Foundations Course, which helps you train and retain frontline colleagues. To find out more, click here.