When a call centre was looking to improve the way it did business in a difficult climate it invested in NVQs for its staff – and now finds its workforce more motivated, staff retention rates up and competitiveness increased as a result,.
Improved customer experience
Line manager for the Wellingborough Homes' call-centre, Irene Carter, takes up the story. "Our call centre staff spend a lot of their time taking queries from our customers. It's essential we provide them with the skills to deal with calls as efficiently as possible."
To help improve employee skill levels they turned to learndirect NVQs in Customer Service.
"The courses help staff in all areas of customer service. Employees are more motivated and feel valued as a result of learning. The NVQ helps us retain staff, which is more important than ever in the current economic downturn," says Irene.
Funded courses to help you minimise costs
"The current courses are fully funded through the Government's Train to Gain scheme, allowing the company to continue developing staff and increase competitiveness even in the recession," she said.
"To achieve Train to Gain funding, all we had to do was provide some information about the company and the staff taking part and our learning provider did the rest for us."
Flexible qualifications that fit around your business needs
The learning process employees go through is quite straightforward. Managers ensure staff are given a period of time each day to sit quietly at a computer and work towards the NVQ. Some members of the team also did work for this award from home.
"I've noticed that they are working together much better since undertaking the NVQ," said Irene. "Staff started putting their learning into practice straight away and it's apparent that they are using these new skills on a daily basis.
Continuing to improve on service with NVQs in Business Administration
The Customer Service NVQ has been so successful, five staff from the administration team have now enrolled on the Business Administration NVQ.
This qualification will help staff understand legal compliance issues and improve business communication skills.
"The benefits of training far outweigh any negatives – staff are more motivated, enthusiastic about work and are better equipped to deal with customer-facing situations," said Irene.
What next?
- See our interactive guide to NVQs
- Get more information on NVQs in Customer Service
- Get more information on NVQs in Business Administration
To find out more about how learndirect can help your company, call 0800 101 901 or fill in the contact us form to arrange an appointment for us to visit your business.
Once we understand what your business needs are, we can offer you expert training and funding advice. The helpline is open from 7am to 11pm, everyday.