News: Customer Service/Care
Business director: Call centre training 'engages staff's brains'
27 October 2008
Call centre training should be used to endow organisations' customer service with a more personable and less "robotic" approach, according to the director of one outlet.
Andrew Smart from outsourcing company Virtual Sales Team tells the BBC that conventional approaches to customer service can often be of little use to individuals using a call centre.
"Traditional call centre staff are incredibly annoying because they read off a script and are not allowed to use their brains in conversations with customers," he remarks.
Up-to-the-minute call centre training would stave off any chance of the opposite scenario occurring either, the news provider continues, citing the "over-familiar, American-style chit-chat" found in some institutions.
Mr Smart's observations on the subject follow this month's call centre "benchmarking exercise", carried out by independent market research firm GfK NOP.
Commissioned by Call Centre Focus magazine, the study recognised telephone and online bank First Direct as top for customer service, followed by payment plan provider Denplan, asset management firm F&C Investments and Lloyds TSB Insurance.
Such research should inspire other organisations to improve their levels of customer service via call centre training, the magazine's editor suggested. 
