Training & Development

a) Difference between “Training” and “Development”.

Training:

* It's a short term process.

* Refers to instruction in technical and mechanical problems.

* Targeted in most cases for non-managerial personnel.

* Specific job related purpose.

Development:

* It is a long term educational process.

* Refers to philosophical and theoretical educational concepts.

* Managerial personnel.

* General knowledge purpose.

b) Components of the training cycle.

* Performance Standards – Companies need to develop and clearly document the anticipated practices and skills needed by front-line or support staff to complete the task.

* Monitoring & Assessment – Call center supervisors should collect and routinely analyze data to determine current, historical or projected future status. Assessment is the key to identifying those areas where the employee needs improvement, and those in which he or she shines.

* Tracking – The supervisor or call center manager should document the employee’s progress and determine future expectations at regular intervals.

* Training – It isn’t enough for call centers to craft new expectations, they must also be communicated clearly to staff. Employee training provides the ideal forum to reinforce the KSAs needed to achieve peak performance.

c) Training Methods.

On-the-job Training Methods:

* Coaching - It helps in quickly identifying the weak areas and tries to focus on them. It also offers the benefit of transferring theory learning to practice.

* Mentoring - The focus in this training is on the development of attitude. It is used for managerial employees.

* Job Rotation - It is the process of training employees by rotating them through a series of related jobs.

* Job Instructional Technique - It is a system on the job training method in which a suitable trainer prepares a trainee with an overview of the job, demonstrates the task or the skill to the trainee, allows the...