How we helped

As a refocus and refresh on customer service Davies was invited to design a learning intervention for 200 contact centre staff in Cumbria.  The brief to Davies was to make the programme ‘fun, interactive and themed around United Utilities’ existing Customers at the Heart slogan, but preferably from a new angle’.

The measure of success would be a 20% improvement in agent ‘call quality scores’, measured by coaches using a structured assessment form.

After two days of on-site analysis to understand the role and the training needs fully, Real Results designed an accelerated learning programme called ‘Pulse8’ which took the ‘Heart’ theme into a new medical domain.  8 skills and behaviours crucial to customer service were identified and these became the main structure of the programme:

• Listening
• Confident Communication
• Ownership
• Proactivity
• Initiative
• Rapport
• Accuracy
• Respect

The Results

Following the completion of the programme the target of a 20% increase in call quality was exceeded with agents consistently scoring 100%.  Follow-up coaching over the coming months ensured this was sustained and new learning became embedded.

Feedback from team managers included:

“Two of our team members have attended Pulse8 this week and have said they feel a real benefit, they said they feel a lot more confident handling calls. I have done 2 side by side call qualities on each of them this afternoon and have seen a massive improvement they both scored 100% twice and seem to have a new outlook and really positive attitude.”

“I have just completed 3 side by side call qualities on Alistair and he scored 3 consecutive 100%! This is an amazing achievement for him – also 2 out of the 3 calls were not standard queries and I would class in the more difficult call category and he handled it well.”

The programme sponsor, Michelle Cheeseman, concluded:

“Based on my initial observations, evaluations and feedback, the design of the Pulse 8 course & delivery by Carolyn Blunt from Davies have both met & exceeded my requirements.”