The wave of articles, announcements, and speculation triggered by the rise of open-source generative AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini is hard to process when it comes to its impact on contact center training. That said, there’s no doubt we’re ushering in a new era of generative AI in training contact center agents.We’re already seeing incredible results in developing training bots that can be tailored to deliver conversation and chat simulations, rate and coach new associate skills, and even act as a personal tutor to cover complicated products or company policies. Recent data from a McKinsey & Company case study shows that contact centers using Gen‑AI–based simulations achieved a ~33 percentage‑point uplift in positive interactions, a ~28 percentage‑point reduction in simulation interruptions, and an ~80 % automation of a coach’s onboarding activities.These improvements benefit overall operations as well as directly accelerate new hire development. New hires can gain new skills faster, impacting key metrics like NPS, error rates, sales closure, and AHT. The promise of generative AI in training is to get these kinds of results even faster. To reach that destination, there’s a whole range of planning and upskilling activities that L&D leaders should consider. Here are a few of our top recommendations for exploring generative AI in training experiences, based on learnings from Zenarate customers.
1. You Need a Secure, Ethical Approach
There are meaningful topics to explore around data security, managing PII, avoiding bias, and controlling for AI model “hallucinations.” You need to get educated more generally about how these models work, and how they do or don’t protect your company and customer data. To avoid issues like banning staff AI use due to leaked data, you’ll need a policy for AI use in training and beyond.
2. You Need to Prep Your Training Materials
The old adage of “garbage in/garbage out” applies. There are quick wins possible for updating existing training materials via LLM models, but you won’t want to just “drop your training materials” into an LLM. First, because letting LLMs “figure it out” doesn’t get the results you really want (in our humble opinion) from a learning science perspective. Second, because you’ll need an approach that lets you quickly update information on processes, compliance, pricing, and more to keep models current and coherent.
3. You Need to Better-Define Quality and Performance
Beyond basic “training,” there are incredible experiences available from AI training companies like Zenarate through conversation, chat, back-office, and other types of simulations. But it’s not enough to just “role play” with AI—you need to rate and coach as well. You’ll need a thoughtful exploration of “what good looks like” in order to fine-tune your coaching models before you see the full power and results.
4. You Need to Upskill Your L&D Teams
Time previously spent by trainers to facilitate live training or deliver role play and certifications will need to be reinvested into AI-powered content development, simulation design, and fine-tuning your models. It’s not just that your trainers don’t have this skill yet—almost nobody has this skill yet! So you need a plan to get there. First, figure out where you plan to start exploring generative AI in training. Then document a multi-month plan with milestones for building team skills so they can help steward a forward-leaning L&D learning strategy.
5. You Need a Vision Beyond ChatGPT
There are a lot of companies out there doing little more than “reskinning” ChatGPT. They’re adding little innovation beyond the baseline model. You need to understand what’s really possible so that as you start to select generative AI vendor partners or tools, you’re picking the one that truly fits your needs.
Get Your Company Ready for Generative AI in Training with Zenarate
In summary, to make the most of generative AI in training, upskilling, and coaching, you should focus on these five essential areas:
- Secure and ethical approach
- Preparing training materials
- Defining quality and performance
- Upskilling L&D teams
- Developing a vision beyond ChatGPT
If you’d like to start taking steps to address the items above, and even begin using a custom large language model fine-tuned on your training materials, customer personas, and quality standards—reach out to us for a consultation and demo.
