Upskilling Employees: How to Invest in Your Team

In early 2022, the Great Resignation caused a massive increase in job openings that encouraged workers to secure career-advancing positions. Atop their to-do list was preventing knowledge gaps if hired.During this time, the Society for Human Resource Management partnered with TalentLMS to survey U.S.-based HR managers and employees to understand the state of learning and development.And no surprise here, the statistics indicated that a significant majority of HR managers believed offering training is beneficial. Specifically, 83% of HR managers thought training was helpful for attracting talent. And 86% believed training was beneficial for retaining talent.Naturally a year later, corporate America graduated to an age of professional progression. Now, is this affecting the customer service sphere? 100%.And as the above insights illustrate, the expected response to this shift is employee upskilling. To help you get it right, we’ll identify employee upskilling trends, processes, tools and more.

Understanding the Upskilling Process in the Customer Service Space

Today, employee upskilling forms the foundation of customer service training initiatives. With the evolution of the customer-focused market, it is essential for customer service professionals to frequently refine their skills and stay attuned to industry trends. Now let’s lay some foundation.Listed below is a high-level explanation of how to execute employee upskilling (that we’ll dive into later):

1. Identify areas requiring improvement
2. Allocate resources and offer training to address skill gaps
3. Encourage employees to pursue suitable certifications
4. Monitor, quantify, and appreciate the progress achieved through upskilling
5. Lead by example and innovate when necessary.
6. Depending on the agent’s needs, you can begin with any step in this process. But one step you shouldn’t skip is encouraging continuous learning. And proposing certifications is one popular way to do that at scale.

The Emergence of Certifications: Adding Value through Upskilling

In the context of call center training, certifications provide a seal of approval that endorses one’s skill sets, while aligning with recognized industry standards. Certified employees typically showcase elevated performance, increased confidence, and notable job satisfaction. In fact, a recent study revealed a whopping 76% of employees said they are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training.Here are six customer service certifications you can suggest to promote ongoing learning:

1. Help Desk Certification
2. Call Center Certification
3. Client Services Certification
4. Client Services Manager Certification
5. Customer Experience Certification
6. Customer Service Leadership Certification

But again, there is no one size fits all approach here. Every team is different, with each agent requiring a personalized approach.This is a key reason why as a leading provider in customer service training technology, we recommend our AI Simulation Training tool. This technology allows customer-facing agents to roleplay in customized conversation, software, and chat simulations before they engage with live customers.But we’ll explore our platform later – outlined below are pivotal steps in the process of efficient upskilling.

How to Execute Employee Upskilling

1. Bridging the Skill Gap in Your Organization – Before launching an upskilling initiative, it’s crucial to first identify the existing skill gaps within your customer service team. Comprehensive awareness of the team’s strengths and shortcomings serve as guideposts when architecting a nuanced upskilling strategy.
2. Amplifying Resilient Skills – Upskilling doesn’t strictly revolve around plugging skill gaps; it also entails fortifying existing competencies. Intensifying communication methodologies, technological proficiency, and problem-solving acumen. This can yield immense benefits for customer service teams. Practical experience illumines the profound impact that effective upskilling can engender in an employee’s career progression.
3. Improving Call Center Teams through Upskilling – A staunch commitment to upskilling can remarkably uplift the collective performance of call center teams. This transformation demands decisive leadership and a corporate culture that wholeheartedly endorses employee development. Such an environment spurs heightened employee engagement, and motivation, paving the way for enterprise-wide success.
4. Seizing the Upskilling Opportunity – The market is buzzing with platforms offering upskilling opportunities uniquely suited for customer service experts. Selecting an appropriate platform which aligns seamlessly with individual career ambitions and objectives is the true challenge.

Here’s a handy list of some pretty effective tools to give your employee training that extra punch.

Our Top 3 Picks for Learning New Skills at Work

1. Coursera for Business – Coursera is like a virtual university at your fingertips. Their library has over 3,800 courses covering various subjects like business, technology, and data science. You can learn directly from top universities and companies. Nice, right
2. Udemy for Business – Udemy for Business has a massive collection of online courses – more than 5,000. They cover business and tech topics. Even better, you can create custom learning plans for your team, keep track of their progress, and get them chatting about what they’re learning.
3. LinkedIn Learning – LinkedIn Learning isn’t just a sideline for the networking giant. You’ll find over 16,000 courses covering business, creativity, and the tech world. The best part is that it’s super adaptable and works seamlessly with existing learning systems.

Executing the Leadership Role in Upskilling

Leadership plays an instrumental role in promoting and implementing employee upskilling. A commitment from leaders to foster a culture of continuous learning is needed for the success of upskilling programs. Leaders can encourage participation by setting clear skill enhancement goals and offering mentorship where necessary.The world of technology is brimming with topical solutions for customer service leaders. Our team is at the forefront of providing these resources. From blogs and guides to comprehensive white papers and unique customer success stories, we have a wealth of insights to help you make educated decisions. Explore our knowledge base for access!

Ready to Talk Upskilling Strategy?

Our experts are ready to chart out a personalized upskilling strategy that aligns with your team’s aspirations and organizational goals. When it comes to employee upskilling, we are the best in the game.Zenarate AI Coach develops top performing customer service agents through AI simulation training. Distinguishing us from e-learning platforms and similar tools is an immersive learning experience, coupled with an AI Coach that provides real-time feedback in 79 languages. Your agents can train in customized roleplay scenarios and practice high-impact situations with their un-biased AI coach. Contact us to learn more!