Question

We need to implement new customer service training for our call center employees. Our call center employees take calls from potential new customers who want to open accounts and deposit money with us. Our call center employees also take calls from existing customers who have questions about or problems with their accounts. I want to be sure that whatever training we implement is effective and has a solid return on investment. Question 1: What will be your approach to demonstrating Level 1, 2, 3, and 4 training effectiveness for the new training you will implement?

Answer 1

Yes, it is necessary to know the effectiveness of training, after it's successful implementation. Because whenever an organization is planning to implement training and development programs for its employees, there is an expectation of improved skills, productivity and greater retention rates. So, in order to determine whether the new training was worth of the organizations' investment or not, we need to analyze it from various levels.

Level 1: In this level we can judge the reactions of the employees about the training program. We can take the help of surveys, questionnaires or talk to them directly to collect feedback on the training experience. We need to ask them whether the training content is relevant to them and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the program?
After discussing with the employees, we can have a clear understanding of how well the training was received by the employees and if there is any gap then it needs to be filled soon.

Level 2: At level 2, we can measure the knowledge and skills acquired by the employees after the completion of training program. We can do it by taking tests during and after the training, examining the influence of training on their performance and analyzing supervisor's report and feedback.
At this stage, we can able to determine whether the training is meeting its objectives and what are the areas for improvements in content and method of delivery.

Level 3: At this level we can understand the impact of training on the employee's performance and attitude. We can use self-assessment questionnaires, informal feedback from peers and managers, focus on their working style, KPIs, customer surveys to know the effectiveness of our training program.

Level 4: At this level we can measure the outcomes of training, such as reduced cost, improved quality, faster project delivery, good customer handling, employee retention and increased sales. For this we need to check our business outcomes, increased productivity and quality of work, customer satisfaction level and employee retention.

Training is all about improving individual and team performances and in turn improving the overall performance of the organization. So it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the training and ensure a solid return on investment.