TrainingPros, in collaboration with a renowned IT company, has been awarded the 2023 Brandon Hall Group Bronze Award for Best Use of Blended Learning. This recognition highlights the exceptional partnership in creating a transformative blended learning program that upskilled customer support agents to effectively transition from technical support to sales-driven interactions via messaging platforms.

Executive Summary

In response to a rapid shift in customer communication preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic, a leading IT company partnered with TrainingPros to upskill their global support agents. Historically focused on technical troubleshooting, these agents needed to adapt their skills to engage customers through chat and messaging while driving sales. TrainingPros provided both instructional design expertise and innovative training solutions to meet this challenge, resulting in the creation of a highly successful blended learning program that garnered industry recognition.

The Challenge

In 2020, the IT services company experienced a surge in customers using asynchronous channels such as chat and messaging to communicate with their support agents. Previously, the primary focus of these agents had been on technical support, not sales. However, this sudden shift in communication led to a significant negative impact on business metrics, including customer satisfaction, sales conversion, and revenue per day per agent.

Upon analysis, the company discovered that its support agents lacked the skills and confidence to transition conversations from support to sales in a messaging environment. Additionally, the guides struggled to provide the same level of service via chat as they did through voice channels. This gap in skills prompted the need for a comprehensive training solution to enable the support agents to meet new business demands.

The Solution

TrainingPros collaborated with the IT services company to design and implement a blended learning program. The program aimed to upskill both support agents and their supervisors to not only improve customer satisfaction but also increase sales conversion and revenue through messaging channels.

The blended learning program incorporated various learning modalities, including:

• Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT): Eleven sessions for supervisors and seven sessions for support agents, featuring interactive breakout activities, roleplays, and real-time feedback.
• eLearning Courses: Five interactive, 15-minute eLearning modules covering key foundational knowledge, including drag-and-drop exercises, system simulations, and branching scenarios.
• Microlearning Videos: Short “TikTok”-style videos designed to reinforce empathy and customer engagement, using real-life scenarios with actual support agetns.
• Train-the-Trainer Events: Sessions to prepare supervisors for facilitating workshops and providing coaching.
• Role Plays and 360-Degree Feedback: Opportunities for participants to practice their skills in a safe environment while receiving constructive feedback.

The program was designed with cultural sensitivity in mind, recognizing the global and remote nature of the CARE Guides. By understanding their specific needs and challenges, the TrainingPros team ensured the content was accessible and relatable, fostering engagement and skill adoption.

The Result

The blended learning program exceeded expectations and delivered measurable improvements across key business metrics:

• Customer Satisfaction: Increased by 1.47%, as measured by the Net Promoter Score (NPS).
• Sales Conversion: Improved by 0.8%.
• Efficiency: The number of customers served per logged hour (CCPLH) improved by 0.18%.
• Revenue Impact: Revenue per support agent per day increased by $12.72, directly contributing to the company’s bottom line.

The IT services company and TrainingPros’ collaborative efforts in designing and delivering this program have set a new standard for sales and customer service training in the industry.