Design a learning programme
For this assignment, imagine you have been appointed to lead a group of external consultants to devise
and deliver a new learning programme for a new service centre (call centre) employing a staff of 250. You
may choose to locate this fictional call centre in any place of your choosing, but you must justify your
choice based on sound human resource planning grounds. For example, think about the availability of
potential employees with the appropriate skills.
For this Individual Assignment, complete Stage 2.
Introduction
The International Call Service Centre (ICS Centre) is one of the call centers located in
Alexandria, Egypt, that provides employment to 300 employees. Considering the fact that the
Center is mainly situated in Egypt, the center is in a position to operate every day of the week for
24 hours with the aim of ensuring that the clients get the best of their needs addressed. The call
centers location is known for its abundant resources that enable the facility to flourish. These
resources include the availability of skilled personnel including the business opportunities from
the organizations that are within the geographical region (Chomal, & Baruah, pp. 53-60.2014).
International Call Service Centre (ICS Centre) is anticipated to be one of the professional
service centers in Alexandria that is incorporated to provide high-quality services at the best
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value for its clients. To be competitive in the market, the organization needs to develop a
learning programme that will ensure their newly appointed supervisors are skilled in promoting
efficiency within the organization. This has therefore seen the development of a training program
scheduled for a month that will be conducted within the work environment.
The company’s supervisors will, therefore, be trained six days a week in which they will
be allowed a break on Sundays. In order to enhance the impact of this programme, the training
will be interactive, a factor that will involve the participation of the supervisors. This aimed at
improving the level of involvement in the program, an approach that is opposed to carrying out a
trainer-led session. This paper, therefore, aims at providing a framework for a learning
programme that the supervisors will undergo during the first month after their recruitment.
A Matrix Setting Out the Learning Programme for the First Month of Employment
In this level, the supervisors during the first month of employment will undertake the soft
skills training to give clearly them the understanding of the call center. The matrix will involve
end-to-end information that is needed to enter into vertical-specific BPOs (Chomal, & Baruah,
pp. 53-60.2014). The matrix will therefore involve;
Orientation to the Call Center:
The supervisors are taken through this process in order to have a clear understanding of
the call center industry and the functions within the industry.
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- The supervisors will be given an orientation of their future job roles and functions, a
factor that is aimed at giving the supervisors more focus and motivation in their various
functions (Eisenbeiss, Knippenberg, & Fahrbach, p. 635-651. 2015). These factors would
involve an understanding of the procedures and the functions of the call center including
the legal processes among other factors. - General Industrial Knowledge: During the first month, the supervisors will be provided
with the ideologies on current market condition to improve their performances in the call
center. A clear understanding of the economics of the market in Egypt and its future
growth approaches including the pros and cons of the industry are provided. - The roles of the supervisors within the call center are also defined to give them the
understanding of its importance in providing quality services to the customers
(Eisenbeiss, et, al). An understanding of the influence of bad services and the relationship
dynamics of customers is also discussed in the matrix.
Verbal Communication and Language Skills;
During the first month, the supervisors are also trained on using the verbal and language
skills aimed at improving communication within the call center. The supervisors are trained on
how to speak and communicate cogently to enrich their skills in communication. Considering
that the call center is in Egypt, the supervisors are required to master how the local community
uses communication within the market (Khalifa, Mohamed, Quang 135–150. 2010). The new
supervisors at International Call Service Centre (ICSC) center are also engaged on how to
enhance the telephone and communication skills effectively within the organization. This ensures
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that the supervisors are vast with the gadgets used in the call center and the significance of voice
clarity. This matrix also provides that the supervisors are trained on;
- The basic computer skills
- The barriers to effective communication
- Telephone etiquette
- The importance of playing roles and phone simulations
- Sales training approaches
- Active listening
- An understanding of the sales techniques
- Effective call handling
- The importance of team work
Cultural Familiarity with Egypt
In this matrix, the supervisors are taken through an understanding of the culture of the
organizations target market. Through this, they are taken through the likes and dislikes of the
Egyptian people in order to determine their customer’s preferences (Khalifa, et.al). This
knowledge is aimed at enhancing their communication skills, a factor that will enhance their
effectiveness in their conversations with employees and the customers. They are also expected to
determine the popular events, leisure time and lifestyles, spots, festivities and holidays of the
Egyptians.
The Value Add Training Approach
This matrix ensures that the supervisors are taught during their first month on the
dynamics of actualizing group activities including the benefits of working with a team in order to
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appropriately handle matters related to teamwork (Lawler & Boudreau pp 122-134.2013). The
training offered, therefore, ensured that:
- The supervisors are vast with team building and organization of their individual goals
with the team goals. - Positive attitude and personal development
- Building emotional intelligence among the trainees
- The management of work-related stress and ergonomics
- Group and individual discussions and assessments and the planning of different activities
Management Principles
This matrix will also focus on enhancing the managerial skills of the trainees through; - Enhancement of leadership approaches
- Assessment and improvement of leadership skills
- Strategic setting of goals
- The development of a call centers strategy
- Conflict management
- Human resource management
- Performance management
- Employee motivation technics and programs
- Scheduling of workforce
Justification of the Design of the Programme
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The program design was developed to capture and display the full abilities of the newly
recruited supervisors through an approach aimed at improving their capacities. The program was
also aimed at recognizing the fair abilities of the trainees and providing a directive towards the
advancement of the call center’s growth (PR, N 2015 pp 55.2015). Through the training, the
supervisors were able to determine the fact that wok is not only a series of tasks but the
advancement of their roles within the organization including their responsibilities. This factor,
therefore, wrought an improvement in the functions of the call center through an enhanced
approach that supports the accomplishment of duties through teamwork.
During the program, the facilitators offered instructions through approaches that were
directed towards driving the point’s home (Schultz, Duane, Sydney pp. 38–39.2010). This
involved the assignment of duties within a workstation to determine the effectiveness of the
training program. The supervisors were also allowed to work in teams and deliver on group
projects to incorporate the element of teamwork.
Evaluating the Programme
The program was evaluated based on the best values in relation to the delivery of training
and the results achieved after the training sessions including the cost-effectiveness of the
approach (Smither, & London, pp 23.2009). The organization would, therefore, evaluate this
program through an assessment aimed at establishing the capabilities of the supervisors in
carrying out their functions and responsibilities.
Conclusion
After the program, International Call Service Centre a call center based in Alexandria,
Egypt, anticipates an increase in its productivity levels in the industry. The training is expected
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to improve the skills of the new supervisors to enhance their productivity within the
organization, a factor that will ensure the organization is competitive in the Egyptian market.
References
Chomal, N, & Baruah, P 2014, ‘Performance Linked Reward and Job Satisfaction: Banking
Sector’, SCMS Journal Of Indian Management, 11, 4, pp. 53-60, Business Source
Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 25 September 2015. Retrieved from
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6e7e53c93d92%40sessionmgr113&vid=1&hid=117
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Eisenbeiss, S, Knippenberg, D, & Fahrbach, C 2015, ‘Doing Well by Doing Good? Analyzing
the Relationship Between CEO Ethical Leadership and Firm Performance’, Journal Of
Business Ethics, 3, p. 635-651, Academic OneFile, EBSCOhost, viewed25 September
Khalifa, Mohamed Hossam El-Din; Truong, Quang (2010). “The Relationship between
Employee Perceptions of Equity and Job Satisfaction in the Egyptian Private
Universities” (PDF). Eurasian Journal of Business and Economics 3 (5): 135–150.
Lawler & Boudreau. (2013). Achieving strategic excellence: Assessment of Human resource
organizations. Stanford, CA.122-134
PR, N 2015, ‘Best Practices in Building World-Class Consumer & Over-the-Counter Call
Centers’, PR Newswire US, 31 July, Regional Business News, EBSCOhost, viewed 25
September 2015.pp 55
Schultz, Duane P.; Schultz, Sydney Ellen (2010). Psychology and Work Today: An Introduction
to Industrial and Organizational Psychology (10th ed.). New York City: Prentice Hall. pp.
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Smither, J.W. & London, M. (2009). Performance Management: Putting Research into Action.
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