Preparing New Call Center Agents for Live Calls

We began with an existing curriculum roadmap that outlined the required topics, learning formats, deliverables, and estimated seat times. From there, we helped organize the content into a deliberate progression toward live calls.

Agents first encountered new information through eLearning, then explored it with an instructor, practiced within the systems, and discussed what they discovered. Structured shadowing connected the classroom experience to real calls before agents began handling calls themselves.

We also developed questions for pre- and post-training assessments, giving the client a consistent way to examine what learners understood at the beginning and end of the program.

Knowing how each system worked independently was not enough. Agents needed practice deciding where to look, which path to follow, and how to combine information from multiple sources while assisting a caller.

We designed scavenger hunts that guided learners through the website, digital file system, and internal systems. We also created learner handouts that prompted agents to record what they found, complete activities, and make connections across the available resources.

Because the two call center roles followed different routes within the same tools, we structured activities to begin with shared instruction and then direct learners toward the screens, resources, and scenarios relevant to their work.

The final instructor-led practice prepared agents to apply their knowledge in situations that reflected the pace and uncertainty of live work.

We designed a call-rehearsal activity that guided instructors to play recorded calls in segments. At planned pause points, learners documented what they would do next and completed the corresponding action within the system. The instructor then continued the call and led a discussion about the trainer’s decision.

This structure slowed the experience down enough for learners to consider the caller’s tone, urgency, and needs, ask questions, and understand why one response might be more appropriate than another. Learners then carried those observations directly into structured shadowing.

As the project evolved, we took on additional responsibility for instructional design guidance, coordination, quality assurance, and functional testing.

We collaborated closely with the other instructional designers to align activities and design decisions across the curriculum. To support consistency across six instructor guides, we created a shared Word template and style sheet with standard terminology and visual cues. These elements helped instructors quickly recognize pacing notes, activities, discussion points, and areas of emphasis.

We also reviewed developing eLearning, tested its functionality, and identified gaps or inconsistencies.

When the project manager built the project structure in Asana, she consulted with us about how to represent the team’s current assignments and progress.