TELUS Communications Inc. – Operator Services
In 2001, following deregulation of the telecommunications industry in Canada during the 1990s which led to market driven competition, TELUS was formed and is now Canada’s second largest national telecommunications provider with over 25,000 employees across the nation. In keeping with one of its corporate values, “We have the courage to innovate.” and corporate strategy of moving all team members to web-enablement, TELUS engaged in a number of innovative learning initiatives. Perhaps the most innovative learning initiative completed in 2003 was in Operator Services, in which instructor-led courses were transformed into a blended format to standardize customer service for TELUS customers and ensure continuous performance improvement for all TELUS team members.
The Challenge
Of
critical importance was the need to standardize the performance of the
team of operators who are responsible for performing a number of key roles
directly with TELUS customers. Until 2003, operators were trained in roles
such as directory assistance and processing toll services via traditional
classroom based (face-to-face) methods. But to cope with the turbulent
nature of the highly competitive long distance market, to meet resource
shortages due to employee turnover, or even natural disasters, where our
service levels have to be increased immediately and to keep pace with necessary
changes in automated systems and internationally integrated data bases,
the company recognized that training had to be delivered consistently,
frequently and on an as-needed basis.
Hands-on practice is key to success but a large amount of knowledge is also required prior to using the systems. Hiring is done a few at a time and turnover is high. Systems are being merged into interoperable combinations. The population affected was of moderate size (about 250 people) and dispersed in eight offices across two provinces (British Columbia and Alberta). The age range of operators is vast (18–45 years).
The Strategy and Solution
TELUS, in partnership with Performance Solutions International, acting as vendor/consultant, combined four instructor-led courses into one blended course, utilizing eLearning (60%), and self-directed as well as facilitated hands-on practice (40%). The goal for the Operator Services Blended Training Program is for employees to develop their competence so that they are proficient at performing their job function.
An analysis of the existing courseware was conducted to assess its readiness for eLearning and reviewed the learning characteristics of the target population. This allowed the development team to streamline the curriculum, whereby unnecessary content was removed. More emphasis and focus on learning styles was incorporated into the design and development of all content and learning activities. The new program enhances consistency in the content delivery and ability to check for knowledge retention through a series of frequent online exercises and strategic formal testing. With the majority of content now delivered via eLearning, facilitators responsible for the hands-on practice component can focus on coaching and skills development rather than just transmitting information.
Two training approaches were utilized to broaden and enhance the instructional skills of the facilitators. First, a virtual classroom was used to coach a multitude of trainers in both provinces on how to use the blended delivery guide prepared for them to implement the courses. Second, face-to-face facilitation skills training workshops were delivered to ensure success when delivering each component of the new blended program.
Each “course” was 1–3 weeks long, depending on the skill sets being addressed. Each eLearning course was modular (13 and 22 modules respectively). The duration of each module ranged from 20 minutes to 2 hours. Facilitators were responsible for directing the learners to complete a set of eLearning modules, then conduct a formal de-briefing session, followed by a skills-based practical application session. In addition, learners engaged in online evaluation while completing the eLearning modules and completed formal examinations (both online knowledge tests and practical hands-on performance tests) at strategic intervals throughout the course. Within 3 months of completing their training and applying what they learned in training, each participant was also required to complete formal performance tests conducted by management.
Costs to analyze, design, develop and produce the blended delivery program was $153,000.00 which included $140,000.00 for the eLearning modules, $7,000.00 for analysis of existing training, and $6,000.00 for the virtual classroom and facilitation skill sessions.
The Results
The operator service blended training program was successful in achieving
the desired objective that 90% of students would pass the functional tests
on their first attempt and be able to function on the sixth day taking
live calls. Facilitators reported that after training and students had
completed their first four hours with live customers, they felt reasonably
comfortable. All students took responsibility for their learning progress
and attained the mandatory passing grade of 85% or higher.
The program also served as an introduction to the concept of employee development, giving new hires the opportunity to make use of the TELUS Learning Management System/Learning Gateway and to become active, self-directed learners. This is a key attribute to instill in all operators for their on-going development within their current role as well as any future roles within TELUS.
The Operator Services Blended Delivery Program allows TELUS to deliver training to new hires and incumbents alike on a flexible scheduled basis. The training enables operators to conduct their job function in high performance teams and cope with the continuous change in the increasingly competitive global telecommunications market.
Key benefits of the program are:
- Direct savings to the corporation by reducing the high cost of classroom training (reduced program, travel, and off-site costs). Since training is now delivered 60% via eLearning and 40% classroom, TELUS is able to significantly reduce the cost associated with training while increasing the amount of knowledge and skills acquired by operators.
- Reduce the direct costs of course development. The eLearning modules are easily updated by Subject Matter Experts (employees) using the original courseware as templates.
- Indirect savings in the form of increased operator proficiency and enterprise-wide consistent performance of the job functions. Operators are able to access updates to the eLearning modules on an as-needed basis, thereby reducing the time needed to learn new material.