UK call centres not investing in training

UK call centres aren't spending on personnel training, despite reports of poor customer service provided at such facilities.

A mere three per cent of the country's call centres saw a rise in training budgets over the last year, according to a recent study.

Over three-quarters of businesses lack even the ability to quantify the financial effect of call centre training.

Without evidence of training's impact on the bottom line, the thinking goes, companies are generally unwilling to invest more on schooling employees in sales and customer handling techniques.

Of the 400 call centre managers polled, 23 per cent said they were responsible for training budgets. Decisions are more commonly left to HR directors (35 per cent) and managing or financial directors (30 per cent), who are likely to require hard numbers before boosting spending.

Training has a marked impact on employee retention, the research shows. Call centres that prioritise training have a 20 per cent lower churn rate than those who do not.

The survey was conducted by Telebusiness Partners, a division of Call Centre Technology, which provides call centre training.

Despite the source's admittedly vested interest in the results, the research supports earlier evidence of the poor quality of customer service UK call centres. It also echoes silicon.com reader feedback, which, though divided on the issue, included plenty of stories of poor call centre experiences.