What's your secret to training customer support agents on using tools?

Before diving into any training, it’s crucial to assess where agents stand. At Smart Role, we’ve developed personalized training paths based on initial skill assessments. This isn’t about overwhelming agents with unnecessary information but understanding what they already know and where their gaps are. With this approach, we can ensure that training is laser-focused on what will help them improve the most. Tailoring the content to their existing skills boosts confidence and creates a faster learning curve.

The secret to training customer support agents on using tools is to combine hands-on practice with interactive training sessions, ensuring they understand the tools' functionalities while emphasising real-world applications.

The tools you choose for training make all the difference. In my experience, the best tools are intuitive and flexible, like the ones we’ve integrated into Smart Role. We prioritize ease of use and scalability, ensuring the platform grows with the team. Smart Role supports customer support tools like Zendesk, which agents are already familiar with, so they spend less time learning the tools and more time applying them to real-world situations. The right tool makes the learning seamless.

Train customer support agents using interactive sessions, comprehensive documentation, gradual onboarding, regular refreshers, and encourage peer learning to promote confidence and competence in using tools effectively.

There’s no substitute for hands-on experience. In Smart Role, we take agents through live simulations where they can practice using the tools in a controlled environment before they interact with actual customers. This step is vital because it builds confidence and muscle memory. The agents are not just learning how to navigate a system—they’re learning how to apply that system in real-world customer interactions, which is where true competence comes from.

Training isn’t a one-time event—it’s an ongoing process. At Smart Role, we provide continuous refreshers and follow-up training sessions to reinforce what agents have learned. This is especially important in customer service, where tools and customer expectations evolve. We also provide metrics so agents can see their progress and areas for improvement, which keeps them motivated to keep learning. Keeping training fresh ensures agents stay sharp and avoid the pitfalls of complacency.

One thing often overlooked is the importance of feedback loops. At Smart Role, after agents complete their training, we provide immediate feedback. This allows them to correct mistakes quickly and improve in real time. Additionally, we track metrics like CSAT and resolution times post-training to ensure the tools are being used effectively. It’s not just about training agents to use a tool—it’s about continuously improving how they use it, based on measurable outcomes.