Simulations Keep Contact Center Employees at the Top of Their Game
By Joseph T. Sefcik, Jr.
President, Employment Technologies Corporation
employment.technologies@etc-easy.com
877.684.4548
What if one technology could ensure that each member of your contact center team is engaged, prepared, and performing at the top of their game?
What if employees could learn from their mistakes with virtual customers rather than making mistakes with your real customers? What impact would that have on your employees, your customers, and your business?
What if your job applicants could pre-experience the job? Would they have different expectations; would they be better prepared to handle your most difficult customers or to solve the most complex issues?
What if you could accurately predict employees’ success before they’re hired?
You can with simulation!
Simulations Are Not Just for Pilots and Astronauts Anymore
Simulation technology has come a long way from a time when it was limited primarily to aviation and aerospace. The use of simulation is becoming mainstream and successful contact centers and progressive HR managers worldwide are catching the trend. There’s good reason, too. No other HR technology can deliver the value and effectiveness of employment simulations.
What comes to mind when you think of simulation? Whether you imagine a flight simulator or a simulated ride at a theme park, the term typically evokes an image of a highly interactive, engaging sensory experience. Employment simulations bring this “wow” factor to the workplace.
By blending advanced simulation technology with proven assessment methods, employment simulations provide a faster, easier, and more accurate way to predict each employee’s path to success.
Typically web- or PC-based, employment simulations immerse participants in key job roles where they perform actual job tasks and solve real workplace issues. Other HR tools may provide insight into a person’s opinions or ability to take a test, but only employment simulations provide a direct measure of performance. As a result, simulations are proven to predict job performance with unparalleled accuracy.
What are the Benefits of Employment Simulations?
Realistic. There’s a reason new drivers are given a short road test before they’re granted a driver’s license. While the written test and eye test are important, only the road test requires real performance behind the wheel. The road test is a simulation of a real driving experience. The written test may show what a driver knows about driving, but only the road test proves whether he or she can actually drive. Just like a road test, employment simulations let participants test drive the job and prove they have the skills to succeed. There’s no faking or bluffing on a simulation. The performance is real, and the results are real.
Engaging. Employment simulations look and feel different than other HR tools. Highly visual and engaging simulations immerse participants in real-life experiences and cause them to take action. You can’t be a passive participant in a simulation—the immediacy and realism motivate you to do something. Employment simulations are more interesting and true to life by design and as a result, participants react positively. The experience is richer and participants’ attitudes are better. They see the realism, they engage in the experience, and they’re empowered to take action.
Efficient. Employment simulations are extremely efficient because they compress time and events. Simulations expose employees to circumstances that might otherwise take weeks or months to experience on the job. In essence, employment simulations allow employees to fast-forward to the key issues that determine success. This pre-experience boosts managers’ confidence in employees because they know employees have developed stronger skills and perform better. More importantly, pre-experience boosts employees’ confidence in themselves. Simulations allow employees to handle the most challenging issues, to learn from their mistakes without consequences, and to experience mastery and success—making a direct impact on job satisfaction, performance, and productivity.
Accurate. Employment simulations maximize the amount of information gathered in the shortest amount of time. By design, employment simulations increase the frequency and number of variables measured. As a result, well-designed simulations typically double or triple the amount of information as compared to traditional tests. When data input is increased by such a significant amount, the reliability and accuracy of predictions increase exponentially. For example, simulations used for hiring often show increases in accuracy from two to four times greater than other test results.
Fair. Employment simulations create a level playing field where candidates are given an equal opportunity to succeed. Because they are highly job relevant, employment simulations are proven to result in higher accuracy, more favorable applicant acceptance, fewer legal challenges, and less adverse impact than traditional employment tests.
How Can Contact Centers Use Employment Simulations?
Employment simulations are used in all phases of the HR process, including training and development, interviewing, and hiring.
Training and Development. Employee training and development is a natural use of simulation because employees gain experience performing the same tasks they will handle on the job. Employment simulations create a risk-free environment where employees are free to practice their skills, perfect their techniques, and perform for optimal results. Consequently, employees require less training and are better prepared. For new employees, simulations have shown to reduce training time by as much as 66%. By shortening the learning curve, employers not only save thousands of dollars in training costs, but more importantly, they can also earn tens of thousands of dollars from increased productivity.
Interviewing. Employment interviewing is often an expensive, time-consuming process influenced by personal biases. Recognizing the inefficiencies of traditional interviewing, more and more contact centers are turning to simulated “virtual interviews,” particularly for first round interviews. Simulated interviews combine realistic avatar technology with structured behavioral interview questions and criteria to increase consistency, accuracy, and fairness. Virtual interviews are available 24/7, expanding access to qualified candidates, overcoming time restrictions, and eliminating travel costs.
Hiring. When used for hiring, employment simulations give businesses a competitive advantage by pinpointing top-performing applicants. Employment simulations achieve the highest level of accuracy in predicting performance compared to other pre-employment tests. Simulations are proven to identify applicants who will perform better and reach performance goals faster. By hiring someone with a stronger skill set, businesses not only save cost, but they earn a much greater and faster return. If ever there were a crystal ball for human resources, then employment simulation is that clear glass globe that predicts future performance and success.
With rapidly advancing technology, new applications are emerging all the time. Companies are now using employment simulations for game-style learning tools, virtual product demonstrations, corporate messages, and more. Regardless of the application, well-designed simulations deliver a high degree of realism and sophistication that’s clearly different from other learning, development, or selection tools. Comparing classroom-style training or traditional tests to simulations is like comparing tic-tac-toe to a game of Halo.
Who Should Consider Employment Simulations?
Until recently, employment simulations have made the most sense for employers that have a large number of employees and large budgets. However, recent advances have made the technology readily accessible and scalable for smaller companies. While development cost used to be a barrier, the good news is that employment simulations are now surprisingly affordable particularly for hourly, front-line positions.
Competitive advantage is often determined by how well prepared we are and how we respond to changes in business climate and market demands. So, our biggest challenge today is to anticipate and be prepared for those changes. Employment Simulations challenge employees to be prepared for a variety of situations and outcomes. And simulations prepare employees to be challenged—and to face those challenges with experience and confidence.
Employment simulations are more than a trend; they are a proven tool for hiring the right people and keeping them performing at the top of their game. With the power of simulation at your fingertips, your employees win, your customers win, and you win. What better way to prepare for the future?
Joseph T. Sefcik, Jr., M.S. Industrial/Organizational Psychology, is the founder and president of Employment Technologies Corporation. As a thought leader in simulation technology, Mr. Sefcik pioneered some of the earliest employment simulations for organizations such as The Coca Cola Company, Ford Motor Company, and the New York Police Department. For more than 30 years, his passion has been the advancement of simulation technology for personnel selection and development, and he is a recognized expert in optimizing contact center performance and productivity. He can be reached at employment.technologies@etc-easy.com.
Employment Technologies Corporation (ETC) is the world’s leading provider of employment simulations. ETC was the first company to develop employment simulations and continues to lead the industry in innovation, excellence, and value. ETC offers a suite of award-winning EASy Simulations® designed specifically for key contact center jobs, including customer service reps, collection agents, e-representatives, and team leaders. Discover how EASy Simulations can reduce costs, increase productivity, and transform your contact center. Call 877.684.4548 or visit www.etc-easy.com.