Ensuring Work-at-Home Agent Success with a Strong Education

Preparing Agents for Success

Sara was putting herself through school to teach when she started her career with Working Solutions. That was in 2010, with her first job as a customer service agent.

Before that, she worked as a reservation sales agent for United Airlines and a flight attendant for Northwest Airlines. She also spent time in the legal field as a legal secretary before deciding to pursue her dream of becoming an educator.

One Degree Away

While working as an agent for Working Solutions, a coworker told her she could use her degree to move into training and development. She graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Social Science, including a concentration in education and a minor in psychology and child development.

That degree paid off a year later with a contract instructor position for Working Solutions. Then, in 2015, she became an employee and agent education specialist.

Getting High Marks

Today, Sara instructs agents for travel and retail clients.

With her travel client, the development program focuses on sales conversions. “While learning the program, the goal for our agents is to convert 20% of customer calls to bookings,” said Sara.

“As of late, when agents leave our class, our group is converting at around 23%.” Once agents go live, she said the goal is to reach 30%.

On the retail side of things, “it’s all about how agents treat customers and quality service.” To that end, Sara and the team make teaching more interactive and engaging, with self-paced courses. They also introduced a new phone platform—and chat—with the client that makes it easier for agents to serve customers.

Agents have scored their learning experience for both programs with high marks, ranging from 90% to 99%.

When it comes to her education philosophy, Sara makes a point to “keep an open-door policy and listen to agent feedback.” All with the goal that agents understand what’s being taught to perform their best.

“It’s all about how agents treat customers and quality service.”