Why You Should Opt For A Gamified LMS For Your Customer Service Department
The gamification of online training is transforming the eLearning world, from a one-way task into an immersive, interactive online learning experience. Gamified LMS provides online learners with the opportunity to connect with the subject in an interesting and engaging way. Countless studies demonstrate the link between gamified eLearning and improved retention and adoption. Customer service online training is one department that definitely needs to be riding this wave. Indeed, the whole customer service operation could be gamified—from call statistics to feedback, an environment of competition fits naturally. Let’s focus in on employee development, though—why is a gamified LMS so important for customer service online training?
1. The Learning Experience Is Fun, Enticing And Trackable
Customer service is a fast-paced environment, with every second accounted for. If online training is to be successful, the approach must be results-driven. Gamification provides an appealing proposition for both the employees and the management. While employees get to earn rewards for their participation, team leaders can monitor their performance. They intervene when necessary by offering supplemental support to bridge gaps.
2. Provides A Safe Place To Test, Try And Fail
Do we want employees to test their new skills directly on customers? Wouldn't it be better to let them practice in a virtual environment, through a game, then learn from their mistakes? A gamified LMS improves retention and adoption by testing and practicing, increasing the learner’s decision-making confidence. If they don’t earn the required amount of points, they can immediately identify what went wrong and how to improve. They’re also able to try new approaches or techniques in a risk-free environment.
3. Employees See Instant Results From Their Gameplay
You don’t need to wait for the results of an online assessment, or answer a lot of questions, to see how you are progressing in online training. If you get something right, it’s obvious—you move on to the next challenge, reward or level. If you get something wrong, you can try again. This is an important motivator for staff members, providing to-the-minute feedback which can be invaluable in retaining information. No other approach is quite so instantaneous as gamified LMS.
4. Mini-Games Can Be Rolled Out Regularly
There's no need to focus on providing a full game that replaces a traditional eLearning module. Instead, you can more quickly develop mini-games to provide fast and easy online training on new products, services or processes. These require minimal context and communication for the employee but deliver fast skill training when the time is short, making them the ideal JIT training tool to incorporate into your gamification LMS strategy.
5. Game Mechanics Have A Positive Impact On Behavior Change
By providing a repetitive experience, game mechanics have a proven benefit to retention. If you want to ensure behavior change, you need to build confidence and retrain established ways of operating. Customer service online training gamification provides a real-world space in which to practice new skills or behaviors. Practicing first means customer service staff are more likely to repeat the new behavior once they are back with customers.
6. Adding A Social Element Through A Gamified LMS
Customer service teams thrive on teamwork and positive collaboration. Social platforms delivered by gamified LMS provide a new opportunity for collaboration and team growth. Encourage customer service employees to chat, search out new information, and complete challenges together. Focusing these collaborative activities on learning provides both better team interaction and better online learning experiences. You can even allow them to share badges to their social media profiles to spark discussion. Not to mention, give them the opportunity to show off their achievements and motivate their peers to reach the next rank.
7. Improved Retention And Adoption
There is no doubt that a highly-skilled customer service operation has a real impact on the bottom line. Customer experience is a key source of competitive advantage. Delivering eLearning that engages, motivates and embeds new behaviors demonstrates a customer-focused organization. Employees are more likely to remember what they’ve learned and then apply it on-the-job if it’s tied to a favorable online training experience. In addition, it doesn’t get more favorable than incorporating rewards that recognize their accomplishments.
8. Personalizes Employee Development
With a gamified LMS, employees have the power to pick-and-choose paths that align with their gaps and goals. For example, they can strive for the communication skills badge, or try to successfully complete a task simulation to earn points and improve performance. Not only does it tap into their primary source of motivation, but it allows them to focus on aspects of professional development that resonate with them.
Without a doubt, there is one department that can have an instant, and lasting, impact on customer experience. And don’t we all want to be the company that is known for great customer care? Equipping customer service teams with high-quality, fast, reliable skills training is essential if we are to see customer interactions that can improve company profits. Not only will a highly-skilled front line be able to speed up issue resolutions, but they will also be able to suggest process improvements. No eLearning approach has quite the same immersive power, with proven retention and adoption, like gamification. Implementing a gamified LMS for your customer service department demonstrates a commitment to creating a fast-paced, fun and interactive online learning environment. Gamification of the online learning experience puts the focus of learning on getting customer interactions right, every time.
Have you ever wondered if the advantages of gamification can be applied to online training? Read our eBook Beyond Badges: How To Use A Gamification LMS To Retain Your Top Talent And Boost ROI and find out the surprising perks of investing in a gamification LMS.
