Call‐center staff are talking positive at Co‐operative Financial Services: Culture‐change program promotes new leadership style

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to detail a training program that helped to create a shift in culture, change behavior and promote a new style of leadership at Co‐operative Financial Services (CFS) call center.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes the background to the training program, the way in which it was designed and delivered, and the results it has achieved. Also examines how the program was branded within CFS.

Findings

The paper demonstrates that the program, named Talking Positive and designed in collaboration with learning specialist Academee, combines practical sessions, group discussion, question‐and‐answer sessions and ongoing action planning. There is also a separate a learning program to provide team managers with the skills and confidence to support call advisers with coaching.

Practical implications

The paper reveals that a benchmarking exercise showed CFS customer‐service rankings to have improved significantly since the introduction of Talking Positive.

Originality/value

The paper highlights how each participant has devised and signed an individual pledge – something he or she has vowed to achieve – and these are pinned up throughout the contact center.

Citation

(2009), "Call‐center staff are talking positive at Co‐operative Financial Services: Culture‐change program promotes new leadership style", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 10-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670730910963244