1. The big picture: learning, training and development in contact centres

Introduction; The need for learning and development; Defining a call/contact centre; The development of call/contact centres; Drivers of learning and development; Barriers to learning, training and development; The labour market and employment; The labour market and call centres; Building a positive reputation; Outsourcing and offshoring; Supporting regeneration through training and development; The customer service imperative; Stress; Conclusion

2. Structuring learning and development

Introduction; Supporting organizational objectives; Customer service and training strategy; Responsibility for training; A deskilled occupation?; A skilled occupation; Content areas and forms of delivery; Marketing and promoting training and development; In-house training or outsourced?; Training duration; Training as motivation; Contact centres as learning organizations; Conclusion

3. Skills and competencies

Introduction; Call centre skills; The range of skills; Qualifications; The e-skills contact centre career and skills framework; Skills and employability; Conclusion

4. Recruiting, inducting and socializing new employees

Introduction; Recruiting and selecting; Qualifications; Attitude; Induction; Socialization; Conclusion

5. Communicating and connecting with the customer

Introduction; Theories of communication; Communicating effectively; Sounding right - the aesthetics of spoken language; Spoken communication; Communication skills training; Written communication; Transition from a call centre to a contact centre; Conclusion

6. Delivering excellent customer service

Introduction; Price versus service; Customer satisfaction; Customizing service through attitude training; Customer service techniques; Understanding customers; Handling abusive customers; Conclusion

7. Coaching and mentoring

Introduction; Coaching/mentoring; Stages in the coaching process; Trust; Committing to action; Giving feedback; Types of coaching; Conclusion

8. System skills training Christine Cross and Anthony Brennan

Introduction; The learning cycle; Learning styles; Principles of adult learning; The training cycle; Tips for the trainer; Conclusion

9. Management development in call centres Giles McClelland and Robert Hale

Introduction; What is management?; The importance of strong management; Management ability and contemporary issues in call centres; Different types of call centre management qualifications; Management in the learning company; Developing extraordinary management in the learning company; Conclusion

10. Developing emotional intelligence and managing stress

Introduction; Working in call centres; Emotional labour; The development of emotional intelligence; Using emotional intelligence in call centres; Emotional contagion and remaining positive; Handling stress; Transactional analysis; Conclusion

11. Managing international cross-cultural communications Declan Mulkeen, William Resch and Eugene Piccinini, Communicaid

Introduction; Where are we now?; Communication challenges in offshore call centres; Base language challenges; Training solutions; Empathy: the missing 1 per cent; Emotional intelligence; Cultural intelligence; Linguistic competence; Is there a solution?; Conclusion

12. Managing and evaluating performance

Introduction; Performance management; Measuring quantity; Quantity versus quality; The impact of training; Personal development plans; Valuing people and performance; Levels of training evaluation; Monitoring employees; Conclusion