Tarnwick Energy Call-Centre Adviser Training

Introduction

Welcome to Tarnwick Energy. All new customer advisers complete a four-week training programme before they take calls on their own. The programme is held at our training suite on the second floor of the Riverside building, and it runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. You will be paid your normal salary throughout, and lunch is provided free of charge on the first day only. Please bring photo identification on your first morning so that we can issue your building pass.

Weeks one and two

The first fortnight takes place mainly in the classroom. You will learn how our billing system works, how meter readings are recorded and how to explain a customer's bill in plain language. A large part of week two is spent on the computer system, using practice accounts so that mistakes cannot affect real customers. At the end of the second week there is a short written test; anyone who does not pass is given extra coaching and may take it again once.

Week three

In the third week you move onto the call floor and sit beside an experienced adviser, known as your buddy. At first you will simply listen to calls through a second headset. Later in the week you will take some calls yourself while your buddy listens and is ready to help. Your buddy will not mark you, but they will share their notes with your trainer each afternoon.

Week four

During the final week you will handle calls on your own, although a team leader will be nearby at all times. You will deal only with straightforward enquiries, such as changes of address and meter readings. Complaints and calls from customers who are in financial difficulty are passed to specialist teams, and you will not take these until you have completed further training after three months.

Assessment

Your trainer will listen to a sample of at least ten recorded calls from week four. They will look at how accurately you recorded information, whether you followed the security checks and how polite and clear you were. The speed at which you deal with calls is not part of the assessment at this stage, as we know new advisers need time to become confident.

Practical matters

Personal mobile phones must be switched off and stored in the lockers provided before you enter the call floor. Please let your trainer know in advance if you need any adjustments, for example a different type of headset or a screen with larger text. If you are absent for more than two days during training, you may be asked to join the next group of new advisers instead.