Training re‐energizes call‐center staff at First Choice Holidays: Initiative overhauls organizational culture

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a training initiative that helped to re‐energize call‐centre staff at First Choice Holidays.

Design/methodology/approach

Explains what gave rise to the training program, how it was organized and the results it helped to achieve.

Findings

Reveals that First Choice Holidays enjoyed a 1,200 percent return on its training investment within six months. Sales at the call center had been static for two years, but following the training initiative revenue grew by more than 10 percent. The training created such a unified culture that two teams who had worked on two very different brands – First Choice Direct and Eclipse Direct – were able to merge into a single team. Customer satisfaction has risen significantly.

Practical implications

Emphasizes the important role of close management involvement in helping to ensure the success of the training program.

Originality/value

Highlights the close partnership that developed between First Choice and Blue Sky Consulting, which helped to devise and deliver the training.

Citation

(2008), "Training re‐energizes call‐center staff at First Choice Holidays: Initiative overhauls organizational culture", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 16-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670730810848289