Traditional role-playing exercises, a staple in training customer service reps, offer undeniable advantages. They allow reps to practice handling real-world scenarios in a safe environment. By interacting with a colleague playing the customer, reps can hone their communication skills, de-escalate tense situations, and gain confidence in resolving issues.
However, these exercises also have limitations that can hinder their effectiveness.
Scalability is a major concern. Traditional role-playing often requires one trainer to act as multiple customer personas, which limits the number of reps who can participate simultaneously. This is time-consuming and inefficient, especially for large teams.
Additionally, consistency can be an issue. The effectiveness of the exercise hinges on the trainer's ability to portray different customer personalities convincingly. Variations in trainer performance can lead to uneven learning experiences for reps.
Ent Credit Union, a credit union serving Colorado’s Front Range, was no stranger to these challenges and sought to innovate and improve the training experience for its MSRs. To overcome these drawbacks, Aequilibrium launched a VR training program designed for Ent Credit Union.
Aequilibrium is a digital consulting and implementation services firm that provides technology solutions for credit unions, banks and fintechs. The company provides strategy, experience design, integration and custom development services to drive member empathy, loyalty and growth for clients.
The collaboration with Ent Credit Union uses the latest in VR technology to enhance the skills and effectiveness of MSRs. The VR training program distinguishes itself with several key innovations.
Through lifelike scenarios, MSRs practice and refine their communication, problem-solving and sales techniques to better prepare themselves for various real-world situations.
The program also emphasizes learning through doing. Trainees become actors in their training and engage directly with the content, which enhances learning retention and application.
Utilizing characters and environments modeled after actual customer research, the training closely mirrors the real-life experiences of Ent Credit Union's MSRs. This helps create that deeper connection and understanding of the customer service process.
"We are excited to see the impact of our VR training program at Ent Credit Union,” said Adrian Moise, CEO of Aequilibrium. “By pushing the boundaries of traditional training methods, we are not only enhancing the skill set of MSRs but also setting a new standard for training programs across industries.”
Aequilibrium's partnership with Ent Credit Union improves the proficiency and confidence of MSRs and sets a new benchmark for training within the financial services industry.
