Activ! Coaching User Guide

Activ! Coaching User Guide August 31, 2007

Voice Print International, Inc 160 Camino Ruiz, Camarillo, CA 93012-6700 (Voice) 800-200-5430 805-389-5200 (Fax) 805-389-5202 www.vpi-corp.com All information in this manual is Copyright protected material by Voice Print International, Inc. As the registered end user, you are free to make and use as many copies of this manual as you like, so long as it is used for internal purposes only and is not transmitted in any manner whatsoever to any individual, organization or corporate entity not specifically named in your End User License Agreement. August 31, 2007

Activ!Coaching User Guide Table of contents 1 Welcome to Activ!Coaching... 4 1.1 Activ!Coaching overview... 4 1.2 About this document... 4 1.3 Common e-learning scenarios... 5 1.3.1 Typical workflow for e-learning deployment... 5 1.4 SCORM overview... 5 1.4.1 Advantages of using SCORM-based learning content... 6 2 Getting started... 7 2.1 Accessing V-Portal... 7 2.1.1 V-Portal security... 7 2.2 Menu structure... 7 3 Adding and organizing your content... 8 3.1 About modules and module collections... 8 3.2 Navigating the Module Explorer... 8 3.2.1 Categories... 9 3.2.2 Tags... 10 3.3 Adding your content and creating modules... 10 3.3.1 Updating your modules... 13 3.4 Using module collections... 13 4 Delivering your coaching activities... 17 4.1 Distributing your activities... 19 4.1.1 Rules... 19 4.1.2 Role filtering... 20 4.2 Classroom Controller... 21 5 Your coaching assignments... 23 5.1 Completing a SCORM-based coaching assignment... 23 6 Coaching reports... 25 6.1 Key Performance Indicator scorecards... 26 6.2 Activity status reports... 26 6.3 Learner reports... 27 6.4 Module reports... 27 6.5 Skill report... 27 August 31, 2007 Page 3

Welcome to Activ!Coaching 1 Welcome to Activ!Coaching 1.1 Activ!Coaching overview Activ!Coaching is a web-based application that is designed to improve the performance of individual call center agents, as well as overall contact center operation through the delivery of desktop and classroom based e-learning activities. Welcome page Contact center training professionals create training content using external tools, such as Word, Acrobat, and various SCORM and non-scorm based authoring tools. Content added to Activ!Coaching can be organized, delivered, and monitored according to the following Activ!Coaching concepts: Modules contain the training content files and descriptive information. It is useful to think of a module as a distinct topic. Complex material or multiple topics are organized as a series of modules in a module collection. Learning content (modules and module collections) is delivered as an activity. Reports enable you to monitor agent progress, completion of training, and activity scores. 1.2 About this document This document is designed to support contact center training professionals, managers, and supervisors that use the Activ!Coaching application to organize, deliver, and monitor coaching and training activities in a contact center environment. It outlines how to add and manage learning content, create and publish activities, and then use coaching reports to present coaching data. This document exclusively covers Activ!Coaching accessed from within the V-Portal interface. This document is not intended to be useful to agents who receive the training content and will typically access My Coaching from their dashboard. August 31, 2007 Page 4

Welcome to Activ!Coaching Note If necessary, you can preface the training content that you create with any instructions required for its use. 1.3 Common e-learning scenarios Activ!Coaching can be used in many different situations where you use e-learning in your contact center. Common training scenarios include: Information broadcast You need to broadcast information about a new policy or updated procedure to your contact center. You want to quiz agents to ensure that they understood the information. Event, milestone, or role based training You need to train new employees or deliver training to a group of agents with specialized skills. While this type of training is often conducted in a classroom, it could be delivered to the desktop. Performance intervention You want to use coaching or deliver a training activity to address deficiencies in agent performance. 1.3.1 Typical workflow for e-learning deployment Deploying learning activities is typically a six-step process: Identify the areas of a user s performance that require coaching. You can use the Activ!Intelligence reports and KPIs to help identify areas of performance deficiency. Create training content to address the skill deficiency. SCORM or non-scorm based training content is created using external tools. Activ!Coaching enables you to deliver both SCORM and non-scorm e-learning activities. Add the content to Activ!Coaching. Activ!Coaching stores your learning content as modules and module collections. Create an activity to deploy the training to your users. An activity describes who will receive the training, when they will receive it, and how long they have to complete it. Use the Activ!Coaching reports to track the completion of the activity. Activ!Coaching reports can help you to identify user progress, scores, and skills. Review agent Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of the coaching on the agent s performance. Activ!Coaching allows you to view pre- and post- activity KPIs for the agents assigned a coaching activity. Post-training assessment is especially useful in the context of performance intervention. 1.4 SCORM overview Sharable Contact Object Reference Model (SCORM) is an industry-standard framework for the definition and execution of reusable learning content. Reusable refers to the ability to move content between learning management systems, such as Activ!Coaching. With SCORM content, you are also free to modularize your learning content so that it can be used in a variety of learning activities. August 31, 2007 Page 5

Welcome to Activ!Coaching Activ!Coaching enables you to manage and distribute SCORM-based content to users in your contact center. SCORM-based content is intended for e-learning activities delivered to a learner through a Web browser. It includes metadata that can be extracted to assist in the organization, display, and reporting of learning activities and results. Activ!Coaching also works with other types of content, such as Acrobat, MS-Word, and video files as well as content residing on the internet. However, only SCORM-based content provides Activ!Coaching with the ability to capture detailed information about how learners complete their activities. For example, SCORM can provide the durations spent reading and answering individual sections of the module and the responses to quiz questions contained in the content. This data is then stored by Activ!Coaching and made available for analysis through reports. The level of detail tracked by Activ!Coaching is affected by how SCORM modules are authored. One level of organization inside a SCORM module is a structured collection of one or more learning objects, called Shareable Content Objects (SCOs). Activ!Coaching reports activity and scoring data for each SCO in your module. Depending on your authoring tool, SCORM modules can be further organized by interactions and objectives. If your authoring tools provide you with those options, keep in mind that any scores and activity will only be reported on for the total time and score of the SCO that contains those interactions and objectives. 1.4.1 Advantages of using SCORM-based learning content The SCORM framework is an important standard for the definition and execution of reusable learning content in the web-based e-learning industry. With Activ!Coaching, you can manage and distribute SCORM and non-scorm compliant learning content. However, it is worth understanding the considerable benefits that SCORM offers. Learning content that conforms to the SCORM standard is specialized and offers distinct advantages over non-scorm learning content: SCORM learning content Offers detailed reporting on the activity, such as quiz results and time spent on components of the module Depending on the authoring tool, bookmarking is supported (pausing an activity to continue later from exactly where you left off) Non-SCORM learning content Only track total time spent on activity Ending activity infers doneness No scoring available August 31, 2007 Page 6

Getting started 2 Getting started 2.1 Accessing V-Portal V-Portal has a role and privilege-based security model. Your V-Portal administrator can set security options. Activ!Coaching offers the following privileges: Coaching Module Administrator enables user to create and manage (edit/delete) coaching modules Coaching Activity Administrator enables user to create and manage (edit/delete) coaching activities. Coaching Reporting enables user to view reports on coaching activities. In individual reports, access to user data is further restricted by the group-access privileges granted to the report views. This privilege also provides a report viewer with the ability to let a learner redo a failed or not-completed-in-time learning activity. 2.1.1 V-Portal security To ensure security, V-Portal offers multi-level authentication at both the client level. Your V-Portal administrator will supply you with a User Name and Password and, based on your role and the privileges associated with it, you will be able to view the sections assigned to you. Log into V-Portal 1. Open a web browser. 2. Enter the URL for V-Portal. The V-Portal login page appears. 3. Type your user ID and password. 4. Click Log In. Log off V-Portal In V-Portal, click Log Off. 2.2 Menu structure You can access the Activ!Coaching menu in the same way as other functions in V-Portal. When you click the Coaching tab, the Activ!Coaching navigation interface will appear. August 31, 2007 Page 7

Adding and organizing your content 3 Adding and organizing your content When your learning content is ready to use, you add it to Activ!Coaching through the Module Explorer. The Module Explorer organises each piece of learning content as a module. Module Explorer 3.1 About modules and module collections Modules contain training content that is ready for use in your contact center. The content used in a module is created using your learning authoring tools. They can be simple documents, such as video or PDF files, or they can be more sophisticated, SCORM-based content (for example, content that contains embedded quizzing). Module collections are an ordered list of modules that can be used in learning activities as if they were a single module. The modules in a module collection can be the same or different types, allowing you to have users complete a SCORM-based quiz after they view a video. 3.2 Navigating the Module Explorer The Activ!Coaching Module Explorer lists all of your learning content, including the content type, module name, expiry date, associated skill, and the date that you last changed information in the module. To sort the list of modules, click a column (such as Last Modified). August 31, 2007 Page 8

Adding and organizing your content Modules pane of the Module Explorer The module icon identifies the type of content that the module contains. These icons include: SCORM Module collection URL Common file formats such as PDF and Microsoft Word appear with the icon commonly associated with their file type. You can list all modules or select a subset of modules, based on categories and tags. 3.2.1 Categories Categories are a useful way to organise your modules and module collections in groups. Activ!Coaching presents the hierarchical grouping of your modules and module collections in the Categories pane of the Module Explorer. You can create categories based on any criteria you choose. For example, you could group coaching modules based on delivery method (web, classroom, etc.). You can further sort categories into subcategories (up to 30 levels). A module can belong to only one category at a time. To view the modules in its category and its subcategories, click the Include subcategories checkbox. August 31, 2007 Page 9

Adding and organizing your content Create a category 1. Click Module Explorer. 2. In the Categories pane, click Create a New Category ( ). In the category tree, New Category appears. 3. Click New Category to highlight the name. 4. Type a new name. Delete a category 1. Click Module Explorer. 2. In the Categories pane, click the Delete icon ( ). You can delete only the categories that do not have any modules in them. 3.2.2 Tags You assign tags to a module to describe the learning content that it contains. The tags become a type of keyword-metadata that is useful in identifying related material. Current tags are listed in the Tags pane of the Module Explorer. To display modules with specific tags, you can filter the list of modules in the Module Explorer. When you select more than one tag, the Module Explorer displays all modules with at least one of the specified tags. For example, if you select Photoshop and SCORM, then the Module Explorer displays all modules tagged with Photoshop and all modules tagged with SCORM. The Module Explorer will include module collections that contain at least one module tagged with one or more of the selected tags. Display a list of modules with a specific tag 1. Click Module Explorer. 2. In the Tags pane, click the checkboxes. The Modules pane of the Module Explorer refreshes with the filtered list. 3.3 Adding your content and creating modules When you create a new module in Activ!Coaching, you specify a source file for the content. Activ!Coaching copies the source file to its server where it is then made available to your users. August 31, 2007 Page 10

Adding and organizing your content A module can also be content that exists on your intranet or the Internet. This type of content is not copied to the Activ!Coaching server. Instead, when you assign the module as an activity, your users are simply directed to the URL that you specify with the activity. Create a module with your learning content 1. Click Module Explorer. 2. In the Modules pane, click the Create New Module icon ( ). The Module Details for New Module window appears. 3. Click Browse to select a source file. Module Details for New Module Select a source file for a new module 4. To specify the source file for the module, do one of the following: To select a file, click Browse and then click Use Selected File. August 31, 2007 Page 11

Adding and organizing your content Your system administrator can configure which files types are supported. In general, the following file extensions are supported:.doc,.xls,.pdf;.ppt;.jpg;.avi;.wav, and.zip (typically SCORM content). File type support requires that you have installed the appropriate application on the user s computer for example, Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer for.ppt files. Also, the file viewer must be accessible to your web browser application. To create a URL-based module, click Use URL. 5. Type the following information: Module Name For SCORM content, the module name defaults to the name specified with the content. Description of the module This information appears in the Module Explorer. Use this field to record information that may be helpful in the administration of this module, such as version or revision notes. User description This information appears on the My Coaching page. Use this field to provide information that may be helpful to your users before they start activities that use this module. 6. From the Category drop-down list, select a category. You use categories to organize modules. See Categories on page 9. 7. In the Tags field, type keywords for the module. Tags enable you to filter the list of modules in the Module Explorer. To separate multiple tags, use commas. See Tags on page 9. Tip Choose simple keywords that describe the learning content. You can use tags to filter the list of modules in the Module Explorer. 8. From the Skill drop-down list, select the skill that is awarded when the module is successfully completed. This step is optional. 9. In the Expires field, type a date or click the Calendar pop-up. This step is optional. This date sets a time-limit to the training data, after which the content cannot be used in new coaching activities. Expired modules remain listed in the Module Explorer, but cannot be added or used in activities after the expiry date. 10. In the Maximum Time Allowed field, type the number of minutes that users can spend on the module. When completing an activity whose module has a maximum time specified, the user is given a one-minute warning then, when the time expires, an alert appears explaining that they did not complete on time. When they click OK, the activity window closes and the activity is marked as Not Completed On Time. Activity status reports include a function to allow the user to redo the activity. 11. Click Save. August 31, 2007 Page 12

Adding and organizing your content 3.3.1 Updating your modules After you create a module in Activ!Coaching, you may need to update the content source file. You can also modify or add details, such as a different the expiry date or new tags. Before updating a module, consider the following: When you update a module, any yet-to-be-completed activities that use the modified module are affected by the changes. Reporting of previously completed activities always reflects the metadata contained in the updated source file. If your content source file requires substantial changes, you should consider creating a new module instead of modifying an existing module. Update a module 1. Click Module Explorer. 2. In the Modules pane, click the name of a module. Module details window 3. In the Module Details window, modify or add details. 4. To choose a new content source file for the module, click Update. 5. Click Save. 3.4 Using module collections Module collections are ordered groupings of related modules that you want to use as a single, linearly completed activity. August 31, 2007 Page 13

Adding and organizing your content One typical use of a module collection is a training course that contains distinct, ordered components, such as lessons that are delivered in a particular sequence over a period of time. For example, a 3-day training course may contain a combination of instructor lecture and student activity. In this type of scenario, the module collection would contain modules for each discrete lesson. By organizing your modules in a collection, you can reuse the grouping in many different activities. Module collections also enable you to distribute many modules to a group of users using a single activity, instead of creating multiple activities. Module collection View and modify details for a module collection 1. Click Module Explorer. 2. In the Modules pane, click the name of a module collection ( ). The details for that Module Collection appear in a pop-up window. 3. If you make changes to the module collection, be sure to click Save. Create a module collection 1. In the Modules pane, click the Create New Module Collection icon ( ). The Module Collection window appears. August 31, 2007 Page 14

Adding and organizing your content Module Details for New Module collection 2. Type a name for the new module. 3. From the Category drop-down list, select a category. 4. Click Save. 5. In the Modules pane of Module Explorer, click the icon of a module and drag it over the icon for the module collection you want to add it to ( ). Note You can add a given module to a collection only once. Also, you cannot nest module collections that is, you cannot add a module collection to another module collection. Add a module to an existing module collection 1. Click Module Explorer. 2. In the Modules pane, click a module and drag it over the icon for a module collection ( ). The module is listed in the Modules Explorer, but it is also added to the module collection. Change the order of the modules in a module collection 1. Click Module Explorer. 2. In the Modules pane, click the name of a module collection. The details for that Module Collection appear in a pop-up window. August 31, 2007 Page 15

Adding and organizing your content Module Collection details 3. In the Modules list, hover your pointer over the name of a module, click and drag it within the list. 4. Click Save. Remove a module from a module collection 1. Click Module Explorer. 2. In the Modules pane, click the name of a module collection. The details for that Module Collection appear in a pop-up window. 3. In the Modules list, click the Delete icon ( ) beside the module to remove it from the collection. 4. Click Save. August 31, 2007 Page 16

Delivering your coaching activities 4 Delivering your coaching activities When you are ready to deliver your coaching content in a classroom environment or via desktop, you create an activity for your module or module collection. Activ!Coaching lists activities that are currently active or planned for deployment under the Activities tab. The Activities page provides you with a snapshot of all current and planned activities in the system, including information about the number of days that the activity must be completed in, the number of days that the activity is relevant for, and whether successful completion of the activity awards credit. You can sort the list by clicking on the column heading. Current and future activities Create an activity 1. Click Module Explorer. 2. In the Name column, right-click an activity and select Create new activity. The Activity Details window opens pre-populated with the name of the module. August 31, 2007 Page 17

Delivering your coaching activities 3. Type the following information: Details for an activity Description of the module This information appears in the Module Explorer. User description This information appears on the My Coaching page. 4. Select a Start Date for your assignment. 5. In the Completion Time field, type the number of days that users have to complete the assignment. 6. In the Relevancy field, type the number of days that the training is valid for. Defining relevancy in your activity prevents Activ!Coaching from sending the activity to any users that have completed the activity s module (or one or more of the modules in a module collection) within the number of relevancy days. 7. If users are awarded credit for successful completion of the assignment, click Yes. If this activity involves a module collection, the user must complete or achieve a passing score on the current module before beginning the next module in the collection. August 31, 2007 Page 18

Delivering your coaching activities 8. From the Environment drop-down menu, choose Desktop or Classroom. Note By choosing Classroom, you can identify classroom-based activities in reports. You can also access the Classroom Controller console to monitor and control completion of the activity s modules. For more information, see Classroom Controller on page 21. 4.1 Distributing your activities You can send an activity to individual users and defined groups that can be optionally filtered by role. Alternativately, you can use rules to have users for the activity identified based on performance metrics. 4.1.1 Selecting individual users and defined groups Select a user or group 1. Click Send activity to the following groups and individual users. 2. In the Groups or Users column, click Add. 2.3. Click Reset to restore the list of selected groups or users to their original contents. 3.4. From the display user or group list, select names. 4.1.2 Rules You can assign an activity to particular groups and users. You can also use the rule wizard to create a distribution rule when you want to assign an activity based on certain conditions and/or criteria. For example, you could use a distribution rule to automatically send activities to particular agents based on a milestone date, performance data from your telephony environment, Activ!IQ scores, or other criteria. Select a rule 1. Click Send activity to users and groups selected by this rule. 2. Click Click to create a new rule. 3. Select the desired rule wizard. Click Next. August 31, 2007 Page 19

Delivering your coaching activities The rule wizards available for use in Activ!Coaching are determined by your system administrator. 4. Follow the steps in the rule wizard to enter in any additional data items required by the rule. Depending on the rule, the rule may be defined to run once or at repeatedly at regular intervals. 4.1.3 Role filtering Role filtering enables you to limit group assignments to specific roles. For example, you may want to assign your activity only to Agents within a broader group. Role filtering View or change details for an activity 1. Click Activities. 2. In the Name column, click an activity. August 31, 2007 Page 20

Delivering your coaching activities 4.2 Classroom controller The Classroom Controller provides at at-a-glance overview of an activity, including a list of the activity s modules and data on user progress. The data on the page is automatically refreshed each minute. Open the Classroom Controller 1. Click Activities. 2. In the Current/Future Activity list, click Classroom. The Classroom Controller page appears. August 31, 2007 Page 21

Delivering your coaching activities Details for an activity The Classroom Controller page contains two panels: Activity modules (left panel) lists the modules in the activity. From this pane, you can enable user access to that module. This is useful when you need to prevent users from accessing a module until the relevant instruction has been delivered. For example, if the classroom training involves a combination of lecture/instruction and time spent on completing coaching activities, you may want to control user access to the modules until you are ready to present them. User progress (right panel) enables you to monitor the progress of users completing the activity. This list contains rows for each user and for each module assigned to the user. For each user, you can monitor the time they spent to date, their score, current status, and an indicator of whether they successfully completed the module. Note As an added benefit of using SCORM-based content, the user progress includes the users point of completion in the module. The name of the SCO the user is working in is displayed in the Location column. Control user access to a module 1. Open the Classroom Controller. 2. In the Activity modules list, click a checkbox beside the module. August 31, 2007 Page 22

Your coaching assignments 5 Your coaching assignments Agents typically access My Coaching from their dashboard. The dashboard can be configured to display the quantity of current coaching assignments. To view information about your current and recent activities in V-Portal, click My Coaching. My Coaching assigments The My Coaching page lists new and in-progress assignments, start and due dates, and assignment descriptions. View your coaching assignments 1. Click My Coaching. 2. Click an assignment. Start a new coaching assignment 1. Click My Coaching. 2. Click Start beside the assignment. Your assignment opens in a new window. Resume an in-progress coaching assignment 1. Click My Coaching. 2. Click Resume beside an assignment. Your assignment opens in a new window. 5.1 Completing a SCORM-based coaching assignment When users start a SCORM-based assignment based on a SCORM module that contains more than one content object, the navigation panel appears (for more information on content objects, refer to your authoring tool). In Activ!Coaching, you can progress to a subsequent SCO (sharable content object) upon completion of the current SCO. Once a SCO is complete, you can return to review previously viewed material. August 31, 2007 Page 23

Your coaching assignments The navigation pane displays two time counters representing: Your total session time Duration of the current session When you close the window of non-scorm content tells Activ!Coaching that the activity is complete. With SCORM-based assignments, learners can suspend an incomplete assignment and return at a later time. A bookmark is saved so that the learner can continue their assignment from the point where they left off. August 31, 2007 Page 24

Coaching reports 6 Coaching reports Coaching reports are designed to generate and present data from coaching and training activities that you can use to analyse call center performance and evaluate the performance and progress of individual agents. Coaching reports You can use reports to determine which agents received training activities or messages, whether an agent completed an activity, how agents scored, how much time they took to complete an assignment, and whether the activity improved their performance or understanding. Activ!Coaching features a variety of reports that you can use to present coaching data in different ways. Activity Reports summarize data on individual coaching activities. Learner Reports generate coaching data for groups and individual learners. Module Reports generate summaries of modules used in coaching activities. Skill Reports summarize modules and activities by skill. Display a report 1. Click Reports. 2. Click the name of a report. 3. When you generate a report, you can click an icon in the top-right corner of the screen to refresh the data, print, export, or view full-screen. Exported reports are viewed in Microsoft Excel. Your computer must have MS-Excel installed to do export to this format. August 31, 2007 Page 25

Coaching reports 6.1 Key Performance Indicator scorecards Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are metrics that you use to measure the performance of the agents in your contact center. Typical KPI values may include dollars collected, promises to pay, average talk time, and calls per hour. Activ!Intelligence KPIs can be displayed on scorecards and agent dashboards. Scorecards are groupings of related KPIs collected into a single view. They display values for a specific agent and their group, giving an at-a-glance summary of an agent s performance by displaying the metrics that are most important to you. Activ!Coaching enables you to view at a glance the groupings of KPIs created in Scorecards, in a list that contains all agents that completed a coaching activity. It also displays KPI values from two dates allowing you to compare before and after performance for the activity s agents. Generate a KPI report 1. Click Reports. 2. Click the Activities tab. 3. Choose an activity and click Status in the last column. The KPI report can also be accessed from other Activ!Coaching reports that display data for individual activities. 4. Click KPIs. 5. In the drop-down menu, click a scorecard to view. KPI report 6.2 Activity status reports Activity status reports are useful when you want to monitor progress towards completion of their coaching activities. The status report presents the completion status of current coaching activities organized by group with drill-downs to per-learner status. Create an activity status report 1. Click the Activities tab. 2. Choose an activity and click Status in the last column. August 31, 2007 Page 26

Coaching reports Coaching activity status report 6.3 Learner reports You can use the learner reports to monitor the progress of individual agents. You can generate summary information about the time spent on learning activities, earned skills, and completion status. Coaching Time reports summarize the time spent on coaching activities for a specified time period. Time is broken out by classroom and desktop activities. Skill development reports identify which users were awarded skills. Status reports present the completion status of current coaching activities organized by group with drill-downs to per-learner status. 6.4 Module reports You can use module reports to cross reference modules by skill. From the module report, you can click to view individual modules. 6.5 Skill report You can use the skill modules & activities report to generate the number of activities and active modules that award the same or similar skills. August 31, 2007 Page 27

Coaching reports Skill report The Modules & Activities skills report displays a list of skills with the number of current modules and activities that award each skill. Generate a skills report 1. Click the Reports tab. 2. Click Modules & Activities. A table appears displaying a list of skills with the number of current modules and activities that award each skill. Tip To refresh the report, click the Refresh icon ( ) in the top-right corner. 3. Click a number to view details. August 31, 2007 Page 28