Exclusive Interview with Mark Monaghan, VP of Global Learning, iQor

A World-Class Virtual Observation Process To Reinforce Best Practices And Apply Continued Knowledge

Mark: At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in mid-March, iQor’s executive leadership team and pandemic response team quickly jumped to action. The response team met twice a day for hours on end to strategize on the best and safest ways to serve our workforce. iQor’s team of IT and operational professionals were able to leverage and modify our current telephony and virtualized platforms so that we could transition and support a world-class work-at-home (WAH) environment for our agents, leaders, and support personnel. Our virtualized environment allows us to rapidly deploy our global workforce within any of our sites or within the home of any agent. No matter if onsite or at home, the experience is the same. 

Within four weeks, iQor transitioned 20,000 employees to a WAH environment. We continue to add features and tools to refine and optimize our work-from-home processes. 

We are extremely proud of our accomplishment, which wouldn’t be possible without our proven support system that spans across our operational leaders, IT teams, executive leadership, HR departments and many, many frontline managers.

Mark: The corporate training team was called on to develop transitional learning for our leaders and training staff. WAH resource sites were built within iQor University to address all aspects of leading and teaching virtually. Our Leading a Virtual Team training module and support materials were assigned to all leaders while our trainers took courses on how to set up and teach from both Adobe Connect and Zoom. We focused on keeping our learners engaged by utilizing polls, surveys, breakout sessions, whiteboarding, emoji interactions and ongoing chat room interactions. We also created a world-class virtual observation process to reinforce best practices and apply continued knowledge so that innovative and effective strategies can be shared and implemented across operational teams. This process has also provided us the opportunity to benchmark and review virtual trainer performance.  

Mark: Our entire company is focused on creating a best-in-class WAH experience that’s in alignment with our culture, history of performance excellence, and virtualized systems and tools. The success of our WAH employees is the result of our strong ability to provide engaging learning environments and award-winning learning and career advancement opportunities virtually. We will continue to add features and tools to meet the evolving needs of our remote workforce. As a company we are focused on WAH transformation with innovation and have an unwavering commitment to provide high-caliber customer experiences. 

Mark: Virtual learning, while it may be a necessity now as the sole means of training and development, lacks the personal interactions that live training presents. This crisis has proven that we can replace in-person learning with virtual learning, but not the relationships and personal interactions that go with it. Depending on the learning platform used, there are many tools that help a trainer keep their learners engaged and there will continue to be new and cutting-edge technology advancement such as virtual reality and AI-driven learning that will enhance a learner’s virtual experience. We believe that once the crisis is over and it’s safe to meet in person again, that learning will become more blended.  For example, we may see the use of training centers or hubs for subjects that are better taught in person to support a mixed virtual curriculum. In-person learning is likely here to stay, so iQor continues to seek ways to enhance and engage with both virtual and in-person environments.

Mark: Leaders may be struggling most with coaching and developing others in a virtual environment. Employees who work at home, depending on what they are tasked with, need constant support and follow-up. Asking a quick question used to be easy. Now it’s a chat or a Zoom call. Transparency and accountability also require new tools and processes. Leading a virtual team requires a manager who is fully engaged and committed to following up and checking in on those they support. They have to be leaders who really care about serving their staff and understand each team member’s professional and personal goals. People working in isolation need to feel that they are part of a team and belong to a company.  All the things that make a leader exceptional are more work in a virtual environment, but it’s work that needs to be done.

Mark: Leading others in an ever-changing environment requires exceptional problem-solving skills, intuition, and awareness. Today’s workforce, especially those in younger generations, want to collaborate, make a difference, and help others. They want constructive feedback and they need to feel that their opinion and concerns matter. Leaders have to be resilient now more then ever and have to be willing to learn and change as the environment requires. Adaptability is key and sets the standard for those you lead. Leading by example isn’t a new concept, but doing it with a servant’s heart in an effort to provide your employees with the best experience possible requires leaders who are sincere, authentic and not self-centered.