30-day agent ramp checklist
Checklist
Before day 1
- TL: logins work for the phone system, CRM, knowledge base and email, tested by someone, not assumed.
- TL: headset and a quiet place to practise out loud.
- TL: buddy chosen and given time for it in their schedule.
- TL: the five call types the agent will take first, written as short scenarios (who calls, why, what they want, one complication), simplest first.
- TL: one-page "good call" checklist: greeting, verification, understanding the request, the answer, the next step, the close.
- TL: ground rules for practice written down: who sees practice results, and that they are not used for ranking or pay.
- TL: calendar holds for the four checks (days 5, 10, 20 and 30) and the twice-weekly coaching slots from week 3.
Week 1 (days 1 to 5): a clean simple call
- TL: day 1, company, product, customers and the good-call checklist.
- A: day 1, say the greeting and the close aloud ten times each, until they sound natural.
- TL: day 2, systems tour: where to find answers, and what to do when you cannot.
- A: day 2, practise verification as a spoken sequence, so it sounds like a conversation and not an interrogation.
- A: day 3, call types 1 and 2 learned; call type 1 practised start to finish, twice.
- A: day 4, call type 3 learned; call type 2 practised; putting a caller on hold politely practised.
- A: day 4, practise "I'll check that for you" as a full sentence: what you are doing and how long it takes.
- TL: day 5, run Check 1.
Check 1 (day 5): a clean simple call in practice
- A: greets with name and company.
- A: verifies in the right order, with nothing skipped.
- A: gives a correct answer, or says "let me check" instead of guessing.
- A: closes with a clear next step.
- TL: a couple of hesitations are fine, a skipped verification step is not. Write the date the check was passed.
Week 2 (days 6 to 10): listening, explaining, first live calls
- A and B: days 6 and 7, the agent listens to the buddy's live calls and after each writes one sentence, "What did the caller want?" The buddy checks it.
- A: day 8, practise paraphrasing ("So the order arrived but one item is missing") and one clarifying question.
- A: day 8, practise talking through a silence: "I'm checking that now. It'll take about thirty seconds."
- A: practise explaining one process (refund, password reset, payment date) in no more than three steps.
- B: days 9 and 10, the agent takes simple live calls and the buddy listens and can step in. One-question debrief after every call: "What would you say differently?"
- TL: day 10, run Check 2.
Check 2 (day 10): first live calls with a buddy
- A: lets the caller finish before answering.
- A: repeats the request back in the caller's words at least once per call.
- A: follows verification and data-handling rules on every call.
- B: stepped in only for knowledge gaps, not for call control. Write the date the check was passed.
Week 3 (days 11 to 20): live simple calls, then emotion
- A: live, simple call types alone, with the buddy nearby for questions.
- A: practice, 15 minutes a day, one emotional scenario per day, never two.
- A: emotional scenario, a caller annoyed about a delay.
- A: emotional scenario, a caller disputing a charge.
- A: emotional scenario, a caller on their third call about the same problem.
- A: emotional scenario, a caller who asks for a manager straight away.
- A: emotional scenario, a caller who is wrong but certain.
- TL: twice a week, a 15-minute coaching conversation. Start with the agent's question, not your list.
- TL: note the moments where the buddy still steps in. If the same moment shows up for several new agents, fix the training material, not the agents.
- TL: day 20, run Check 3.
Check 3 (day 20): a difficult call in practice
- A: names the problem in the caller's words before explaining any policy.
- A: says what they will do, and by when.
- A: ends with one clear next step.
- A: does not say "calm down" or "that's our policy" more than once.
- TL: if either phrase is said twice, plan another week of practice and repeat the check. Write the date the check was passed.
Week 4 (days 21 to 30): full mix and independence
- A: days 21 to 25, the remaining call types added, live.
- A: 10 minutes of practice a day on whichever call type felt hardest that week.
- A: days 26 to 28, name your two weakest moments (for example "explaining a fee" or "ending a call with a talkative caller") and rehearse them daily.
- TL: one recorded live call reviewed together with the team's QA form, used for coaching only.
- TL: days 29 and 30, run Check 4 and the handover conversation.
Check 4 (day 30): independent on the full mix
- A: handles every call type in the mix without the buddy.
- TL: verification and data handling are correct on every reviewed call.
- A: can name two things they do well and two they are still practising.
- TL: there is a plan for practice after onboarding, for example 15 minutes a week on the weakest call type. Write the date the check was passed.
What to track during the ramp, and what not to
- Track which checks are passed, and when, on this sheet. Do not compare agents with each other on it.
- Track the two skills the agent is working on: the agent writes them, the team lead confirms. Do not change them every day.
- Track the moments where the buddy had to step in, in the buddy's notes. Do not treat them as mistakes; they show where training is thin.
- Track the call types that several new agents find hard, across the cohort. Do not blame individuals for a material problem.
- Track handle time in your usual report, once the agent is independent. Do not set handle-time targets in the first weeks: it teaches rushing.
Handover conversation (day 30, 20 minutes)
- Agent first, 5 minutes: "What has been hardest this month?"
- Team lead, 5 minutes: two specific things the agent does well, each with an example from a call.
- Together, 5 minutes: the two skills to keep practising, and how.
- Agree, 5 minutes: when the next coaching conversation is, and what practice looks like from now on.