New hire training and certification
In the Learning module, new hire training becomes a classroom or blended program carrying its total hours and a mandatory flag. A three-week program of 15 working days at 8 hours is 120 hours. Enrol the whole batch on joining day and mark each trainee complete only when they clear the final certification test. The completion record, with its certificate number and validity date, then works as the agent's licence to be rostered on live queues. Trainees who fail get a retest or move out of the batch.
Nesting before full production
Nesting is the bridge between classroom and floor: new agents take live contacts with a trainer or SME beside them and softer targets. Record nesting as its own program with hours, so it is clear who is in nesting and who is fully live. Roster nesting agents on shifts where SMEs are available, not on the thinnest night shift, and review their quality scores daily. Agents usually move to production once they meet the process's quality threshold for a set number of days.
Refreshers and process changes
Clients change products, scripts and policies, and every change needs a refresher. Create a short program for each change, enrol the affected process, and track completion in the compliance view per program before the change goes live. Give certifications a validity, for example 12 months for process certification, so agents who have not been recertified show as expired and team leaders know who needs a refresher before the client's annual audit.
Compliance courses clients require
Processes that handle card payments, health records or banking data usually require yearly training on data protection, clean desk rules and the client's security policies, often tied to standards such as PCI DSS or, for US healthcare accounts, HIPAA. Add POSH awareness and the company's code of conduct. Mark each of these mandatory and valid for a year, and let each program's status list, from assigned to expired, show the client's auditor where the floor stands.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Create a new hire training program per process with its hours, the classroom or blended mode and a mandatory flag.
- Create nesting and refresher programs, and give process certifications a validity in months.
- Enrol each batch on joining day and mark completion only after the certification test is cleared.
- Set up yearly data protection, clean desk and POSH awareness programs with a 12-month validity.
- Check the compliance view per program before rostering agents on a new or changed process.
Read more about learning and training in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
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What is NHT in a BPO?
NHT stands for new hire training, the classroom period before a new agent takes live contacts. It covers the client's products and processes, systems, soft skills and, for voice roles, accent and call handling. It usually ends with a certification test set by the client or the training team, after which the agent moves to nesting.
How long is BPO training?
It depends on how complex the process is. Simple processes may train for one to two weeks, while technical support, banking or healthcare processes can take four weeks or more, followed by one to three weeks of nesting. Refresher training continues after that whenever the client changes the process.
How do BPOs track agent certifications?
They record each certification with its date and validity and check it before rostering agents on live queues. In ZeniaHR, each completed program carries a certificate number and a validity end date, lapsed enrolments turn to expired, and one screen per program lists who is currently certified.