The creation of organizational learning solutions in the call center at Direct Checks through action research

Maximizing potential revenue and profitability performance continues to be a key objective for Direct Checks as the company’s core product - personal checks - moves through the decline stage of the product life cycle; and, the department with the most potential to positively impact the financial performance will be the Call Center, as a majority of the company’s orders are captured through this channel. This department, however, continues to struggle with the establishment of a culture where the learning and sharing of information is embedded into the operating norms and values of employees, specifically around how to best sell to and service its customers. In order to address this challenge, a collaborative team was formed and Pearce and Robinson’s Six-Step Model was used to collect the data necessary to accurately diagnose the apparent and underlying problems. Data gathering methods are reviewed and the results discussed, including the interpretation process, the specific action plan recommendations, and rationale for selection. A survey was used to collect feedback from representatives. Finally, the overall project is analyzed in light of the implications of the work and resulting organizational learning.