Your Chief Virtual Learning Architect

Learning to Performance

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Custom Design & Delivery

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Predictive Evaluation

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Enterprise Learning Strategy

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Dave Basarab Consulting has elevated the training experience, offering an end-to-end comprehensive approach that includes training strategy, instructional design, development, delivery , post program training transfer, and evaluation (via the unique Predictive Evaluation methodology). Virtual Chief Architect Dave Basarab has combined all of these individual training elements with his user-friendly, comprehensive Learning to Performance approach, which significantly increases companies' training ROI.

Why we are different

Innovation: Our primary focus is creating learning programs using a Learning to Performance approach.
Expertise: Dave offers the depth and breadth of his experience, including working internally at prestigious companies (Motorola, Ingersoll Rand and Pitney Bowes) as well as his knowledge and expertise as a highly-respected, sought-after consultant.
Partnership: Basarab collaborates with companies, serving as their own Chief Learning Officer whenever they need to plan, strategize, or implement training initiatives.

Training Services

Enterprise Learning Strategy

Enterprise Learning Strategy

At Dave Basarab Consulting, we're experts in creating Enterprise Learning Plans. We work with you to develop your company's learning strategy and direction.

Custom Design, Development, & Delivery

Custom Design, Development, & Delivery

Custom training is an effective way of developing the capability required to execute your strategy. We are a custom design house that creates programs specific to your business.

Learning Burst Development

Learning Burst Development

We can create and deliver your courses via our unique Learning Burst Method - keeping your employees at their jobs while receiving world-class training.

Predictive Evaluation

Predictive Evaluation

We predict the ROI for your courses and establish success gates. We then evaluate the course against the success gates to show value realized and continually improve results.

Leadership Development

Leadership Development

Turn-key virtual custom leadership development program that combines world-class leadership speakers/educators with post-event personalized coaching to provide you with a cadre of highly skilled leaders.

Predictive Evaluation

Designing training for complex customer service escalations

Complex customer service cases rarely follow a neat script. A customer may be distressed, a policy may appear to conflict with a service promise, and the employee may need to coordinate several teams before offering a credible resolution. Training must prepare people to think clearly under pressure rather than simply repeat approved phrases.

For Australian organisations, escalation capability also needs to reflect local expectations and regulation. A customer in Perth may describe a problem differently from someone in Melbourne, while Australian Consumer Law, privacy obligations and industry complaints schemes can shape what an adviser is allowed to say. The strongest programme connects judgement, communication and commercial outcomes.

Start with the escalation reality

Begin with evidence from calls, chats, emails, complaint records and quality reviews. Identify the triggers that move a case beyond frontline authority: repeated service failure, financial hardship, safety concerns, suspected fraud, privacy risk, vulnerable customers or threats to leave. Interviews with team leaders can reveal informal workarounds that are invisible in standard operating procedures.

Map the customer journey from first contact to resolution. Show where ownership changes, which systems contain relevant information and where delays increase frustration. In a large Australian operation, the map may include a contact centre in Sydney, an offshore support partner and a specialist team in regional Queensland. Training should reflect that operating model rather than use generic scenarios.

A clear escalation definition is essential. Employees need to distinguish between a case they can resolve, one that requires advice and one that must be transferred immediately. This reduces unnecessary hand-offs while protecting customers and the organisation.

Build judgement instead of scripts

Scripts provide consistency, but complex cases demand decision-making. Use branching scenarios in which learners assess risk, clarify the issue, acknowledge impact, check authority and select an appropriate next step. Each branch should show realistic consequences, including what happens when an employee promises too much or transfers responsibility too quickly.

Teach a repeatable conversation structure. For example, an adviser can listen without interruption, summarise the facts, recognise the customer’s concern, explain the available options and confirm ownership of the next action. Language should sound natural in Australia; “I can see why that’s frustrating” may be more effective than a stiff corporate phrase, while “no worries” should not be used to minimise a serious complaint.

Role plays should include varied communication styles and emotional intensity. A customer may be direct and say “mate” in a friendly way, while another may expect formal language. The goal is not to imitate every accent or mannerism, but to help employees remain respectful, precise and calm across different interactions.

Connect policy with customer outcomes

Compliance content works best when it is integrated into decisions. Build scenarios around Australian Consumer Law, privacy requirements, hardship support and relevant external dispute pathways such as the Australian Financial Complaints Authority where applicable. Learners should practise explaining boundaries without hiding behind policy language.

Give employees decision aids that are usable during live work. A short authority matrix can show refund limits, approval requirements, privacy red flags, vulnerable-customer indicators and mandatory escalation routes. Include examples of what can be documented and which details should not be copied into unsecured notes.

The programme should also teach recovery ownership. When an issue has passed between departments, the customer should not have to retell the entire story. Training can reinforce warm transfers, complete case notes, agreed callback times and clear internal accountability. This is especially important in markets where customers can quickly compare providers online and shift between brands.

Rehearse the human and operational pressure

Facilitators should create simulations that combine emotional pressure with incomplete information. An employee might handle a delayed insurance claim while a system is unavailable, or respond to a billing error affecting a customer experiencing financial hardship. The exercise should test listening, investigation, judgement, de-escalation and follow-through together.

Observers need a practical assessment rubric. Score behaviours such as ownership language, fact-checking, appropriate use of authority, privacy awareness, clarity of explanation and quality of documentation. Feedback should focus on the decision process, not just whether the learner used the preferred wording.

If the team has recently merged, changed systems or absorbed another service operation, cultural differences may affect escalation behaviour. Guidance on the role of learning consultants can help leaders align expectations, terminology and ways of working before training is rolled out.

Measure capability and business impact

Evaluation should extend beyond attendance and satisfaction scores. Track whether employees resolve more cases at first contact, whether avoidable transfers decline, whether complaint ageing improves and whether customers receive promised callbacks. Combine operational data with quality observations and customer feedback to understand what changed.

Predictive Evaluation can help forecast adoption before a programme is scaled. Test whether managers can coach the target behaviours, whether systems support the new workflow and whether performance measures reinforce good escalation practice. A strong business case should connect training indicators with outcomes such as retention, complaint cost, regulatory risk and employee confidence.

Leaders can use evidence from pilot groups to refine scenarios and remove weak content. When presenting the value of the programme, making the final case means showing how capability forecasts relate to measurable business results, not simply reporting course completion.

Practical design priorities

Use real escalation categories drawn from customer contacts and complaint data.
Build branching practice around authority, risk, empathy and ownership.
Include Australian Consumer Law, privacy and hardship scenarios where relevant.
Give employees concise decision aids that work during live interactions.
Prepare team leaders to coach behaviours through call reviews and huddles.
Pilot the programme, then compare operational results with baseline measures.

Training element	What it develops	Evidence to monitor
Branching case simulations	Judgement under pressure	Correct decisions and fewer unnecessary transfers
Role-play conversations	De-escalation and clarity	Quality scores and customer sentiment
Authority matrix	Consistent, compliant action	Approval errors and resolution time
Documentation practice	Handover and ownership	Complete notes and successful callbacks
Manager coaching	Reinforcement after training	Behaviour persistence and team performance

A well-designed escalation programme gives customer service employees room to think within clear boundaries. For an Australian team, that means combining practical judgement with local regulation, natural communication and reliable operational support. The practical takeaway is to train the decisions customers experience, then measure whether those decisions produce faster, safer and more accountable resolutions.

Learning to Performance

Learning to Performance, a complete training approach, gives companies world-class training to drive significant return. This approach includes upfront work (Impact Mapping, design), training (for staff and company executives), and post-training efforts to ensure training transfer. This unique recipe - the key for successful training and adoption - is changing the way companies implement training. This methodology could work with any content for organizations in any industry.