“When people feel confident, you can see it in the calls. They’re calmer, more empathetic, and the customer feels it too. That’s where the biggest difference has been for us.”
She also reflected on how this approach has transformed onboarding:
“For new starters, it’s made such a difference. They’re building confidence quicker, not waiting for training refreshers or feedback loops. It’s helping them get up to speed faster and stay there.”
Kelly described how Clever Nelly has become a natural part of PCA’s culture, supporting learning without disrupting the day-to-day:
“Clever Nelly hasn’t become a chore, which as a trainer has been great to see. Normally, when you do assessments or check competence, people can feel like, ‘oh, I’ve got to do this again’. But with Nelly they actually enjoy it. It’s become part of their day. We even say: ‘Clever Nelly a day keeps Kelly away!’ It breaks up the day, keeps things fresh, and they see it as something that helps them rather than something added on top of their workload.”
Together, their discussion reinforced a simple message: continual learning and real-time competence tracking aren’t “nice-to-haves.” They’re essential to maintaining performance, confidence, and care, especially in high-stakes, emotionally sensitive environments like financial collections.
