The Forgetting Curve

Until I saw the link below, I had zero idea there was something called the "forgetting curve" so, when I read the first sentence below, my answer was "No, I didn't know." I find it fascinating to think about things like this, where research is done about the human brain. The science behind why I, as a human being, act and think how I do, is endlessly fascinating to me. If only I hadn't barely made it through my science classes in junior high and high school. In fact, when I think about my education in science, I remember a few things but one MAJOR thing, which, I have never independently verified if my memory of what I'm going to describe is scientifically accurate. Maybe I should do that, someday, but, for now, this is what my memory tells me.

It was in Mr. Falt's class.

Mr. Falt is likely deceased because I had him for a teacher in fall 1986.

I remember the year because Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet" had just been released.

I have it in my head that Cindy Hoffman went to their concert at the Five Seasons Center in October 1986. In my search for when Bon Jovi played in Cedar Rapids, I found this: https://newspaperarchive.com/cedar-rapids-gazette-oct-10-1986-p-42/:

I have it in my head that Cindy Hoffman purchased a t-shirt at the concert on 10/10/1986.

I don't have it in my head if she was wearing that t-shirt on the day Mr. Falt told us that if we could see all the microscopic beings in the air, you would not be able to see your hand in front of your face.


Why did my brain associate Mr. Falt to Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet to Cindy Hoffman to Cindy Hoffman wearing a t-shirt  to Mr. Falt saying what he said about the microscopic beings?!?

THAT is fascinating, to me and THAT is why I wish I would have been a better student in my science classes in junior high & high school because I really would have loved to study THAT part of my existence on this planet.

I'm NOT complaining about what I have followed in my career and in my life - I am happy. Yet, thinking about something called the "forgetting curve" makes me ponder "what would I be doing if I existed in a different dimension?" Here's the trigger for this post, which is available here: http://listserv.onlineinc.com/ViewMessage.aspx?ID=dea91c32-9e91-4c9a-b8f3-9b04074cb508&ClientID=7210301:

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Did you know about the "forgetting curve"? A scientifically proven concept by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, it is a phenomenon where humans retain only 25% of information a mere two days after learning something. And this number drops to 2-3% a month later, per research from the University of Waterloo!

How do you expect your contact center agents to remember everything they learn from training sessions, and moreover, solve customer problems or provide them advice, depending on specific situations? To compound the problem, millennials and Gen Z, the majority of today's agent workforce, have a very low attention span at 12 and 8 seconds respectively! And 65% of Gen Z would rather not sit in training, preferring instead to "learn on the job". No wonder consumers complain that agent knowledgeability is the biggest issue in getting customer service, according to a survey of 5,000 consumers by Forrester Consulting! On the other side, agents report that finding the right answers to customer questions is their biggest challenge.

The Solution? Read this best-practice article to find out and contact us to defeat the forgetting curve!

Sincerely,
eGain Corporation

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