Making Employee Training a Top Priority

With all of the everyday tasks, concerns and fires to put out, training many times becomes a low priority, however every effort should be made to include training as a regularly scheduled part of your company's routine. All employees should be included for both small and large companies. Regardless of the length of service or past experience, training should be ongoing.

Written goals should be set for all employees and assessed periodically to determine both the employee's progress and the true value of training. It is not enough to have training; good training with good results should be the goal. Companies who have been accredited have performance improvement committees set up and the value of training can certainly be assessed. Employee training can have all of the following benefits:

  • Improved customer service
  • More intelligent decisions by employees
  • Increased sales
  • Higher profits
  • Better compliance
  • Developing management personnel
  • Develop cooperative attitudes between departments, individuals and management
  • Improved morale
  • Lower turnover rate
  • Improved peace of mind

Creating the right atmosphere for training is extremely important. Owners, supervisors and management staff have to recognize the importance of training and convey that to all employees. Believing in the process will greatly improve the chance for success, and recognizing the value that training brings is the first step to success.

As important as initial training is, a scheduled process for ongoing training for all departments is equally as important. This should include individual and departmental training as well as full company meetings. In most cases it is impossible to do this during business hours. Meeting one hour before opening, once or twice a month, was not difficult to accomplish and full company meetings once or twice a year could be scheduled without unfair demand on an employee's time. The schedule should be determined in advance, determining those areas that need to be covered and even how many times a year they should be covered. Naturally there will be changes and additions as the year progresses.

The training and meeting times not only provide an opportunity for giving information, but it also gives employees a forum to provide ideas and concerns. This is an example of an annual schedule for training:

  • Meet with billing staff twice a month
  • Meet with customer service or order intake twice a month. (Include receptionist)
  • Meet with rehab department once a month
  • Meet with repair department once a month
  • Meet with delivery technicians once a month
  • Meet with outside sales and marketing staff once a month
  • Meet with all supervisors and management once a month (conducted by owner)

It can be especially helpful to hold joint meetings perhaps quarterly with departments that should work together (billing and order intake, rehab and repair, etc). If the company has supervisors for the departments they should conduct the training sessions, but it creates a more positive atmosphere for the owner or top management to occasionally attend as well. Conduct twice a year meetings with the full staff and have quarterly performance improvement committees or other entities assess training achievements.

With employee reviews include assessments of training areas covered and results gained. This should include some written or oral testing.

Training Topics
For billing staff, training topics should include updates on insurance changes, review of billing errors, computer skills and a review of specific problems from the previous period.

For customer service and order intake personnel, training should include updates on insurance changes, review of billing errors, information on new products, computer skills, sales training as well as a review of specific problems from the previous period.

For rehab personnel training should include updates on insurance changes, review of billing errors, information on new products, sales training, review of specific problems from the previous period, fitting and assessment skills.

For repair technicians training should include information on new products, discussion of new techniques and a review of specific problems from the previous period.

For delivery technicians training should include review of cleaning process and handling of new/returned products. Driving skills, vehicle maintenance, and review of specific problems from the previous period. Discussion of possible product needs of customers delivered to.

Outside sales and marketing personnel training entails information on new products and services, sales skills, updates on insurance changes, review of account status, review of specific problems from the previous period including billing errors.

For all employees: These can be provided either for each department, in joint department meeting or at meetings of all employees.

  • Customer service skills
  • Telephone skills
  • Handling of objections and difficult customers
  • Privacy and confidentiality issues
  • Time management skills
  • Training to encourage employees to find answers and improve themselves. This would include discussion of where the employee can find information and the company's organization of materials.
  • Review of new services, upcoming plans, discussion of company goals.

Not everyone learns in the same way. Some employees will absorb information visually, others by listening and still others by actually touching a product. The best approach is to appeal to more than one sense when appropriate. For example, at a billing meeting providing insurance changes on an overhead, then discussing the changes and finally having a handout for the employees to take with them will be more effective. One of the best tools for billing staff as well as customer service and rehab staff is a summary chart of fast moving products with information on the requirements for payment for various insurances. This is an effective way not only to train, but also to provide a reference resource for the employee to use. As changes occur, this can be updated and replacement information provided.

The manufacturer representative is a valuable training resource who can provide training on a new product, samples to see and feel, and the information needed to properly provide that product to your customers. Most representatives will be willing to come to a scheduled training meeting and provide the needed information. Your employees will appreciate listening to someone other than one of the company staff, and in most cases will give full attention. One of the best ways that a representative can help your rehab or marketing personnel is to make sales calls with your staff. Demonstrating the product will enable your employee to hear the product benefits, see the demonstration and learn more about the product to be able work with it more effectively.

There is some training that is more effective when provided by an outside source and not your own staff. Manufacturers, state and national associations and consultants may provide repair schools, sales skills, insurance updates as well as other information. These have a cost associated with them, but can be a wise investment for your key employees. In many cases providing the opportunity is viewed as a perk for the employee and recognition of their value to the company.

There is real value in tracking outside training. Not only who goes where, but also by the use of a one-page evaluation sheet that should be completed after attending a session. This method gives you a history of the value of that training and whether other personnel will gain from attendance in the future. There is value in following this process even for some training programs provided in house.

In Summary
Employee training pays not costs. If training is scheduled and time is spent determining areas to be covered, there is a much better opportunity for success. An atmosphere to encourage training from the top down is important and training should include as many senses as possible. It should be done at a pace to reach all employees, with individual reinforcement when appropriate. Training should be targeted by department or job responsibility as well as topics appropriate to all employees. Training should be assessed for its value and should create opportunity for input from employees that should lead to increased success for the company.

This article originally appeared in the March 2002 issue of HME Business.

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