Is it time to put the training wheels on?
No matter how innovative, user friendly or intuitive a software is, a well-considered training program is still essential for any staffing organisation looking to realise their technologies’ full potential. Strangely enough, the training of end users is still one of the most overlooked aspects when upgrading or adopting new software, even though a ‘technology ecosystem’ could be one of the more significant investments made by an agency.
An investment in technology and training simply requires buy-in and a commitment from the top down. It is not enough to assume your staff are tech-savvy and will simply ‘pick up’ new technology over time. Nor that just because they used another system in the past, that the same fundamentals or usability will apply.
Implementing new systems into any organisation can cause stress and uncertainty for users as well as significant disruption, change and revenue leakage if not done well…and usually there is a moment along the adoption highway where executives blame the software system and/or provider for not performing as expected. This inevitable collision course can be avoided with a proper investment in system training.
“An attentive organisation will not only identify the training needs of employees, but also obtain input from users on what they ‘need and want’ training on.”
At FastTrack, we have seen a significant change in training methods since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We now see short and sharp training sessions, held regularly as being the most beneficial in helping end users retain information and stay engaged in the learning process. We have also seen how scenario-based training sessions can impact productivity – and if you make sure the content is relevant to your users, and can be repeated, skills will become apparent, more quickly.
We also recognise that people learn in different ways, so considering whether your users will learn faster through visual, auditory, or hands-on methods of training is also very important.
Executing a simple and well-structured training program with your people will allow your end users to be better prepared for what lies ahead. And given the speed of change, the need for ongoing assessment and revision of training is significant; and if left unaddressed could mean a number of serious and debilitating outcomes for your organisation.
Remember, well executed training programs will provide employees with the skills they need to improve job performance, increase job satisfaction and lead to greater productivity. Is it time you put the training wheels in motion?