3 Training Programs to Improve Business

Employee training is important. Employees want training and are willing to leave companies that do not want to train them and improve their skills. However, the idea of training is vast, and you may be looking for a way to get senior staff to sign off on approving or increasing your training budget. When you show them that your training program can increase employee retention and bring more value to the company, you’ll see a lot more heads nodding “yes” in the budget approval meeting.

So, whether you already have a training program in place or if you’re looking to start a new program for employees, here are three non-typical training program topics you can implement in order to bring value to the company, employees and consumers alike.

Social media etiquette – Your employees are an extension of your company’s vision, presence and reputation. On social media, you want to make sure that your company’s values are protected through the voices of your employees.

• Craft a sensible social media policy and train employees about social media use to help protect the corporation and your employees.
• Educate employees about performing a social media audit on a regular basis and removing any unwanted material that may appear with hindsight.
• Encourage employees to talk with managers or internal experts if they are not sure if something is appropriate or not.

Every employee is an extension of your marketing team, what they say and what they post can have a significant impact on the overall business. When you help employees improve their personal social presence, that will in turn extend the company’s social marketing reach through its employees. Take advantage of this great marketing tool with a smart education and training program, continuous updates and a sensible policy.

Automation training – What new technology, platforms and systems are on the horizon for the next few years for your company? Quite often, new technology is introduced and there is little to no training around it. It’s hard to learn on one’s own, and on the fly, when employees are already trying to keep up with the day-to-day workload. When a company implements new devices, automation, technology or ways they believe will improve processes and eliminate redundancy, there should be a thorough training program about the new system.

• Create training that highlights the benefits for the employees.
• Allow employees to “play” with the new technology in an environment that will not have any consequences on the current data or operations.
• Provide a reward system for employees who complete the training and implement the processes.
• Employees tend to ask their peers questions first, so allow well-trained employees to become advocates and formally mentor others.
  As new technology is being implemented throughout businesses to solve issues and cut costs, it allows front-line employees to have stronger interactions with customers and for companies to become more human-centered. If employees fumble with the technology because of lack of training, customer’s interactions with your brand will not be as positive and employees will not be able to focus as much on the customers. When you reduce the learning curve hump and improve the acceptance of the new automations, there will be less of a gap in the consumer experience with your company.

Communications skills – Many people feel that they are good communicators, yet it’s amazing how many people do not understand what others are trying to say. This skill set will build in nicely with the previous two training suggestions.

• In order to have good social media presence, one should have strong communications skills so they do not post things that can be misinterpreted.
• As automation takes over more routine skills and allows employees to spend more time dealing one-on-one with customers, communication will be imperative.

The ability to empathize, have a solid conversation and quickly determine resolutions through words and actions will improve the customer’s experience with your employee and your brand.

These three non-typical training topics can help enhance your employees’ skills, employee engagement, the employee experience, your overall marketing reach, the customer’s experience and their perceived value of your brand. The bottom line is that these skills can lead to increased employee retention, stronger customer advocacy and more sales.