Big Picture - January/February 2020 - 13

Educate your team on workflows, the differences between
substrates, cut laminate, UV applications - anything that helps
them to more accurately understand timelines so they don't
overpromise to customers and can easily answer common
customer questions.
Some vendors already have training programs in place,
but others may need some pushing. There are many ways to
engage vendors in training, whether it's bringing a rep to
your company or sending your staff to the vendor. Whichever
way works, it's of benefit to your company to maximize
vendor knowledge.
IMPLEMENT TESTING
You may have hated tests in school, but they served a very
useful purpose. Studies show people better remember
information when they're required to recall it. With regular
testing, knowledge levels will improve quickly.
As we build our training schedule at StickerYou, we're
implementing twice-yearly testing in order to ensure our staff
retains knowledge from training throughout the year. This not
only helps staff remember what they've learned, but also will
give you a good sense of what your staff has retained, and
what they may need further training in.

Feeling like you don't really have a full understanding of
your position or work is frustrating. No one likes to feel
inadequate at their job. By training staff to get them up to
speed, not only are you investing in making your company
more efficient, you're showing your staff they're worth
investing in, and you believe they can and will learn what they
need to excel at their jobs.
Implementing effective staff training takes time, initiative,
and planning. But the results are worth it. By introducing new
knowledge through internal and vendor trainings, regular
testing for knowledge retention, and helping staff train
customers on best practices, you will create an environment
in which your staff can learn and flourish. Your staff are your
most important investment: they run your company and
they're the front line in customer engagement. It's good
business sense to equip them with the knowledge and skills
they need to succeed, which will in turn lead to a more
efficiently run business, higher morale, and lower turnover
rates. Your staff is your biggest asset - it only makes sense to
invest in them.

TRAIN YOUR CUSTOMERS
It's not only your staff that needs training. Your customers
need training, as well. It's essential that your staff are able
to work with customers to inform and train them in the
best ways to use your company to maximize the dollars
they spend with you. This can be anything from consulting
on what size fi les print best to educating them on timelines,
refund policies, and more.
For us, educating customers on issues with bad fi les,
refund revenue, etc., helped improve internal programs, such
as OnHolds and refunds, and resulted in improved wait
times as staff were much more quickly able to handle
customer complaints.
Make your customers accountable for what they send to
you. Send fi les they need to fi x back with an explanation and
instructions on how to do it properly. Have your well-trained
staff walk them through the process. The more you can
teach your customers about best practices with your
company, the fewer repeat mistakes you'll encounter when
they submit orders or engage with your brand, and the more
efficient processes across the board will become.
BUILD STAFF MORALE
Staff training is more than just making sure your staff knows
the ins and outs of your company. It's also a way to build
engagement and confidence in the job, which leads to higher
staff morale and lower turnover rates. When staff are not
engaged at work or are overwhelmed by tasks they haven't
been trained well enough to handle successfully, this
snowballs into feelings of frustration that can lead to high
turnover rates. It's frustrating to make mistakes purely
because you didn't have the information necessary at the
time not to make them. It's disheartening and can have a
detrimental effect on staff morale.

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Big Picture - January/February 2020

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