Effectively training more than 100 ware-house workers to use new technology is no small feat, as CooperVision Inc. discovered last year when it installed a voice-directed picking system in its Rochester, N.Y., distribution center.

To identify the most effective training method, the Fairport, N.Y.-based manufacturer of specialty contact lenses sent managers to tour 60 other distribution centers nationwide to see how they had handled technology training. They saw a mix of training guides, videos, presentations, vendor support, systems integrators and consultants, and "train the trainer" approaches as companies sought to maximize their technology investments. After considering all the options, CooperVision decided on a hybrid strategy that had the software vendor working on the warehouse floor with in-house trainers to bring everyone up to speed.

"From talking to other DC managers, we knew that we wanted the training to take place on-site, and that our own people should be the ones handling it," says Jeff McCaffrey, CooperVision's manager of distribution and business processes. "The end users were receptive to our own employees, who understand the business, know what we've done in the past, and understand the company's goals."

CooperVision videotaped its own pickers using the voice-directed system and hired an outside company to create a five-minute introductory training video. The learning aid worked well for the company, which runs a 24/5 operation and has little time to conduct one-on-one training.

The company also began its training well before the implementation date. "We held 'town meetings' two months in advance, complete with the videos and the [voice system] units themselves," recalls McCaffrey. Once the system rolled out in January 2004, eight users from each shift were chosen to serve as trainers. Working with the software vendor, CooperVision trained those individuals on how to use the voice-directed units via a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation and hands-on instruction, then had them share that knowledge with the rest of the workers on their shifts.

That approach quickly paid off: "They walked around with the user and made sure that person was comfortable using the new system," says McCaffrey. "Within two hours, they were flying." And because the implementation went smoothly, the company soon realized cost and efficiency benefits from its new picking system.

As McCaffrey and his colleagues learned from their site visits, whether a company is installing an off-the-shelf software package, introducing proprietary software, or simply upgrading to a new version of a current system, end-user training is critical to the success of the installation. Yet many managers fall short in this area, leaving workers to flounder and figure it out for themselves, says Chris Heim, president of HighJump Software in Minneapolis. "Shortchanging end-user training before going live is the most common area where companies go wrong," he says.

To avoid falling into that trap, suggests Dwight Klappich, a vice president at Meta Group in Stamford, Conn., logistics managers should embrace technology training as an ongoing process, not a one-time event that happens when a new system is introduced.

Most companies choose one of three options for conducting initial and ongoing technology training: hire the software vendor, train the trainer, or contract with a third party, such as an integrator or consultant.

There are pros and cons to each approach. Hiring the software vendor, for example, virtually ensures that the trainer will know the program better than anyone else. But the vendor may not be familiar enough with the client's business to properly train employees.

"I don't think the vendor is the best one to handle end-user training," says Heim, who favors training users from within the company and having them teach the rest of the crew. "They know the intricacies of their environment and the personalities of the people they're working with," he says. "Additionally, if someone sees a fellow worker who is able to use the system enough to train others on it, it gives the trainees confidence that they can do it too." Continued...

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