3 strategies for tech training (page 2)

-- Logistics Management, 3/1/2005

Page 2 of 3

Some companies bring in third parties, such as consultants or systems integrators, to handle technology training. That can be both effective and costly, depending on the implementation. "The benefit of hiring an outside firm to handle training is that the good ones have extensive experience with a variety of applications and environments," says John Sidell, principal and co-founder of Toledo, Ohio-based Esync, which provides such services. "If a company lacks the in-house resources and skill sets, an integrator can fill in those gaps."

The downside of hiring consultants is that it can get very expensive, says John Pulling, chief operating officer of software provider Provia in Grand Rapids, Mich. Expect high-quality materials and training from those who know the applications well, he says, but also expect to pay a premium for such services, which don't always result in a well-trained, independent staff of workers. "This approach doesn't prompt your employees to do ongoing training on their own, leaving the firm reliant on someone else for future training," he says.

That's why many companies, like CooperVision, have adopted a hybrid approach that combines their software vendors' technical expertise with their own staffs' hands-on experience and internal knowledge. But training the trainer isn't always the best approach, says Doug Braun, vice president of customer services for software vendor RedPrairie in Waukesha, Wis. In some cases, he says, warehouse managers may select their best worker for the job, only to find that a normally great employee is an ineffective trainer.

"Looking only at who does the job best today, then expecting them to train everyone else is not always effective," cautions Braun. "If someone doesn't have the background or skills to perform that type of human education, they could fail miserably."

Train in Advance

The fact that most software programs today are created with a wide range of educational levels and technical expertise in mind makes implementations fairly easy for warehouse and logistics personnel to master—provided they are properly trained.

Just how much a company will shell out for that training depends on the scope of the implementation, the number of users, and what types of systems were previously in use. Braun estimates that a typical training course costs $400 to $600 per user, per day, while Heim estimates the total cost for training warehouse personnel on a new system can range from $5,000 to $100,000.

In exchange for that investment, companies receive initial, pre-installation training on the product itself and its configuration. After that, the "super-users" receive their training, which prepares them to teach other employees. Such training should take place off-site, where they can focus on the task at hand, and not be interrupted by their day-to-day duties, recommends Noah Dixon, vice president of product management at Catalyst, a Milwaukee-based software vendor.

End-user training, on the other hand, is best handled on-site, say experts. That allows them to test out a system in actual conditions before it goes live. "We think it's most effective when people are trained right in their own environment, rather than in a conference room," Pulling says. Continued...

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