Training the mobile workforce is a crucial consideration in the restaurant and retail industry. Consumers have many options of how to purchase, and going to physical stores is only one. The way to achieve exceptional customer experiences is through exceptional employees. The better trained staff is, the better experience customers will have, and the more repeat customers businesses will create.
However, many restaurant and retail organizations are finding it quite difficult to effectively train their frontline, mobile workforce. Since restaurants and retail are ever-evolving industries, employee development and learning professionals need to understand how to make training programs more efficient.
Modern Methods of Training
Training methods have significantly changed over the years due to diverse cultures and a younger workforce. Most retailers and restaurants are turning towards vital modern methods of employee training to
1. Employee Onboarding
Employee onboarding helps you reduce the learning curve significantly by getting new employees to quickly learn about their roles and responsibilities. An efficient employee onboarding program focuses on employee engagement – the catalyst for any effective training program. When employees are engaged, time to productivity decreases, and employees able to contribute faster to business goals.
2. Social Learning
Social learning lets your employees learn from their colleagues by observing, modeling, and imitating their behavior. Social learning is effective because employees get to acquire new perspectives, get out of their comfort zone, and sharpen their problem-solving skills form colleagues.
3. Microlearning
Change happens fast in the restaurant and retail industries. Younger generations are used to taking in short-bits of information through popular consumer apps like Twitter or Instagram. Microlearning helps today's employees interact with content in ways they are comfortable with, keeping focus at high levels. Microlearning offers employees practical, and focused information to help them achieve specific objectives.
4. Interactive Training
Interactive training takes place through various forms including role-plays, scenarios, quizzes, simulations, and games. Your workers get to practice their skills by applying them to real-life simulations. You can, therefore, easily know each worker's strengths and weaknesses. However, this method is rather time-consuming and needs a lot of supervision.
5. On-the-job Training
All of these strategies are helpful, but employees still need to learn how to perform actual tasks. On-the-job training is quite effective, especially when you have a succession plan. The staff gets to learn on the job, which makes them more effective and confident.
How To Choose an Appropriate Workplace Training Program
Finding the right training method that suits your business is never as easy as it seems. Understanding company culture, areas where training can improve, and what will work takes research, time, and effort. It is important to understand that human capital is not the only variable when it comes to employee training. Investing in the wrong training method – one does not encapsulate the minds of employees – will not yield any positive results.
Conclusion
Ask yourself three fundamental questions today: what is the primary purpose for your employee training program? Who is the audience? What are your constraints? Successful businesses do not ignore the importance of effective employee training. To learn more about how to effectively boost the training methods for your mobile workforce, download our guide and get started today.
