Staff training is often regarded as a short time burden; rushed through as quickly as possible and more often than not palmed off to a present employee to teach. However, proper staff training is invaluable in any company for long term success. Although it may cost a little more in the short term, in the long term it can have numerous benefits to staff, customers and employers.
Workforce training course comparison site CoursesOnline has the following advice on how investing in staff training can be of great benefit to employers – from the happiness of the employees to the satisfaction of the customers.
Benefits of investing in staff training
Greater employee skills & knowledge
Staff training at its core increases employees’ abilities and understanding of the work they do. When the staff within an organisation are aware of all the essential elements of the job, can take on a range of duties and are all working with the same goals, you have a core group of workers who can help customers and clients to a greater extent. Whether it is specific skills training such as on-the-job Barista training, or a more general training programme such as Leadership and Management, providing training opportunities for employees ensures that the quality of the work is significantly improved as well as the range of responsibilities that staff members are able to take on.
Increase in staff satisfaction & loyalty
Staff training and education opportunities has been proved to be a key factor in staff satisfaction. Employees who are properly trained in their role feel valued by their employer, therefore making it more likely that they will stay loyal to the company and want to do well at their job. As employees are more satisfied in their job, the working environment also becomes much more positive for other employees as well as customers and clients. It also increases the confidence of staff and improves their work ethic, having a hugely positive impact on customer experience and dedication of staff.
Increase in customer satisfaction
When employees are trained to do their job well, customers know they can rely on the company to meet their needs. One of the most common complaints that customers have is undertrained staff, and therefore when companies invest in staff training, customers are more likely to leave happy. As well as being happy with their own service, customers feel as though when staff are highly trained, there is more dedication from the company to improve the quality of their services.
Customers and clients are more also aware of a company atmosphere than many employers realise. Staff satisfaction, knowledge and loyalty to their company is a lot more obvious than it may appear to be, and when you have a happy workforce, the customer satisfaction often increases significantly also.
When more staff are well trained, it also ensures that common issues do not arise. With an investment in staff training, other members of staff can take on more duties of absent staff. If an employee calls in sick or resigns for example, then you can spend more time finding the right replacement rather than rushing to find anyone who has previous training and leaving your present staff feeling unable to handle the responsibility. Even if you feel as though you may not need more than one member of staff trained to a high degree, these common problems can often cost more time, money and issues than initially considered.
Increase profits and company success
The true cost of not investing in staff training is that it is likely to do more overall damage to your business. The more that is invested in employee training, the more positive and productive the working environment, and therefore the happier the customers. When you have a happier and more skilled workforce, more customers will view your business positively and seek further services from you therefore increasing your profits and reputation as a business.
Explore staff training opportunities
There are a variety of ways to increase staff training, including in-house training, training days at a local centre and online training opportunities. Although specific training techniques depend on the type of company, there are a range of areas of staff training which are useful in all businesses. For example:
- First Aid
- Diversity & Inclusiveness
- Leadership & Management
- Customer Care & Communication
- Creative Thinking
- Workplace Ethics Awareness
- Conflict Management Training
Of course, depending on your area of business, there are also a range of online and in person training courses which are specific to your business.