NFIB

New Technology? It's Back to School Time!
03/ 12/ 2004


Small businesses that buy new office technology usually don't buy a big enough package to warrant the manufacturer's sending out a special trainer to the business for a special class for the entire company. But Workshop contributor Edith Helmich explains how you can train your staff for a lower cost than sending everyone off site for expensive classes.

Whether Santa Claus decided to gift the business with new equipment out of the company budget, or the company accountant suggested adding new equipment for tax deduction purposes before the end of the year, many businesses will enter 1998 with new equipment featuring the latest technology. Technological breakthroughs continue to open new opportunities for more efficient and far-reaching changes in the way tasks are completed and goals are reached.

The catch is that employees have to know how to use these new machines! In far too many cases, the potential of the new equipment will lie dormant because no one has been trained to use the new features. Despite the "user-friendly" improvements that have been made in instructional manuals and on-screen programs, there is usually a need for a more formal instruction program to get full benefit from new equipment.

Large companies sometimes receive complimentary instructional programs to accompany the new equipment, but that seldom occurs for the limited orders that small and medium businesses place. Modest purchase orders invariably mean that the buyer must plan and pay for training at their own expense. To minimize the cost without compromising on the quality of instruction, small businesses can learn from larger entities.

The "Trainer of Trainers" concept minimizes the time employees are away from the office for instructional programs. This approach selects one or two individuals who are designated to attend formal classes and then return to the workplace to teach selected colleagues, who are then responsible for passing on the new information to their co-workers. Educational research has consistently found that people learn more completely and with greater depth when they tutor other individuals. The feedback and questions from the "students" prompts more intense study and inquiry into application of the theory for the "trainers." This means that the company is getting full value from the cost of the coursework.

Designated trainers can literally teach the concepts at the same time as they are being taught. As the training is transferred to others at the worksite and on-the-job, the instructional theory is applied to actual applications. For example, an employee not only would learn how to create and maintain a spreadsheet, but would be taught how to create and maintain a new inventory spreadsheet to replace the older version being used on a daily basis. There is no skepticism as to how the theory can be applied, so that employees embrace the new technology more rapidly. The benefit to the company is immediate.

High quality instruction is essential to obtaining full value from the investment inherent in new equipment. Whether the tuition or training fee is borne by one company or several in a cooperative approach, the cost is minimal when split among the employees who will become more proficient in using the costly new equipment!

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