The 70:20:10 model for learning and development originates from research carried out in the 1980s. In the 1994 book Career Architect Development Planner, data from a Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL) study was published which revealed that the lessons learned by effective managers are 70% from tough jobs, 20% from people, and 10% from courses and reading.  The percentages within this study are the reason behind the 70:20:10 name. "The 70:20:10 framework is fast becoming the preferred strategy to improve workplace performance." says Charles Jennings, Duntroon Associates and founder of the 70:20:10 Forum. "It is applicable across all sectors and organisations, regardless of size, because of its holistic and agile nature. "  Regardless of whether the 70:20:10 framework becomes the preferred strategy for learning as Jennings says, though, it is still a sound concept and one that any organisation can employ.  Continuous Learning is the goal of 70:20:10 As Jennings says in one of his blog posts, most people get it with continuous learning, but some don’t.  Classes, webinars, courses, and other structured learning events are simply cogs in a wheel in a much larger world of learning and development. The roles of direct and structured learning can and do play an important role in organisational learning, but to create a culture of learning that promotes continuous learning, an organisation needs to think beyond structured learning. Simply, organisations need to think outside of the box, but this can be unsettling for organisations with a culture of structured learning. When you consider the very foundations of 70:20:10, that the majority of learning comes through experience, you can begin to understand why we at Wranx refer to continuous learning as the goal of 70:20:10; experiences within the workplace are continuous for the time of employment and they occur every second of every minute of every hour of every working day. Perhaps, then, the growing popularity of 70:20:10 stems from the need for modern organisations to have an effective culture of learning, for even if they don’t see it as a continuous learning strategy, it performs as one. But as Jo Faragher notes in 70:20:10 - a model approach for learning?, while organisations claim to have embraced 70:20:10, few can actually demonstrate it. "They are so immersed in the training model, or at least a content delivery model, that they struggle to figure out ways to promote and harness informal learning, especially experiential learning," comments Paul Matthews, managing director and founder of People Alchemy, on Personnel Today’s DiscussL&D LinkedIn forum. So how should you go about introducing 70:20:10 to your organisation? The idea with 70:20:10 is to remove the vast majority of structured learning from the learning process and to move toward a mindset where focusing on experience is more valuable. This will of course be unsettling at first, but it’s worth it when it comes to creating a culture of learning for the future. Most organisations are going to need to change their culture of learning drastically to fully accommodate 70:20:10 and for it to be truly effective. A good way to introduce this to employees is to create a video demonstration around the 70:20:10 concept which shows employees that learning does not just come from sitting in classes, webinars, and courses, and a video that demonstrates what direction the organisation is going to take in the future. Having a culture of learning means truly adopting a learning process and weaving it within the very fabric of the workplace. Share this post with your own audience

Organisations that value learning will outperform those that don’t. Or, at least, that’s what many people believe. At Wranx, we’re of the opinion that all organisations have some culture of learning, but that few can truly lay claim to a culture of learning that’s intertwined with the very fabric of the organisation. This is what it’s all about; inspiring a culture of learning from the employment process to executive roles. Corporations, SMEs, start-ups, sales directors, managers, and decision makers should start by asking themselves "How can I increase my organisation’s ability to learn". This is a very important question that needs answering, for modern organisations have a duty to train a workforce and a need to do so, because an organisation’s culture is the one thing that stands between an organisation’s results. To inspire a culture of learning within your organisation, you need to understand how you can improve learning within your organisation, and you need to understand the habits of highly developed learning and development professionals. Understanding how people learn, and what the tools are that people need to learn with, are the first steps toward inspiring a culture of learning. When it comes to creating a learning culture, there are several best practices that directors, managers, and decision-makers should take onboard. These are:   Send a clear message The passion directors, managers, and decision-makers have for learning will show through when it comes to creating a learning culture within an organisation. All of the people who roll out learning initiatives and get professionals onboard need to send a very clear message about just how important a culture of learning is to the business, and these personal feelings need to show how much you value knowledge, learning, information, and change. If you are a decision-marker, you MUST remember that professionals need to trust you to back them when it comes to learning. So send a clear message.   Understand your colleagues Of course, sending a clear message about how important knowledge, learning, information, and change is to the organisation is no good if you don’t fully understand your colleague’s orientation to learning, and for this reason a great idea is to run an assessment to find out the characteristics of cultures that encourage learning. With this information, you will be empowered with the ability to connect with employees within an organisation on a professional and personal level, and get employees excited about potential learning initiatives thanks to proposing initiatives that suit learning orientation.   Let colleagues get involved As a decision-maker, you have the final say on what learning initiatives the organisation rolls out, but it’s important to remember who is going to be benefitting from them most; the workforce. As such, during the planning stage, it’s wise to let colleagues get involved who have regular contact with workers ‘on the ground’, so to speak, to help people understand that this isn’t simply just another corporate initiative, but one that has taken on board the ideas and fears of those it will affect. Creating new relationships among people in your organisation is a great way to bring people together and get everybody involved.   Tailor your learning to mobile If the past 10 years has taught us one thing, it’s that mobile learning is now a key part of the learning culture. Mobile learning environments, such as those from Wranx, empower employees with the tools to learn on-the-move and of course all of this is monitored and tracked to tailor learning experiences to the individual. When it comes to inspiring a culture of working, nothing inspires more than giving people the ability to learn at their own pace, share ideas on-the-move, and take work out of the office. This is a particularly powerful way to inspire a culture of learning with mobile sales teams.   Start at the beginning In true Wranx style, we have saved the best till last. The most important thing an organisation can do to inspire and create a culture of learning is to start at the beginning and communicate the expectations for employees to learn and develop new knowledge and skills at the recruitment stage. Your organisation should encourage learning immediately and have the infrastructure in place to support employees of different roles, such as sales, marketing, and human resources, to allow the organisation to develop skills evenly across departments. With structured and informal learning experiences playing a key role in a culture of learning, however, this infrastructure may take some time to build. Share this post with your own audience

For quite some time, classroom training has been the preferred teaching method for most learning institutions. Children enter this environment on their first day of school, experience it right up until finishing university and continue to receive lessons or further enlightenment during full-time employment. Acquiring new knowledge in the classroom still remains incredibly effective, as it takes place away from the workplace in a dedicated environment, provides two-way communication with another human being and encourages group interaction. However, today’s fast-paced working world means that classroom training isn’t always the perfect solution, especially for the modern employee. As opposed to simply writing down notes in a classroom, the modern employee cohort are tech-savvy individuals who would much rather interact with and share the information they receive. Not only do they want to obtain new skills and benefit from additional training, they expect it too. Work doesn’t just occupy their time and put money in the bank, it is a setting where progression and development are perhaps the most important considerations. On top of this, a whole new level of engagement is required due to this generation’s love of technology and social media. For these reasons, classroom training doesn’t always suffice and an alternative or appendage is required.   Technology We are now living in an increasingly connected digital world where nearly every element of society is completely reliant on technology. Therefore, it is somewhat unbelievable that several types of teaching and training continue to use traditional techniques. Even though they have clearly worked in the past and will probably still be used in years to come, the modern employee fully understands the power and potential technology can afford. From physical devices to virtual databases, technology makes training convenient, constructive and compelling. With progressive training technology, you can help your employees gain new knowledge on the daily commute, on their lunch break or outside of normal working hours, which is actually the preferred learning time for a surprising number of people. How is this possible? Through multi device support for smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. No software needs to be installed either as most of these solutions are hosted in the cloud, which means employees can start learning on their phone, pick it up again on a tablet and finish off on their desktop PC. These virtual environments enable you to update learning content remotely to every single employee as and when you see fit too.   Gamification Getting children excited about subjects like maths isn’t easy, which is why more and more developers are creating learning-based games on smartphones and tablets that are both educational and entertaining. While gamification motivates youngsters to learn and participate more, it can also be an incredibly powerful training tool in the corporate and enterprise world too. Why? Because the majority of modern employees will have experienced and enjoyed all the benefits that gaming provides. This ambitious cohort want to solve problems, achieve goals, compete with others and ultimately receive rewards. Easier said than done in the classroom, but if you add some technology into the equation things become a lot simpler, especially with corporate gamification. Gamification promotes the use of achievements, which concern appropriate business topics, and are there to engage, motivate and encourage. By letting employees know what is required to achieve high-ranking rewards and setting limits on certain awards, your members of staff will become more focused on the end goal and strive to develop appropriate skills. Leader boards and ranking tables might seem superficial or unimportant, but competition through gamification is scientifically proven to enhance engagement and promote greater learning. At the same time, keeping tabs on your employees’ achievements enables you to monitor competency and retention levels too.   Micro Learning and Accelerated Learning Not long ago, The Telegraph published a story that claimed the growth of television, the Internet and mobile phones means we receive five times as much information today as we did in 1986. This profusion of data has probably increased in recent years and in many respects, presents more problems and questions than solutions and answers. How on earth are employees expected to absorb, understand and retain what is being taught to them if an abundance of additional facts and figures are constantly being produced and distributed? This is where accelerated learning and spaced repetition comes in…   Accelerated learning is all about being actively involved with acquiring knowledge and gaining skills. We are talking about creation not consumption, doing not receiving and collaboration not isolation. Not only does it increases an individual’s ability to digest new information, accelerated learning is also more cost-effective and quicker. To make this teaching and learning technique even more successful, algorithms such as spaced repetition, which capitalises on the fact that the brain easily remembers new things if they are spaced out over a long period of time, can be used to great effect. So how can you engage the millennial generation more productively than classroom training? By identifying with the society we live in today and appealing to their wants, needs and expectations. Accelerated learning enhances knowledge acquisition, gamification increases engagement while technology makes training for millennials available at anytime, anywhere. Share this post with your own audience

What is a sure fire way to improve your sales performance? Reduce the price? Include an incentive to sweeten the deal? Encourage staff to up-sell? Set up a rewards program? Give away free products? All of these tactics and techniques will probably work, but they might not guarantee prolonged success. For that to happen, you need to focus on one thing and one thing only - the customer. Without a regular stream of dependable and loyal customers, chances are your business will fail. Therefore, they must be cared for, given attention and held in high esteem. But above all else, they needed to be treated with respect and not regarded as another sales figure. But what is the best way to improve relationships with the customer? It’s quite simple really - by listening to what they have to say.   Customers have a problem; you’re there to solve it More often than not, a customer will approach your business because they have some kind of problem or question that requires a solution or answer. If this is the case, then there is no real need for you to do or say much at all, as half the battle has been won already. Let the customer speak and give them time to explain the issues they are experiencing. There is a good chance you understand exactly what they’re going through and know implicitly that you possess the skills or expertise to help out, but let us not get ahead of ourselves here. This is not the time or place to begin any pre-rehearsed sales pitch. Every customer is different and your response can’t be the same to every potential purchaser or patron that walks through the door. Pay close attention to each individual dilemma and be attentive to what every customer is asking of you. This way, you can provide the best product or service possible. Along with increasing your chances of securing a sale, there is the distinct possibility that repeat business will come to fruition too. When all’s said and done, acquiring new customers costs far more than retain existing ones, so it really is in your best interests to treat every potential sale like it could be your last.   How to solve problems As mentioned previously, no two customers are the same, so the solution you provide will always be different. However, your approach towards problem solving doesn’t have to change. A systematic approach enables you to put every query in context while not jumping to conclusions. Here’s how to go about it: Identify - After the customer has explained their concerns, ask more questions and really get to the heart of the issue. It is imperative that you start solving the right problem and not one the customer doesn’t believe is a big deal. Analyse - Come up with a list of questions that will give you the best chance of delivering the right product or service. At the same time, they also need to satisfy the customer’s wants and needs too. What causes the problem? When does it occur? Why does it occur? How long has it been happening? Specify - When you’ve comprehensively analysed the problem, think about specifying the most appropriate way to solve the problem. This might involve developing some sort of criteria that both you and the customer agree on. It may even be beneficial to research and find some independent standards or benchmarks to work from. Choice - Propose or put forward some additional solutions and don’t be afraid to suggest multiple ways in which you could help out. List the advantages and disadvantages of each and think about whether your proposed solution would lead to certain benefits or drawbacks. Decide - Once all of these steps have been taken, you should be in a strong position to pick one optimal solution. Develop a plan of action and be sure that you can deliver your promises. Prepare for every eventuality as to not let your customer down and strive to provide a superior product or service to industry competitors. This orderly and organised process should also help you save time and money in the future. By the same token, a logical approach to problem solving should achieve better results too, which in turn will increase your reputation and value. The customer is bound to appreciate the effort you’ve gone too and will no doubt become a loyal regular.   The changing face of sales Technology has now been integrated into every aspect of our daily lives and sales are no different. In fact by 2020, 80 per cent of business-to-business transactions will be automated. According to Gerhard Gschwandtner, founder and CEO of Selling Power, this means that sales jobs will tumble from 15.5 million to just four or five million in the coming years. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean staff are no longer needed in this line of work. Due to the rise of technology, more and more personnel are required in sales support roles. And while young reps don’t necessarily posses the traditional people skills required to make sales, they have grown up with technology and understand this world completely. Thankfully, there is a way to train and educate a generation that aren’t used to face-to-face communication as much as interacting with others on smartphones and tablets.   Wranx takes advantage of mobile technology by making targeting training available on the go via smartphones and tablets. Therefore, sales staff can learn about the importance of things like people skills and problem solving at a time that is convenient for them. Even if an individual starts their learning on one device, they can pick it up and finish on another. Changes or alterations can be made remotely, which allows you to alter your employees’ learning without having to call them into the office. And because our solution is hosted in the cloud, there is no need to download specific software either. Therefore if you want to increase sales through the aforementioned methods, Wranx is here to help. Image By: Tim Pierce - CC BY 2.0 Share this post with your own audience

Let’s be honest for a minute. If you let your staff know they’ve got a corporate sales training course coming up, chances are they won’t be overly excited about it. Even though further coaching and tuition is an important part of personal and career development, it isn’t always greeted with delight or glee. On top of that, there are no fixed guarantees that your sales staff will retain and be able to apply every piece of information they’ve been told. Even with the best will in the world, the variety of techniques used to teach sales isn’t overly effective or fruitful. Therefore, a great of money is potentially wasted on training programmes that aren’t benefitting employees or the company. For these reasons, a different approach, such as spaced repetition, will feel like a breathe of fresh air. With this learning technique, engagement and retention levels increase significantly. Along with proving to be a wise investment by the company, sales staff will enjoy and appreciate training a lot more too.   The problem with current corporate sales training Most of the time, corporate sales training is one-off event which takes place within the space of a day. On some occasions, it might even last a weekend. But there are several downsides to stuffing as much teaching as possible in a short period of time, even if feels like the most cost-effective way of going about training. Employees will get bored and restless easily, meaning their attention levels drop. By not listening to what is being said, only a fraction of the training will be learnt and retained. Even though these are the members of staff that want to succeed and earn more money, they have to be proactive and incentivised, not only on the sales floor but in the classroom as well. Common and constructive techniques such as interactive tuition, role-playing and case studies might teach sales staff a few nuggets of information, but concentrated training sessions do not lead to permanent behaviour changes. After all, this is what you want to achieve when you send employees off to training.   Spaced repetition - The alternative to traditional training One of the most fruitful and worthwhile alternatives to current corporate sales training techniques uses scientifically proven methodology to ensure staff actually benefit from teaching and tuition in the long-term. What’s more, spaced repetition is not a particularly new, complex or revolutionary approach. In fact, the majority of us have come into contact with this method of working several times before. As a child at school, you were taught to read, write and count through spaced repetition. At first you’d learn the alphabet, recite the letters and then write them down. After that, it was time to put together small words, then sentences and whole stories. This technique of practice and repetition spaced out over time provided you with the ability to read and write, which has never gone away. There is no reason why this teaching method cannot be replicated in the training classroom, as it has worked in the past and is now how our brains are programmed to learn new information. Deliver a piece of corporate sales training and then follow it up. Revisit it again later with more training and follow up once more. While this might not be the most immediate way to teach employees, a gradual process of tuition is far more advantageous over time.   Implementing spaced repetition As opposed to traditional training, implementing spaced repetition might seem lengthy or expensive. Therefore, business leaders are sometimes apprehensive or reluctant to introduce it. However, the age-old phrase ‘speculate to accumulate’ could not be more appropriate here. Any spaced repetition investment will undoubtedly be worth it, as both employee and business performance are sure to increase. Keeping a close eye on budgets and profit margins is understandable in today’s competitive and changeable corporate world, but you’ll have greater chance of achieving success with a more knowledgeable and competent workforce. What’s more, spaced repetition can also work alongside existing training courses or programmes, which are already set-up or underway. After an employee undergoes some teaching, they can take 10 minutes or so a day to go over these subjects again, remember what was taught and eventually change their workplace behaviour.   Spaced repetition with Wranx Here at Wranx, we believe accelerated learning is possible through spaced repetition techniques. With our training solution that intelligently adjusts the length of time between questions, knowledge gradually moves from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. Essentially, Wranx Drills consist of short, sharp quizzes of 10 questions a day. But rather than asking the individual to pluck a response out of thin air, we present both the question and answer. This is because spaced repetition works more effectively by rating how well you know an answer. If you’re confident in your response, Wranx will schedule that question again further down the line. However, if your knowledge of another subject isn’t particularly strong, we will ask the question and show the answer once more the following day. Prioritising weaker topics and disregarding subjects you strongly comprehend is a fundamental aspect of space repetition. While the schedule of traditional training might go over issues you already understand, Wranx Drills is totally flexible and provides a superior learning experience.   Spaced repetition summary While corporate sales training is carried out to improve employee knowledge and enhance daily operations, it can sometimes have the reverse affect. Members of staff may become disillusioned or uninterested in the teaching they are presented with, while businesses might suffer from a lack of progress. As a result, a more appropriate and effective alternative is required. Spaced repetition is nothing new, but it can have overwhelming benefits when applied to corporate sales training. One of the reasons why it hasn’t been widely adopted so far is that managers and leaders are unwilling to wait for the results. But with better technology and ever-changing attitudes, solutions like Wranx Drills have a place in every working environment, especially the corporate sales department. 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Irrespective of the customer’s circumstances or buying environment, purchase decisions and the sales process can be a long drawn out affair. Before a customer even thinks about parting with their hard earned cash, they’ll need certain assurances about the product, brand or even the salesperson. In addition to price and quality, other factors like warranty information, financing, availability and shipping will also come into play. However, several purchases hinge on factors such as familiarity, confidence and trust, which often boils down to how competent and knowledgeable sales staff are. From impulse buys to major purchases, passing on some product knowledge to the customer can potentially make or break a sale. If employees do not know about the boons and benefits of particular goods or services, chances are the consumer won’t convert. Therefore, some training or tuition is usually required. If the employee has an interest in the industry or product, this becomes a lot easier. Their engagement levels and willingness to learn are bound to be high while previous knowledge could also be beneficial. But if staff have no skills or expertise about your business’ portfolio, things are much trickier. Even so, teaching existing or new employees is imperative in most retail settings, as it has been proven that people buy from people with great product knowledge.   Knowledgeable staff make more sales Take a guess at how many more sales an employee with product knowledge makes compared to a member of staff with little to no expertise? 10 per cent? 25 per cent? Perhaps even 50 per cent? With an abundance of product and brand information online, it isn’t difficult for consumers to go on the Internet and do some research. They’ll probably find what they’re looking for in no time and continue with the purchase even if employee knowledge is lacking right? Wrong! According to research, retail sales associates with strong brand expertise sell 87 per cent more than peers without out. That’s on the brink of twice as many sales. Imagine how much more successful your business would be if staff were able to sell double the number of products in a day. However, even if a consumer decides to conduct some prior research, it is important to remember not everybody has instant and immediate access to product information. Despite the rise online shopping, numerous individuals prefer to visit physical stores and speak to another human being face-to-face. They will be putting complete faith in what the salesperson says and if the product doesn’t live up to expectations, you could be dealing with a backlash or several complains. Research also indicates that when entering a store, 50 per cent of customers are looking for expert advice on what to buy while a further 73 per cent say product knowledge is what they need most from a sales associate. This level of expectation means that retail or sales staff simply cannot shy away or improvise with what they’re telling the customer. As a result, comprehensive training or teaching is needed.   Potential issues with sales and retail training Taking these statistics into consideration, it seems like a foolproof idea to train up staff with as much brand and product information as possible. Regardless of the level of investment required, tuition and teaching is sure to be worth it in the long run. However, this is easier said than done. In spite of the fact that retail employs roughly 14.4 million people in the US alone, it also has the highest rate of staff turnover. Numerous individuals that enter this line of work consider it to be a stopgap or stepping-stone to something better and are therefore unconcerned or indifferent to acquiring new knowledge and expertise. Likewise, one in five sales staff leave their jobs each year, with the cost of filling these vacancies costing tens of thousands of pounds. Then there is the issue of training itself. Traditionally, this takes place in a backroom or office over the course of a day. If lots of teaching is required, then it might be more beneficial to send staff on a weekend course. But constantly being bombarded by masses of information in such a short space of time does not help employees learn. If anything, it will cause more harm than good. They could easily become bored or disillusioned, focus their attention elsewhere, forget everything they were taught and not improve sales in the slightest. Add into the bargain the time they were away from the sales floor and this type of training becomes an incredibly expensive and pointless exercise.   Teaching product knowledge the right way In the past, Wranx has worked with numerous companies that need to teach staff in-depth details about products and services. But rather than approaching this in the traditional sense, we believe that advanced learning through speed retention is the most effective way of teaching people new skills and expertise. Essentially, we provide an employee with short quizzes about certain subjects or topics, in this case product information. By giving each member of staff a series of 10 questions each day, they gradually build up their knowledge base and become better sales people. And rather than plucking responses out of the air, we give employees the correct answer too. This is because speed retention works best when an individual tells us how well they know an answer. We can then schedule easier or more difficult questions accordingly to make sure all bases are covered. Another part of our training solution is that employees can learn whenever and wherever they want. It is available on a range of devices including smartphones and tablets, enabling staff members to pick up and put down their tuition at a time and place that suits them. In theory, they never need to leave the sales floor.   It is in every business’ best interests to provide employees with as much product knowledge as possible. Even if differing attitudes and techniques towards learning exist, there are certain solutions that guarantee positive results can be achieved for each and every salesperson or retail associate Share this post with your own audience

In order for any business to strive or even survive, a profit needs to be achieved. Therefore, numerous entrepreneurs and enterprises make this their number one priority. From cutting down overheads to rapid expansion, there are various techniques and tactics that can help improve the bottom line. However, turnover is still completely dependent on just one thing - the customer. Without a steady stream of purchasers and patrons, your business will ultimately fail. You can streamline and improve internal operations all you want, but disregarding or ignoring the importance of the customer could prove to be fatal. Consequently, more and more businesses are starting to give consumers or clients their undivided attention. One of the best ways to do this is to make customers a fundamental part of your company culture. After all, there are several immeasurable benefits to prioritising the wants and needs of your clientele, especially when you take into account the following statistics: It takes 12 positive customer experiences to make up for one negative experience 70 per cent of buying experiences are based on how the customers feels they are being treated 55 per cent of consumers would pay more for a better customer experience A 10 per cent increase in customer retention levels result in a 30 per cent increase in the value of the company It is 6-7 times more costly to attract a new customer than it is to retain an existing customer So if you’re interested in developing a customer-centric culture for your business, consider implementing these five tips and tricks.   Start with the customer experience First and foremost, think about the experience customers go through when searching, browsing and buying your products. Think carefully about their possible feelings and emotions, as these will have a dramatic impact on whether they decide to convert. Frustration and annoyance over your sub-standard website or incompetent staff probably won’t lead to a sale. Conversely, joy and relief can be achieved if your product comes with dedicated after-sales support or some sort of money-back guarantee. If you empathise with your patrons and see where they’re coming from, you’ll be able to develop and implement a forward thinking customer-centric company culture.   Prioritise long-term success When you start introducing more customer-focused policies, it might feel like you’re sacrificing profit for the sake of satisfying a small amount of people. What’s more, you probably won’t see a big difference in sales straight away, which could cause fear and anxiety that this isn’t the right approach for your business. However, instilling a new culture does not happen overnight. It is bound to take a bit of time, as staff members have to get to grips with different outlooks and procedures. And it is vital to remember that any drop in short-term profit will inevitably lead to prolonged success. As mentioned previously, every business needs to make a profit to stay afloat, but money shouldn’t be how a customer-centric company’s success is measured. Instead, your goal should be to deliver unique and unmatched experiences that customers are so satisfied with, they’ll recommended their friends and family at the drop of a hat.   Make it part of your employee’s teaching There is no point in simply telling your workforce that more time and attention needs to be spent on the customer; it has to be an intrinsic part of their thinking and ideology. Every single encounter, interaction and confrontation has to put the customer first, which can be fairly difficult for people who haven’t experienced this kind of company culture in the past. Therefore, some sort of training is required. This teaching and tuition should encourage staff to deliver extraordinary customer service at every opportunity without giving it a second thought. Unfortunately, traditional training techniques are far from perfect in coaching customer-centric ideas and concepts. Employees won’t exactly benefit from learning what to do on the sales floor when they’re stuck in a classroom. But our unique training solution here at Wranx is a bit different. Available on a wide range of devices, employees can learn about customer service principles and philosophies in the workplace. After learning about what is required, they can put theory into practice straight away.   Get creative Even though the world’s major economies have now recovered from the global downturn, market conditions are still precarious. With competition between companies more fierce than ever before, the need to be different is crucial. But if you get creative with customer-centric policies and develop a culture like no other company, you’ll have a unique selling point that sets your business apart from the rest. Think of ways you can surprise your customers and provide them with the unexpected. By giving patrons and purchasers something to remember, it will get them talking about your business. In turn, they’re more likely to return or speak highly of their experience to others. It doesn’t have to be a major new policy or proposal either, as sometimes the small things are what resonate with consumers the most. This is where social media comes into play, as a reply or response on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn could get picked up by thousands of people.   Never lose track of your objectives If you truly want to develop a customer-centric culture, your business has to be completely committed. This means not losing sight of why you are trying to change in the first place - providing customers with the best experience possible. By taking a walk in your customer’s shoes, you’ll be able to define some key goals and objectives based on what you’re doing right and wrong. Some of these may comes as a shock, but being honest and humble will give you the best chance of achieving your primary objective.   The road to implementing a customer-centric culture can be tough and is bound to take some time. But if you teach your employees in the right way and set apart the business from industry rivals, there is no reason why you can’t succeed. Share this post with your own audience

Even though every business tries to teach employees to the best of its abilities, a fair amount of knowledge will be lost over time. From teaching techniques and individual ability to methods of testing and evaluation criteria, there are various reasons why ‘skill fade’ happens. However, the majority of these causes can be rectified with the right approach.   Defining skill fade There have been various studies and lots of research into the subject of skill fade, however it can be defined as the decay of ability or adeptness over a period of non-use. However, a lot will depend on the type and nature of the individual’s expertise or competence. For example, if you haven’t ridden a bike for a number of years, you’ll still be able to get on and not fall off with relative ease. This kind of skill is like an automatic or natural tendency that is hard to forget and lose. Conversely, it is much easier to forget how to complete tasks or activities that are more complicated and less predictable. At school, you might have been able to explain Pythagoras’ theorem in great detail. But seeing as you haven’t needed to recite this piece of information for quite a while, that knowledge could easily be lost. In the world of work, there could be certain skills or pieces of information you taught employees early on in their careers. But if you were to ask them to perform or regurgitate what was taught, there is every chance they won’t be able to. Therefore, it is necessary to look at how and why skill fade happens.   Factors affecting skill fade Retention interval - The biggest and most widely accepted reason for failing to remember certain information is the interval between retention. Essentially, the longer the period of non-use, the greater the probability of decay. Overlearning - Often said to be the single most important factor in knowledge retention, overlearning refers to the amount of extra training beyond the point needed to reach competency. The reason why this is a potential problem is because overlearning can induce complacency and increase the association between stimulus and response. On top of that, by identifying the perfect way to perform a task or duty through too much training, employees can get stressed or anxious that only the very best will suffice. Task type - Whether it is physical, cognitive, open-loop, closed-loop, natural or artificial, the type of task also makes a big difference. Some people are more capable of performing duties that require physical strength or an exertion of forces, while others excel at problem solving and decision-making. In terms of skill fade, cognitive tasks can be rehearsed easier than physical ones. Duties that have no beginning or end and a specific context are better retained than those with no conclusion or frame of reference. Conditions of retrieval - Retention is also dependent on the conditions and environment of training. If this is vastly different to the real-life scenario, skill retention will suffer. However, if the test and learning setting is similar to the workplace and the employee has cues to draw upon, they will perform a lot stronger. Methods for training, testing and evaluation - The type of training and testing methods used also affects knowledge retention. Practical tuition or on-the-job training might lead to better retention in some job roles compared to lectures and classroom teaching for others. Furthermore, the majority of retention tests take place after teaching has taken place at a later date. By this time, retention interval becomes an issue again. While evaluation criteria such as reactions, learning, behaviour and results do not affect skill fade, it is an important consideration as this is how knowledge retention is measured. Individual ability - It is no real surprise that individuals with higher abilities show less skill fade than their less able peers. This is usually because lower ability learners forget larger chunks of abstract and theoretical material easier than others.   How to combat skill fade Having looked at all the aspects of skill fade, there are various steps a business can take to ensure their employees retain and recite valuable information. A lot will come down to the recruitment process, but the overriding issue with skill fade is training. Therefore, a balanced and systematic approach to teaching or tuition is required. To deal with the biggest issue of retention interval, it is clear that employees need to be continually asked about subjects or topics they’ve previously learnt about. However, a training program based on advanced learning and speed retention can also address methods for training, testing and evaluation too. Here at Wranx, we aim to fight and irradiate skill fade by exploiting the psychological spacing effect, which refers to the way we easily remember or learn items when they are studied a few times over a long period of time. Our Wranx Drills ask employees a series of 10 questions per day about certain topics or themes. After the respondent rates how well they knew an answer, we schedule and prioritise questions based on ability. Unfamiliar topics are given precedent but once these are gradually understood over time, they will become imbedded into the individual’s long-term memory. As for the issue of overlearning, subjects or questions that are comprehensively understood won’t be asked again until an appropriate time arises. When it comes to conditions of retrieval, our multi-device solution enables any business to implement training wherever and whenever they want. Available on smartphone, tablet and desktop, Wranx’s training solution enables employees to learn new skills in the same environment where they’ll be applied. And to ensure skill fade isn’t becoming an issue, our deep dive reporting provides in-depth statistics and analysis into each employee’s progress. Even though skill fade might be a frustrating and annoying thing to deal with, there are a few straightforward and simple things you can do to ensure it does not become an issue for your workforce or business. Share this post with your own audience

Even if you’ve got the highest quality product around, which is available to buy at an affordable price, there are certain consumers that won’t part with their money unless they’ve been treated the right way. These days, consumers require a great deal of attention, consideration and respect, as precarious market conditions and increased competition mean that losing out on just one sale could have dramatic consequences. Therefore, several businesses are prioritising customer service, as this can make all the difference. After all, 89 per cent of consumers have stopped doing business with a company after experiencing poor customer service. What’s more, consumers are two times more likely to share their bad customer service experiences than they are to talk about positive ones. Reel off these facts and figures to your staff each day and they might make more of an effort in the short-term. However, the only way to instil a permanent behavioural change, which will have your employees prioritising the wants and needs of every customer that walks in the door, is through training. However, this is sometimes easier said than done…   The wrong way to train your customer service team Traditional and existing training methods are from ideal when it comes to teaching customer service theories and principles for several reasons. First and foremost, it often takes place in an arena or environment far away from the workplace. This makes it difficult for employees to relate to the concepts and coaching they are being taught. As for retaining and reciting this information, staff members often struggle to transfer classroom teaching to real-life scenarios. And all of this doesn’t take into account the rather boring and tedious nature of listening to a teacher, writing down notes and taking an exam when the course has finished. Then there is the issue of bombarding employees with a vast amount of information in a very short period of time. A lot of training only lasts a day or so, but in this time members of staff are expected to learn, understand and remember a great deal. But it has been proven that people do not benefit from this kind of teaching in the long-term. Instead, it is far more beneficial to educate and coach in short sharp doses over a period of time. In other words, continual training is the key to a great customer service team.   The right way to train your customer service team Rather than subjecting your workforce to condensed, monotonous and uninspiring one-off training sessions, think about introducing continual teaching and tuition. Along with being far more enjoyable for employees, they are also much better at teaching your team how to deliver great customer service. Furthermore, it doesn’t have to be a formal program or course that members of staff need to leave work for… Take the famous ‘daily line-up’ approach used by the Ritz-Carlton. Once a day for a couple of minutes, the workforce gathers to discuss and review one of the company’s key customer service principles. While this might work wonders with hospitality organisations, it can also be incredibly successful and fruitful for several other businesses, regardless of their size or sector.   Implementing daily training Explore the idea of holding daily meetings with every department at the same time. Use these valuable few minutes to discuss one aspect of customer service that you want to focus on or prioritise and see what employees have to say. They may have encountered problems recently and need help to overcome the situation in the future or received praise from a consumer for something they said and did. Try and host this meeting in an environment or setting where staff feel comfortable and aren’t afraid to speak out. However, if you want to create the best consumer experience possible, it is vitally important to concentrate on customer service issues at these daily sessions and not functional problems. There is a good chance that technical aspects of the job will frustrate and fluster employees, which could eventually take precedence over customer service. But remember that these situations or snags can usually be fixed fairly easily, whereas convincing a consumer to come back after having a bad experience is a lot more difficult. So focus on your primary objective of delivering superior customer service and be sure that employees have the same mind-set too.   Continual training with Wranx Even though these informal meetings are a great way of keeping tabs on employee performance and customer service principles, there is another non-invasive method for introducing and integrating continual consumer-focused training. Wranx’s multi-device solution enables members of staff to learn about customer-service principles without having to leave their place of work. Available on smartphone, tablets and desktop, employees can start their learning on one device and complete it on another. Even so, this isn’t a one-off training program, as Wranx Drills will deliver short sharp quizzes of 10 questions each day. Therefore, your workforce won’t be overwhelmed by a great deal of information all at once and can gradually learn new skills or expertise over time. This type of advanced learning, called spaced repetition, has been scientifically proven to move items from our short-term memory to our long-term memory in an incredibly effective way.   Essentially, we show your staff members the question and answer at the same time. By telling us how well they know a subject, we can schedule future questions accordingly. Topics that are easily understood won’t appear again for some time, but themes that require more work will come up the following day. As for you the employer, comprehensive facts and figures can be found using our deep-dive reporting. From enrolment metrics and retention rates to employee progress and predicted course completion dates, every piece of data you could possibly need is easily available. Therefore, there is no reason why continual training cannot be adopted by your business, as it is far more effective at achieving exemplary customer service standards. Share this post with your own audience

Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? Are you currently pursuing that career or doing something completely different? It is fairly normal for today’s generation to change what they want to do in life, but this is a trend that is becoming increasingly apparent for all ages across the job spectrum. According to research, half of hourly workers leave their jobs within the first 120 days of employment. On top of that, managers begin new jobs every two to four years on average. And as a whole, 25 per cent of the working population undergoes a career transition each year. As a result, it is fair to say to say there is no such thing as a ‘job for life’ anymore. But why are so many people deciding to leave their posts so hastily? Certain employment is seen as mere experience or a stepping-stone to something better. Some people get bored with their chosen profession and feel like a career change or new challenge. However, a lot of the time it is because staff are not prepared enough or equipped with the right skills to enjoy and carry out their job effectively. Therefore, employers need to do more to ensure new members of the workforce don’t leave before they got going. While some may look to implement a more rigorous and thorough recruitment process, another option is onboarding.   What is onboarding? Onboarding refers to the process of helping new employees get up to speed with the social, cultural and performance aspects of their job and the company. This orientation will teach new hires about attitude and behaviour along with the skills and expertise required to succeed. If members of staff feel welcome, confident and as comfortable as possible early on, then they have a better chance of hitting the ground running. The company’s objectives or mission can be achieved faster and more effectively. It might not sound like an alien concept, as numerous organisations have introduction days or induction training, but it is the comprehensiveness of onboarding that can make all the difference. Certain companies prefer to throw new employees in at the deep end and encourage them to use their own initiative, figure out what is required and learn on the job. Others have formal onboarding programs, which are structured and systematic in their approach to teaching. A lot will depend on the type of company or hierarchy, but disregarding the significance of onboarding could dramatically increase employee turnover.   Implementing onboarding Regardless of your organisation’s size, shape or sector, there are several best practices for onboarding that everyone can adopt. Therefore, think about introducing some of the following when a new member of staff joins the business. Introduce onboarding before employment commences - This may sound a little radical, but it is something we have seen several times here at Wranx. Various clients like to give new hires access to Wranx before their first day to get them up to speed with a few things. Seeing as our solution is available on a number of devices such as smartphones and tablets, employees can learn in their own time while the employer assesses their skills before work commences. Our solution is hosted in the cloud too; meaning problems like accessing internal systems are easily overcome. Create an enjoyable and hassle-free first day - Overwhelming an employee on their first day is probably not the best idea. They will be nervous enough without having scores of handbooks and guidelines thrust upon them. So try and make it an agreeable and easy going experience, then gradually introduce more duties, requirements and responsibilities. Have a formal onboarding program - After a laid back introduction to the business and staff, think about carrying out a formal onboarding program. New hires will be familiar with their colleagues and surroundings by now, meaning they can get stuck in to the stuff that matters. Continually perform onboarding - If you present new members of staff with everything they need to know within the first week or even day, there is a good chance you’ll scare them away. What’s more, employees won’t learn or retain information that is given to them all in one go. Instead, consider onboarding a gradual process that should be continually performed over a prolonged period of time. The best way to teach and train newly recruited personnel is through speed retention, a learning technique that Wranx is passionate about. Make onboarding personal - A big part of employment and enjoying your job is down to the people you work with. After all, a happy worker is a productive worker. Therefore, it might be a good idea to introduce a mentorship program as part of onboarding. Rather than learning what to do from a handbook, have an experienced and affable member of staff teach the ropes instead. They’ll also be able to answer questions too and put the new hire at ease. Monitor progress - There is little to no point of onboarding if you don’t know whether employees are actually benefitting from it. Therefore, take some time to monitor your new worker’s progress over time and adjust their training accordingly. However, with our deep-dive reporting, seeing how employees are getting on is easier than ever before. With Wranx Action Report, you can see enrolment and activity metrics, cohort knowledge retention rates and predicted course completion dates.   Onboarding summary Current figures and statistics relating to employee turnover rates can be a little disconcerting for business leaders. With so many new hires leaving their posts within a short period of time, fingers are usually pointed at the recruitment process. However, onboarding is often overlooked, even though it can make a huge difference in keeping employees interested, engaged and focused on their jobs. Thankfully, implementing some sort of casual or formal orientation doesn’t have to be a difficult or troublesome process. From giving new hires access to teaching material before their first day to introducing speed retention over time, Wranx possesses the tools to assist any onboarding program. Share this post with your own audience