How To Get The Most Out Of Training Outsourcing
Introduction:
The business world today is different from the business world of a few decades ago. Today, companies rely increasingly on technology for many different aspects of their business, and the use of technology is making outsourcing easier. Companies are using outsourcing for a host of different reasons, from making actual sales calls and handling customer service to training their own employees.
Growing number of companies are making it a point to outsource their training because of the sheer number of benefits it offers. Lets first look at all of the various benefits outsourcing training can offer, and then get into the details of the various areas and specialties where one can receive employee training.
Chapter 1: The Benefits of Outsourcing in the World Today
Outsourcing training is offers tangible benefits, some expected and some unexpected.
Reduce Unnecessary Staff
One of the first benefits companies realize when they outsource is the fact it will reduce the in-house training staff needed. Some companies do not actually have a staff dedicated solely to training. Instead, use current employees to help those who come aboard.
Improve Quality of Training
While using current staff might have worked in the past, the world moves at a much faster pace today. Its not feasible to have current staff halt their work to train new hires. In addition, when current employees train new comers, it can breed bad practices. If one of more employees doesnt follow protocol and routine, and then trains others to take those same shortcuts, it can lead to a number of problems for any type of business.
Better Development of Employees
Those companies who choose outsourced training will also be able to focus more on the development of employees with leadership potential. With so many training options, it will be possible to guide and nurture employees to ensure they have the best chance to excel at the company.
Lowering Overall Cost
Lowering the overall cost with outsourced training is perhaps one of the biggest advantages it can offer, and this is the reason that so many companies are adapting it.
Consider the amount of money that you have to spend on your current employees who are doing nothing but training, or who are spending a large portion of their time training other employees. They could instead be doing their regular jobs.
Rather than hiring new training personnel to come to your site and become your employees, it makes far more sense to outsource those training needs. When you outsource, you are hiring independent contractors for the training. This means that you will be able to save on all of the costs of having those trainers on your staff. You will not have to pay additional benefits or wages. You only pay for the training services that you are going to utilize.
No Need for More Space
Also in the realm of costs are your infrastructure and the room that you have for training your new hires. Most companies do not have extra space for training, and it means that training groups will often take over meeting rooms that might be needed for other tasks, not to mention actual meetings.
Outsourcing provides a better option. Training companies will often have their own buildings and spaces where they will be able to conduct the training. While there are trainers that will come to your location, having a separate area for all of the actual training can be very beneficial in regards to how quickly employees will learn their new jobs.
Working with Professionals
Companies who decide to outsource need to be certain they are making use of the best training companies available. Working with professional trainers and instructors means that your employees are going to learn far more easily and quickly in most cases. The sole job of the trainer is to teach, and they hone and perfect their craft. Instructors have perfected their methods of teaching for different types of students, so you can be sure that those who take the training and do well are going to be great employees for your company. The professionals are also able to offer evaluations, as well as follow-ups, to ensure that the employee truly does understand the training and will be able to complete their tasks efficiently and according to protocol.
Speed of Learning
Because the vendor offering the outsourcing training focuses only on the task of training, and does not have to divide attention amongst other areas and duties, it means that the speed of the training is often greater than in house trainers can provide. Although different employees may learn at different rates depending on the task, professional, outsourced training is a faster and more efficient way for most of them to learn.
This can be vital for those companies who have jobs with a high turnover rate. The last thing businesses want to do is spend an exorbitant amount of time and money training someone for a job that they will only keep for six months. Faster and more efficient training is able to soften the blow of high turnover.
After Training Analysis
After employees go through training, it is still important to have an analysis of skills theyve learned during the training process. In house trainers will often gloss over this area. The trainers want to get the employees to work, and they dont always make sure that employees truly learned during all of the lessons taught.
With third party, outsourced training, this isnt going to be an issue. Training professionals are able to offer analysis as well as support after the training. Some of the companies offer mentoring programs, as well as evaluations several months after the training to ensure competency.
In summary, outsourcing training is able to offer the following benefits:
Reduction in the need for in house training staff
Eliminate bad or lazy practices taught through onsite staff
Easier to develop new leaders in the company
Save money
Reduce need for more space
Professionals teach the employees
Learn faster and more efficiently
Evaluations for competency
Mentoring programs for new employees
Chapter 2: Outsourcing Instructors for Various Tasks
You may find that you need to outsource for many different reasons. Smaller companies do not usually have their own instructors, and even larger companies are starting to see the benefits of outsourcing most or all of their outsourcing needs.
Instructors for outsourced training are available to help with many different needs and they have a variety of different specialties. When choosing the courses and instructors, it is vital that you know which ones are going to be the most beneficial for your employees.
The following are some of the many different types of outsourcing training instructors that can help your business and your employees. We will go into more detail about these different types of training as well as how the training can benefit your business later.
Sales Training
Companies who sell products and services need to have a sales staff that is competent and highly trained. Quality trainers can provide sales teams with the skills they need to do well, and this area of outsource training is growing quickly.
Facilities Management Training
Training someone to manage a facility could be vital to the success of your business. Quality training will ensure that the managers you have at your various facilities are doing the type of quality job that your business requires.
Administrative Training
Another area where you will find quality instructors is in administrative training. The instructors can help to train employees with basic and advanced administrative skills, from computer work to client interaction on the phone, and much more.
The above are some of the most important areas where instructors that offer outsourced training can help businesses today. Delving into the different types of outsourcing training, from computer and software training to learning how to deal with customers, will offer up even more outsourcing options.
In summary, the common types of outsourcing instructors:
Sales training
Facilities management training
Administrative training
Chapter 3: Outsourcing Sales Training
One of the most frequently outsourced areas is sales training. The need for a quality sales department is always going to be high since customers and sales are the life of many businesses today. The only way to make sales is with a team that knows your business and your products and services, and who has the skills to sell them to potential customers.
However, in house training for sales isnt always up to par. In fact, some companies simply throw their new salesmen into the fray and let them find their own way. Consider just how damaging this could really be for your business though. Even those salesmen and saleswomen that come to the company with experience in another industry, or even at a company in the same industry, should have proper, professional training.
Learn to Build a Great Relationship with Customers
Having your employees go through outsourced training for sales can provide them with some great benefits, and they can teach the employees to understand the customers needs, which can help to increase sales. The sales staff will learn to sell the solutions that customers need rather than just products or services, which can help to foster a better relationship between the customers and clients and your company.
Your sales team will be able to ensure that their customers are getting the solutions that they really need.
Success You Can See
When you begin outsourcing your sales training, you will want to make sure that you are keeping a close track of the amount of sales made by various employees, or the sales department in general. Once the training is complete, watch the sales and measure how much they are increasing after training. You should be able to see some rather impressive results.
The Same Training
Knowing that all of your sales staff is going through the same training ensures that they all handle situations the same way. Repeat customers who deal with different sales people will still be able to have the same great experience.
Better Service for Your Customers
All businesses today have competitors, and it is vital to make sure that you are able to be ahead of those competing companies in every way possible. Having a highly trained sales staff thanks to outsourced training is going to help to set you above your competitors.
Whether you have a large company with a huge sales staff that needs to go through training, or a small company with just a couple of people on the sales staff, this type of training can be highly beneficial.
In summary, great reasons to use sales outsource training:
Better relationship with customers
Measurable sales success
Common sales process
Beat the competitors to the punch
Chapter 4: Outsourcing Facilities and Facilities Management
Training a facility manager is vital for those who want to have people in charge of their facilities who know what they are doing and who will be able to handle any type of emergency or question that might crop up. Proper outsourced training will be able to give your facility managers a much better understanding of their job and their duties.
Many different types of employees will be able to benefit from attending outsourced training for facilities management. Some of the most common positions that will be able to benefit from the training include:
Facility managers
Office managers
Company and building owners
Admin professionals and those who want to become facility managers
The training is able to offer a number of different benefits, and it can touch on many different areas to provide the best overall experience for those who are learning to become better facility managers.
Improve Overall Management Skills
Employees who attend the training will be able to learn all of the different functions and responsibilities that they will have in the position of a facility manager. They will learn how best to meet and exceed the needs and expectations of the company owners. They can also learn how best to maintain and manage expenses and costs within the facility to keep within the budget.
Dealing with the Codes and Regulations
Trainees will also learn best practices for the different functions in the facility and how to comply with different types of codes, such as those set forth by OSHA. This can help to ensure that there are no shutdowns of a facility because the manager wasnt complying with all of the codes.
Negotiating with Subcontractors
Something that many who hire facility managers dont consider is that those managers will often have to deal with subcontractors. Sometimes for outsourcing maintenance and janitorial needs, security, and more. Knowing how to negotiate with the different contractors is to the benefit of the facilities manager, and proper training will ensure that they have those skills.
In summary, a training program for outsourced facilities management is going to be able to provide:
Knowledge of all of the functions and duties required by a facilities manager
Ability to work with and negotiate with other contractors, such as custodial and security
Learn to deal with OSHA, and different municipal codes
Companies who may not have the required space needed for various tasks, or who may not have the facilities that can handle the equipment they need, may find that outsourcing actual facilities can be beneficial. In some cases, these facilities already have managers. It is very important to make sure that whoever is heading up the management aspect of the facility has the right training and will be able to meet your expectations.
Chapter 5: Outsourcing Training for Administrative Duties
A number of companies are also working with outsource training companies to handle the training of their various administrative duties. Even though most of the admin duties might not be as difficult to learn as some of the technical areas, such as training for different types of software or training as a facilities manager, training can be highly beneficial for the reasons mentioned in Chapter 1.
Getting Help for Training in Different Administrative Areas
Companies will be able to find outsource training for a number of different areas under the overall umbrella of administration services. Whether you have employees that need training for the traditional administrative duties within your company or you need to have outsourced training for human resources of payroll and accounting, you can find the training that you need.
Great Benefits for Admin Employees with the Training
Akin to the other types of outsource training for sale and facilities management, you have a number of benefits when you outsource this type of training. All of the employees will have the same training, which is going to lead to uniformity in the company. The professional atmosphere that training is going to be able to provide ensures a good learning environment that helps to make the process of learning and getting to work faster.
In addition, many of those who go through outsourced training find that they have better retention of the tools and skills they learn.
In summary, outsourcing administrative training offers great benefits:
Uniform training and skills through the company
Professional training atmosphere
Faster learning with better retention
Take the time to understand the different administrative areas within your company and see all of the different types of training that can benefit your employees, especially the new hires.
Chapter 6: Outsourcing after Training Follow-Ups
When choosing a company for outsourcing training, one of the most important things that you should consider is the type of training follow-ups and evaluations that they offer. Quality companies will always have some type of training follow-up that will help to ensure that your employees are able to retain the knowledge and skills that theyve learned.
Evaluate at the Right Time
The evaluations shouldnt be directly after the end of the training session though. Instead, waiting several months is going to be a much better way to determine just how effective the training was. If your employees are able to retain their knowledge and skills after three months, you can be sure that those skills are now a permanent part of the employees toolset.
Is the Outsourcing Company Living Up to Expectations?
If you are working with a company that offers outsourced training and they dont offer follow-ups and evaluations, or the evaluations show that your employees arent learning, its time for a change.
In summary, follow-ups are vital for the following reasons:
Determines the value of the training company
Helps employees increase confidence in their skills
Ensures retention of information gained during the training
Chapter 7: Outsourcing Mistakes to Avoid
While outsourcing training can be one of the best things that a business can do today, its still quite important to avoid some of the common mistakes that many companies make. The following are some of the top mistakes to avoid when beginning to look for training services for your own company.
Understanding Your Budget
Outsourcing training is going to save money for businesses, as mentioned earlier. Still, companies need to make sure that they are working with training partners who will be able to provide great service at an affordable price. Know and understand the pricing structure what the fee entails before choosing a company for training needs. Of course, quality should trump price.
Choose the Right Trainers
Knowing your budget is one thing. Choosing a training company because they are cheap is another. You dont want to choose a training outsourcing company based solely on the price. Quality is the most important factor, as mentioned. Research the company, look for testimonials from other businesses that have used them, and understand what type of training the company can provide. Some training companies will have certain specialties, and you need to make sure that you are using the right company for your training requirements.
Make sure that the company is able to offer follow up training, evaluations, and other elements to ensure your employees come away from their training experience with the best possible knowledge of how to excel at their jobs.
Not Measuring the Results
You have to have some way of determining how successful your training outsourcing is for your company. Without having some sort of benchmark by which you can measure the effectiveness of your training, it will be impossible to determine just who successful it was or wasnt.
In sales training, for example, look at the amount of sales, in volume or dollars, your company made in a quarter before outsourcing training. Then look at t
by: Salah Banna
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