Lack of career development is the second biggest reason (behind lack of flexibility) retail employees quit their jobs.
It’s simple (but not easy) to fix: Provide better training and career development.
But much of today’s training leaves employees disengaged and struggling to retain information. It’s time for a different approach.
This article highlights five thoughtful ways to improve small business employee training, so your team will feel engaged, ready to learn, and productive.
Training staff for your small retail business starts before an employee turns up for their first shift. Assuming employees will learn skills as they go isn’t the best move — everybody learns differently. Instead, you want to establish training fundamentals and invest in continual learning.
First, a solid onboarding process gets employees spun up on company culture, values, and standard operating procedures. Schedule an orientation that covers policies, technology, safety, and job expectations. Even better? Pair them with an experienced employee to smooth the transition.
Next, set expectations and goals around training. Employees should understand why training is essential, and what your desired outcomes are for their development. For example, you can explain that you want them to have better product knowledge. Or that you have a specific way they should address customers. If you don’t set expectations, they have less reason to take training seriously.
Related Read: 8 Must-See Tips and Ideas for Retail Customer Service Training
Last, training is an ongoing process, not a one-and-done deal. Give employees opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills. If you invest in them, they’re more likely to stick around and feel supported in their growth.
If your onboarding and training process is lacking, consider the following points.
Nobody wants to watch a training video from the 80s, featuring a monotone voiceover and actors they can’t relate to. The same goes for falling asleep on thick training manuals. If you want to stimulate your employees, incorporate hands-on activities, games, visuals, and real-world scenarios.
Hands-on exercises let employees directly apply skills in a safe environment. For example, roleplaying common scenarios is a great way to train customer service skills.
Other ways to make training more engaging include:
To fit modern lifestyles and learning preferences, lean on technology. From e-learning platforms to social media, small businesses can provide engaging education opportunities at any time, anywhere.
E-learning courses let employees access training modules on their phones or laptops. You can incorporate interactive elements like videos, quizzes, and immersive scenarios that bring concepts to life. Best of all, employees can do the courses remotely. Other ideas include:
Leveraging the latest technology shows an investment in your employees’ development in the modern workplace.
Your workforce is diverse — from demographics to individual learning needs — and the most effective training programs aren’t one-size-fits-all. Tailor the experience for each employee.
Some are visual learners and will prefer diagrams and charts. Others learn better through hands-on application. Again, one-on-one mentorship can help newcomers feel supported — and help individualize learning.
Last, track employees’ progress and milestones. Regular check-ins help new employees feel valued. Provide personalized feedback on their strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Recognize their achievements and encourage areas for improvement.
Training needs to become ingrained in your workplace culture. Employees should feel empowered and motivated to upskill and continuously improve.
You could offer incentives and awards for participating in and completing training programs, such as:
Let employees choose their learning path. They can identify skills they wish to build, classes to take, or trade shows they’d like to attend. There are always opportunities to expand skills and take on new challenges.
If you want to empower your team, equip them with the right tools — and make sure they can use them! For a retail store owner, no tool is more important than a robust point of sale system. Training employees to use it efficiently is essential. Here’s how.
Related Read: 5 POS Training Tips To Help Your Workforce Successfully Onboard
Follow these tips to train your employees effectively. A well-trained team is in a better position to provide stellar customer service and drive your business forward.
A few bonus tips to include in your training:
With thoughtful planning, measuring results, and keeping your training program updated, you can make employee training effective and accessible to all.
You won’t see the results of thoughtful training immediately. It requires an investment of time and resources, but the long-term benefits for your small business make it worth the effort.
As outlined, proper training pays dividends through increased productivity, higher efficiency, improved customer satisfaction, and greater employee retention.
At Comcash, we provide point of sale solutions for thousands of retail businesses. Our POS systems come with complete onboarding and training, and 24/7 support should you have any questions or concerns.
Schedule a demo with our retail experts to see for yourself!