On Site Training - In Depth

5 Facts About On-Site Training

Two decades of experience installing company-wide automation systems in virtually every type of service shop and in nearly every state in the U.S. brings with it  some irrefutable conclusions:

1) There is no substitute for on-site training. 

2) Go-live must be tightly supervised, and therefore must take place while the trainer is present.

3) The bulk of the training must take place just before and after go-live.

4) Continuing supervision by the trainer is necessary just after go-live.

5) Timing of this process is critical (e.g., there is very little leeway with regard to when all this takes place).

How important is on-site training?

On-site training is an essential aspect of system deployment, and this applies to both new systems, and major upgrades (such as SSM to S2K upgrades). On-site, face-to-face training enables the trainer to control the entire process, and assures a much higher level of comprehension on the part of the trainees. After all, consider the project at hand: your entire operation is being automated or re-automated - from stem to stern. 

How many days are necessary?

On-site training for most single-location facilities requires 5 consecutive days, which usually run from a Friday to a Tuesday. The training over a weekend is necessary to afford at least some concentrated training time which will not be continually interrupted by typical daily hysterics.

Is there any way to cut this down?

Practice has proven that any shortcutting the training process - whether in the interest of expediency or economics - severely compromises the effectiveness of the entire project. The negative side-effects of doing so will reverberate through your company for months, or even years to come. Without on-site training, vital areas of the system go completely unnoticed and unused for years, and in many such circumstances this turns out to be of measurable financial consequence.

What is done to prepare for on-site training?

In order to reduce the number of unanticipated surprises (and there are usually a few anyway), approximately 1 week before the on-site training is to begin, the trainer calls the shop owner to perform a "Business/Trainee Readiness Survey". This process intends to reveal any unresolved issues so that they can be resolved prior to the commencement of training, if at all possible. Immediately upon completion, the survey results are submitted for review by GenesisFour management in a further effort to anticipate and prepare for any unforeseen complications. In terms of what you can do - you can make sure all your hardware is in place and that your entire network (server, backup system(s), interconnect, hubs, switches, routers, PC workstations, printers, cash drawers, and so forth) are all connected and operational. Also, you can make sure you know what you're going to be using for a Chart of Accounts, and that someone has at least some familiarity with QuickBooks.

What is done to document the training progress and material covered?

The trainer will follow a training syllabus in order to guide the process and assure a reasonable level of consistency and completeness, to the maximum extent possible.   This syllabus must be signed by the trainer and the shop owner at the conclusion of the training and submitted to GenesisFour headquarters, where it will become a permanent part of your file. A client copy of the completed training syllabus should be made at your facility and provided to you before the trainer's departure.

Who Gets Trained and When?

Employee positions typically involved with training; days they should be present and available:

Owner(s) (all 5 days)
Service Manager(s) (all 5 days)
Service Advisor(s) (days 1, 4, and 5)
Parts Manager(s) (all 5 days)
Parts Counterpersons (days 4 and 5)
Bookkeeper(s) (days 2,3, 4, and 5)
Accountant(s) (days 2 and/or 3) (optional)
Technicians (Days 4 and/or 5)

Learn More about the On Site Training Curriculum...