Employee Retention Part 1
January 25, 2005
In a classic Lennox dealer meeting video, the Lennox territory manager
encourages Dealer Jack to provide training for his technicians.
"What if I train them and they leave?" exclaims Dealer Jack.
"What if you don't and they stay?" counters the TM.
As amazing as it seems, many small businesses hesitate to invest in
training for their employees. They would rather retain ignorance than
to risk losing competence. The irony is that by training, they do
neither.
One of the most technically advanced residential air conditioning
companies in the country is Air Conditioning by Jay in Scottsdale,
Arizona. Bryce Johnson from A/C by Jay reports that a strong training
program makes it easier to hire good technicians. Johnson says
technicians want to learn and know that his company provides some of
the best training for advanced diagnostics in the area. They seek out
A/C by Jay, waiting for an opportunity.
Training helps attract and retain employees, but so does extra
benefits and higher pay. For training to be truly justified, it must
impact the organization in more ways than recruiting and retention.
How effective is training?
Fairfax, Virginia based Cropp-Metcalfe is one of the nation's premier
air conditioning contracting companies. Mitch Cropp is a big
supporter of NATE (North American Technician Excellence), a technician
certification program similar to the ASE program in the automotive
industry. When Cropp implemented an in-house training program, the
pass rate for technicians who took the NATE certification exam
increased 60%.
Granted, this is technical training and a technical exam. Yet the
acquisition of knowledge is the acquisition of knowledge. Train your
people on service and sales skills and you will also see a boost in
performance. Depending upon your starting point, your sales or
satisfaction may not increase 60%, but they will certainly increase.
Why implement a company training program? Recruit more technicians
and better quality technicians. Boost technical performance and
reduce callbacks with technical training. Boost customer
satisfaction, sales, and referrals with soft skills training. You need both.
Read the next installment in this series by by clicking here.
Source: Comanche Marketing. Reprinted by permission.
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Copyright © 2002 Matt Michel
PHCC Educational Foundation .
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