Having a well-trained staff is key to delivering quality customer service. Whether they’re the frontline staff in direct contact with your customers, or the IT agents who tweak and configure your ecommerce page, good training programs will make them all better employees.

As a business owner, you should keep an eye on training and refresher courses that will empower your employees to carry your business to year-end profits. But, you also need to watch out for training programs that are a waste of money and contribute little toward your common goals.

So, how do you choose a training program that’ll actually yield positive results all around? Let’s have a look!

1. Create a training schedule.

Create a schedule which outlines the time your staff is available for training. It should include the training of new staff, refresher courses for experienced staff, as well as additional subjects or topics employees should master before they can get promoted.

Your HR department should keep track of this training schedule to help you keep your staff at peak performance.

2. List the courses you want or need.

Apart from the mandatory courses, you can create a list of courses you want your staff to be proficient in. Perhaps you’re looking to implement a new business process or are looking to enhance the features of an old one; whatever the reason, create a Wish List of the courses your staff might be interested into either grow their skill set or their career opportunities.

3. Find out where your weaknesses lie.

Look at your business’ weak points and research what it will take to improve. You can go online and see how the rest of the world (read “competitors”) tackle the problems you have, and then do research to find out how solutions were created.

Armed with that knowledge, you can find the training courses that’ll help your staff to provide you with a unique solution of their own.

4. Ask your staff.

Most of your employees will have a list of training courses they would love to take, but haven’t brought to your attention yet.

A good way to find out what they’re thinking is to ask them! Find out what courses they think would make them better at their jobs. Collect their answers and figure out if those courses are worth investing in. Don’t forget to take travel into consideration. Your team will thank you for the break on a sunny beach – and the boost in skills – after classes are over.

Once you have a complete list…

Once you have the complete list of courses, find out where they’re offered. Next steps will include:

• Deciding on a location: You should know, beforehand, whether you prefer to have your staff trained onsite, online or by going to the training facilities. Consider your budget allocation and the training resources you have at your disposal.
• Keep an eye out for discounts: Look for group discounts, periodic sales and promotional coupons. Saving money on one staff training could mean more resources toward another training opportunity.
• Look for professional companies: Don’t choose a training institute just because it offers cheap courses. Do some detailed research and find out as much as you can about the business. Look for reviews and try to reach out to former students who have taken those courses. If you find anything fishy, walk away.
• Monitor the results: Once the training is underway, keep track of the new skills your staff is acquiring and how they’re put to use. Try to negotiate a new curriculum if you think the course outline isn’t teaching them what they need to know. You’re not there to throw away your money or waste your employees’ time.

Once you’ve chosen the institute that fits your requirements, keep their information at hand so you can continue to send your staff their way for future training. Being a regular customer might win you some price cuts and freebies down the road.

Time to teach!

Apart from giving your employees the tools they need to perform their day-to-day tasks with increased efficiency, offering training will also boost their morale. People who think their company cares about them will always put in extra effort at work. Remember: by teaching your staff, you’re actually investing in the future well-being of your company.