The start of third grade has been trickier to navigate for my 8-year-old daughter.
She now has homework.
Everyday, Monday through Thursday.
At first she was very excited. Then she began to question its purpose.
“Reinforcement”, I said. “It reinforces what your teacher went over in class today, which helps you retain the information.”
Yes, I use words like reinforcement and retain with my 8-year-old. 😊
I reminded her that adults often have homework too and frequently I am the one assigning it. You see, finding ways to help employees reinforce best practices after a workplace training is also important.
I could be the world’s best trainer and lead a dynamic and motivational session on the importance of making customers top priority, but momentum by participants will always fizzle within a few weeks (if not sooner) if no reinforcement takes place.
So how can we reinforce learning with customer-facing team members?
Here are 5 ways:
1) Schedule a one-on-one check-in with each employee to discuss their top takeaway (or what I refer to as a new “tool”) and how they plan to implement it. This provides accountability as well.
2) Plan a weekly or monthly huddle with your team and choose one topic discussed in the training (ie: empathy, name usage, etc.) to highlight along with a story and/or a challenge.
3) Shadow a few employees on shift, typically those new to their roles or employees you overlap with the least, to make sure best practices are being implemented.
4) Distribute scenario-based (ie: what would you do in the following situation) worksheets, with a deadline, to emphasize the importance of the topic.
5) Schedule off-the-floor time for role playing and/or a field trip to a nearby business who effortlessly models true hospitality.