Crucial to an organization’s success, frontline employees are those who interact with customers in a variety of scenarios – in retail stores, restaurants, in customer service centers, and in other service locales. These are the folks who are the face of the company, who are responsible for delivering customer service or satisfaction and whose knowledge and behavior directly impacts the likelihood that a customer’s experience will be a positive one, one that will create and enhance an organization’s reputation.
Frontline Employees Role in Delivering Exceptional Customer Service
Frontline employees are often the first representation of a company seen by a customer, and they are the employees who interact with customers to satisfy their needs and resolve any issues. These individuals are critical to customer perception and play a critical role in the development and continuation of customer loyalty. When frontline employees deliver great customer service, they don’t just satisfy customers – they build and help sustain the growth and success of an organization.
The Need for Effective Training Programs to Enhance Frontline Employee Skills
Frontline employees must be adequately trained to deliver excellent customer service. Training programs must effectively help these employees obtain the skills, knowledge, and tools to be successful within that role. Traditional training methods, such as classroom sessions or long-winded manuals, may not adequately prepare these employees for the fast pace and varying scenarios encountered.
Advancements in Technology for Frontline Training
Advancements in technology have changed the way in which training programs are administered and have made delivery for frontline employees more mobile, more flexible and much more interactive. There are a wealth of benefits and opportunities to improve the skills and capabilities for frontline workers through modern technology. Organizations must ensure their training methods and systems for delivering training are not simply up to date in technology, but they put the frontline employee in a position to deliver exceptional customer service and satisfaction and with the skills and knowledge to do so.
Benefits of technology-enabled training for frontline workers
There are several benefits associated with the use of technology in frontline training. Firstly, it provides flexibility and convenience to frontline employees through mobile learning. By being able to access training materials at any time, from any location, frontline employees can fit learning around their busy schedules. Furthermore, training methods that are enabled by technology often offer engaging and interactive content which makes the learning process more enjoyable and more effective. This in turn leads to better retention of information and the ability to apply knowledge to real-life situations.
Mobile Learning for Frontline Employees
Mobile learning stands as one of the most significant tech-enabled modernizations of training for frontline employees, and it works because smartphone and tablet technologies now integrate into the average person’s life. With this approach, frontline workers can learn at their own pace and in their own space. Training becomes a casual experience, occurring during breaks, while commuting, or whenever employees are off the clock — and when training programs are this effective, employees will find a way to engage with the content when it’s most convenient for them.
Advantages of mobile learning for on-the-go training
On-the-go training has a number of advantages as part of a mobile learning program. First, it means that frontline employees can engage with training materials 24/7 from whatever location suits them best; they no longer need to report to a particular training room, a major advantage for firms with distributed teams or with employees in the field or in remote locations. Additionally, the “mobile” in mobile learning might reference a variety of different device functionalities like video, interactive quizzes, and real-life simulations, all of which can be used to transform the learning experience—making it more engaging and immersive for employees. Breaks can keep coming, but time can keep learning. If it sounds like a fluid, continuous experience, it’s because it is that and more. Mobile learning can provide the perfect channel to keep all frontline employees motivated and help them thrive. By offering bite-sized modules, employees can use those small units of free-time to keep learning—no matter whether those snack-sized breaks are long or short.
Convenience and accessibility of learning anytime, anywhere
The convenience and accessibility of mobile learning are unsurpassed by any other training modality. Frontline employees can access training materials through the company’s mobile app or responsive web-based platform, meaning training happens when it’s most convenient for them. Naturally, this means that by allowing training to occur in the most comfortable and efficient environment and at the learner’s pace, more opportunities for knowledge retention are created. Furthermore, workers can return to materials whenever they need a refresher or to solve a particular problem, ensuring that training isn’t just something that’s done and over, but rather a truly ongoing pursuit.
Concept and applications of VR training for practical skill development
VR training is particularly useful for the development of practical, hands-on skills, as it creates a simulated environment that looks and feels real and in which the learner can interact. In a customer service setting, for example, this might involve creating virtual role-playing scenarios in which frontline workers must manage interactions with difficult customers or otherwise complex situations, improving their communication, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. VR training can also be used for the precise replication of tasks such as the operation of certain machinery or the performance of multi-step procedures, allowing the employee to develop expertise and proficiency without any real-world consequences.
Immersive and realistic simulations for hands-on experience
The immersive nature of VR simulations provide frontline employees with a hands-on learning experience. They can interact with virtual objects, customers, and environments, making choices and facing the consequences of their actions within the simulation. This type of experiential learning encourages active engagement and helps employees develop critical thinking, adaptability, and confidence in their abilities. Through repetitive practice in the virtual environment, they can refine their actions and develop muscle memory, leading to improved performance in real-life situations.Augmented Reality (AR) Training for Frontline Workers
Augmented reality (AR) is another technology that can help elevate the skills of frontline employees. AR superimposes digital information onto the physical world, providing real-time guidance and support that can help employees perform better on the job.
Enhancing on-the-job performance with real-time guidance and support
With AR technology, frontline workers can have real-time guidance and support so they can do their jobs better. For instance, in the retail industry, employees can wear AR glasses or look at their mobile device to see the product information (specification, pricing, availability etc) on the item they scan. This means that when a customer asks about his options, an employee can immediately tell him what he needs to know — and it won’t be outdated information from their training manual or from a computer system. Frontline workers can also use AR to do other things related to troubleshooting and repairs — the AR device will superimpose digital instructions, diagrams or even videos on the piece of equipment they are to work on that guide them through the step-by-step process.
In addition to on-the-spot information, AR technology can handle so much more to make frontline employees’ jobs much more streamlined and efficient. In a warehouse, employees can use AR to optimize order picking — projected arrows direct employees where to go and where an item is. This makes it quicker and easier for employees to locate items, and thus it reduces errors. And when there is training to be done on the spot for new employees, an AR device can provide it by showing the employee visual cues or instructions that are superimposed on the item or equipment he is to put together or fix — so he knows to put Bolt A1 into Nut B1 and twist to the right to tighten etc. With AR technology, organizations can ensure that they give their frontline employees the best shot of doing their job well and setting them up for success. Find out more about the technology here.
The human psychology that drives engagement, motivation, and participation
With the right gamification techniques, this makes the most of human psychology and the natural inclination people have to challenges, rewards, and recognition. By integrating pieces of this game concept plenty of training programs create an environment where employees across the board are engaged, motivated, and participate. For example, when employees complete a module or quiz questions are answered correctly, they can receive points and badges for their success. These points are tracked and kept on a leaderboard where employees can compete to see who turned in the best performance and who can earn the ultimate bragging rights. It’s this immediate feedback and reward employees need to make them feel accomplished and encourage them to press on with their training.
The benefits of gamification in fostering continuous learning and skill development
In frontline training, gamification not only boosts engagement, but more importantly, it supports continuous learning and skill development. By setting challenges and rewarding progression with new levels or content, gamification breaks down the fear that learning new content can be dull or dry, or that frontline workers lack a motivation to explore different topics and acquire new skills. A sense of progression not only helps to prevent disengagement after that initial high, it also creates the workforce that will move beyond mandatory training to participate in learning because they want to. By embedding social features like leaderboards, or better still, working in collaborative games, employees can see what their colleagues have achieved, learn from them and be inspired by them, creating a culture of continuous improvement and skill sharing throughout the organization.
Frontline Learning Management Systems (LMS)
To effectively manage and deliver training for frontline employees, employers can turn to Learning Management Systems that are specifically tailored for the frontline workforce. These systems offer: centralized training resources, personalized learning paths and real-time monitoring.
Benefits of using specialized LMS software for frontline workforce training
The functionality of frontline LMS like iTacit enables organizations to accurately identify skills shortages and create a scalable training blueprint, so they can make more informed decisions about resource allocation, budget requirements and the technology needed to deploy targeted learning paths. They also let organizations automate and personalize compliance training, such as anti-harassment compliance, for frontline management staff—versus head-office staff—who require a more flexible training approach, where they can access training at a time and place of their choosing.
Furthermore, frontline LMS platforms foster an environment that is conducive to bringing non-traditional frontline workers into management roles. Their custom learning paths allow organizations to increase the breadth of individuals to whom they can distribute training materials. This scalability can be used to train seasonal staff, rotating shift workers and high turnover workers so that this frontline workforce can be considered for advancement opportunities. Thus, an organization can pair its investment in a learning management system with a comprehensive promotion strategy to consistently promote from within.
Key functionalities include scheduled reports that allow organizations to schedule compliance reporting and deliver it to the respective employees in their email, providing proof of completion. Furthermore, organizations can use the compliance dashboard to monitor and evaluate the training of all employees that require it. This dashboard is particularly useful for printing and providing compliance reports to governing bodies upon request.
These frontline systems are taking training beyond the traditional classroom and making it accessible to all employees in an organization. Companies in all industries have access to technology solutions that can democratize online learning and allow them not only to provide millennial and generation Z employees with the type of training and career progression opportunities that they crave, but to also staff their upper ranks with the non-traditional recruits they need to be solid leaders.
Conclusion
In conclusion, integrating advanced technology solutions for the training of frontline employees has a great deal of potential for increasing the skill sets and capabilities these employees possess. Frontline employees are absolutely critical drivers in delivering exceptional customer service and organizations must invest in programs that develop the ability for these employees to excel. Advances in mobile learning, virtual reality training, augmented reality support, gamification techniques, data analytics and business intelligence, and new platforms that replace the incumbent LMS offering for the frontline worker will have countless benefits for training the divide between the rest of corporate office and the billions of workers on the frontlines.
