One of my biggest strengths as a Licensed Optical Manager is training staff to run a successful practice. It requires patients and patience😄 Training is not a one-time and done practice. It is ongoing, with the most crucial aspect of the training done with your new hire. I will admit it is harder for independent practices to train their staff, so it is imperative to be proactive instead of reactive.
When running a successful eye care business, staff training is an essential part of the equation. The results can be disastrous if you neglect to provide proper employee training. Once an employee starts, training will set the tone for your practice’s expectations. Not only will your business that you worked so hard to build suffer financially, but you also risk losing customers and damaging your reputation.
In this article, we will discuss the dangers of neglecting staff training and the consequences that come with it. We will explore the adverse effects on employee morale, productivity, customer satisfaction, and possible financial losses. We will also advise how to avoid these pitfalls and create a successful training program that will benefit your business in the long run.
What are the dangers of neglecting staff training?
The most obvious risk of failing staff training is that employees will not gain the skills they need to do their job correctly. We are in the medical field, so training should be of the highest caliber. If they are not appropriately trained in customer service, they may not be able to provide the best experience possible for your customers.
If they are not appropriately trained in product knowledge, they may not be able to answer customer questions and provide the solutions that customers need for their eyewear needs.
If they are not appropriately trained in the sales process, they may not be able to close sales and meet the sales goals set for their department.
If they are not appropriately trained in product use, they may refrain from using the products, putting customers at risk of injury.
These are just a few examples of how adequate staff training can lead to problems for your organization, and it will equate to successful business and customer service issues.
Adverse effects on employee morale
When you finally get around to training your existing staff, your employees may become frustrated and angry with their lack of knowledge, skill, and confidence. They may feel like they can’t do their job correctly and feel inadequate working with customers. They may even feel like the company doesn’t value them. All these feelings can lead to a decrease in employee morale and decrease your retention.
Employees who feel frustrated, inadequate, and unvalued may be more likely to quit and seek employment elsewhere. After all, if they are unhappy working for your company, they may be eager to find a new job where they feel more appreciated and confident in their abilities. If enough employees leave, your company may need help to meet customer demand or reach sales goals.
If employees are unhappy and considering leaving, they may not be as productive as they could be if they remained happy and motivated. They may take longer on simple tasks, be less helpful to customers, and drain your resources. If you have a large enough staff, this might not be noticeable. However, if you have a small team, this can quickly become a problem as you need help to cover all the bases. This is unfortunate as this can easily be solved with training!
Adverse effects on customer satisfaction.
Neglecting training can have a severe impact on customer satisfaction. If your staff is knowledgeable about your products and trained in customer service, customers may be satisfied with the customer experience they receive and will go elsewhere.
They may feel like they can’t get the answers they need or the solutions they want to their problems with their vision. They may feel like they are being ignored, and they may not return to your business. Even worse, they may go online and leave a negative review of your company, bringing your business reputation under fire. Most people will look for one bad review to justify not attending your practice.
If you are trying to build a positive reputation as a company, you want to avoid these adverse effects on customer satisfaction at all costs. Not only will unhappy customers discourage others from buying your products, but they can also decrease your sales. If you have a high volume of customer complaints, it can take time and effort to address each of these complaints. If you don’t address them, your reputation may suffer even more.
Financial losses associated with neglecting staff training.
When you ignore training, you may have those dissatisfied with the customer experience they received and will lose customers as they are frustrated with waiting for products to be shipped or for questions to be answered. Ugh!
In either case, you may lose customers who could have become repeat or who would have purchased more from you. You also lose potential revenue from future purchases and sales when you lose customers.
One way to calculate the financial losses associated with neglecting staff training is to take the average lifetime value of a customer and divide it by the cost of providing the correct activity for your employees. For example, you spend $10,000 annually to provide adequate employee training. If you lose ten customers due to neglecting staff training, that’s $100,000 in revenue you’ve lost.
How to avoid the pitfalls of neglecting staff training
If you find yourself dealing with any of these problems due to neglecting staff training, the best advice we can offer is to act. Don’t wait until your business is struggling to make changes.
If you have just recently hired new employees, start training them as soon as possible, so they can become familiar with the products and the job before they are expected to be fully competent. It would be best if you had a training guide and protocol to meet this goal.
If you have employees who have been with you for a while but need more knowledge or confidence, start providing them with the training they need to succeed at the job. Of course, ongoing training is the best, as you can only grow with learning.
Creating a successful training program
If you want to avoid these pitfalls and create a successful training program, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
First, know what your training goals are in your practice. What do you want your employees to learn, and how do those goals relate to your business goals?
Second, understand who your employees are and what their needs are. Are some of your employees new to the industry? Do some need more training on specific aspects of the products you sell? Are some of your employees in different roles than they were hired for?
All these employees may need different types of training to meet their needs. Finally, know the best way to provide the training your employees need. Are you delivering training in-person, online, or a combination? Are you going to train employees individually or as a group? What kind of resources will you use to deliver the training?
Conclusion
Neglecting staff training can have severe consequences for your business. You risk putting your customers in danger by failing to provide proper training. You bet your employees become frustrated and unhappy while they wait for their training to begin. You risk losing customers and losing revenue because of these problems. Fortunately, you can avoid these dangers by committing to providing appropriate training for your employees. With the right training program in place, you can ensure that all your employees are knowledgeable, skilled, and comfortable doing their jobs. We are in a niche market that requires a particular skill set to be trained professionally.