When it comes to employee performance, businesses most often get what they give. Those firms that overlook staff training programs will rarely have the talent and expertise on hand to drive profitability or maintain operational efficiency. On the other hand, companies that commit to continuous customer service and sales training delivery will have a better chance at excelling in their respective marketplaces.
In today’s highly competitive economic landscape, learning officers are tasked with making a strong business case for learning investments, and this should not be a difficult pursuit. A wealth of studies and the majority of experts continue to assert that the best way to ensure corporate continuity and long-term success is through investment in staff member development.
An ROI case study
Rob Rae of Datto, a data backup firm, recently wrote about some of the ways in which his firm’s employee development initiatives brought back strong returns on investment for MSP Mentor. As many other business-to-business companies in the current market have learned already, the budget put into training programs comes back with exponential results, especially when the actual courses are managed by a professional service provider.
When looking specifically at the sales department, Rae stated that the employees who had completed a training program sold four times the volume of products than their counterparts who did not go through the courses. Additionally, ROI should not only be a matter of raw sales or repeat-business data analysis, but instead should consider non-financial advantages as well.
For example, studies have found that companies which invest in employee training enjoy far stronger staff member retention, engagement and confidence rates. On the flip side of this coin, research from the past few years indicated that members of the modern workforce prefer professional development opportunities more than higher salaries and increased benefits packages.
Leading entrepreneur speaks
Sales and customer service departments continue to become more converged. Inc. Magazine recently reported that Danny Meyer, a renowned entrepreneur, asserted that companies which put more stock into their staff members will almost certainly see their customer services performances improve substantially as a result.
According to the news provider, Meyer argued that business leaders should always put employees first for this reason, and that the extra efforts to prepare employees more comprehensively will come back with strong returns. From leadership-level staff members to brand new customer service representatives, employee training is a must in the modern market.
