Make sure your flows are in their best shape going into training. The flows are your best training material and will also be the support lifeline that employees will turn to once they leave the classroom. If you haven’t done so, a flow validation session - with both junior and tenured employees - is a good way to catch any updates, revisions or clarifications required to best support your new employees.
Throughout training ask new employees to provide feedback on the content on anything that isn’t clear or could be improved. Adjust on the fly where possible!
Include your SME’s (your best performers) experience and knowledge. SMEs continuously grow and learn, so capitalize on this information and include it in what you give new employees on Day 1. Make good use of the Back-Story shape, which provides “the why” and context necessary for the process and systems information. This is especially important for new employees!
Your systems are a critical part of your processes. Make sure your flows contain system work instructions, as well as images and screenshots where necessary.
As much as possible make ProcedureFlow your single source of information. Add links to important information and systems at the exact point and time in the process where employees will need it.
Review our mapping best practices for additional thoughts on how to improve your flows.
On a regular basis, check in with your Tier II/Mentor/Support team members to see if there are questions or topics that could be captured in ProcedureFlow to improve First Call Resolution and increase employee confidence.
New employee training
Explain that ProcedureFlow is there to support them with the majority of customer scenarios they will encounter and that it will help them focus on listening to the customer and making sure they have the best experience possible, instead of worrying about what they need to do next.
Introduce ProcedureFlow as close to Day 1 as possible. The more time learners get to practice navigating through the flows and getting familiar with how they are laid out, the faster they will feel confident in how to get to what they need. Creating real life contact scenarios and walking through them with learners while using ProcedureFlow is a great way to do this!
Don’t forget to use the Backstory shape to add the additional context and information that a new employee needs. Your processes don’t occur in a vacuum! When walking employees through a scenario for the first time, make sure to take the time to stop and talk about the backstory content. And make sure they know it’s there for them when they need it while speaking to a customer.
New employees need to follow the flows from the ‘home page’ in order to become proficient and maintain quality – EVERY TIME! The search function should only be introduced once an employee is meeting required quality and consistency goals.
Be prepared to adjust information on the fly! New employees are one of the best ways to determine if your flows need more work. If you find there are any gaps in content, inaccuracies or areas that require additional clarification or improvement, don’t be afraid to make those changes on the fly!
Cross-training
Give employees enough time to review and become comfortable with navigating through the flows and using the new information.
Ask them to follow the flows a few times, going step by step, and to not make assumptions on knowing what the changes are. Tenured employees often assume they already know everything, will be used to searching and starring flows and may miss valuable changes by doing so. Forcing them to slow down and go through the flows step by step ensures they won’t miss anything.
Ask for feedback and adjust flows on the fly where it makes sense!
Ask the question “Do I need to bring employees into the classroom to cross train?” Lots of cross training can be done right from the employee’s desk.
