Additional training for your engineers results in organic growth. In fact the cost of training is easily and quickly recouped by an engineer just doing the job properly.
This is a one-to-one opportunity for your engineers, allowing specific help for the things that they are unsure of or the things that they are missing. Providing reassurance for you as a company that your customers are being looked after as they should be.
Bridging the gap in knowledge where much has been missed, not understood or forgotten to providing an excellent service on-site.
Why this is needed
Industry wide the standards have slipped. It’s sort of become normal that engineers are not doing the job properly. Sounds like a huge statement to make I know, but I see it every day that I work.
This is not just in some companies that aren’t bothered, it’s in companies that care, who think that things are going well on-site.
Send me a message to book or set up a call to discuss your options.
The bonus of on-site training
- No interruption to your work schedule.
- Possible additional sales while I’m with your engineer.
- Training in a real live site situation means they can put their theory into practice with a greater understanding. Once they’ve got this, they can repeat the positive behaviour.
- People learn best when they can hear, see and feel their environment. To have all learning types covered means an engineer creates a muscle memory of what they need to be doing. I can explain the how we do something and why. They can carry out that activity for themselves, then it sticks!
- In my experience, customers love having an auditor on-site. It gives them faith in your company, they really like knowing that the standard of work is being checked and that they’re getting the best service.
- A unique selling point for your business is being able to say that your engineers have had advanced training.
It’s sort of obligatory to blow your own trumpet in business but my message is beyond promoting training for the sake of it, this is not my style. There are huge problems out there where premises are not compliant, the British Standards are not being worked to.
Sad, but true!
I teach a course to salespeople/surveyors that are new to the industry. There is a part of this course that highlights this problem. A new person to the industry would understandably be wary of making recommendations, thinking that they are following around people who know exactly what they are doing and that everything will be right.
I teach them that they can be fairly confident it will be wrong.
It’s disheartening but I know that many of you are very engaged and interested in doing things as they should be. I work with many companies that have this great outlook of wanting the best.
Why is this happening?
Belief systems are stuck
Most engineers I speak to believe they are doing the job correctly. There isn’t any room for manoeuvre in this, they believe it! The longer they have been in the industry, the more this belief becomes concreted in!
Many company owners believe that they’ve invested in their engineer’s training and that their engineers should know what they’re doing. Or, they have employed people believing that they have the necessary skills.
The thing about beliefs is that they are not facts. They are opinions. Many company owners haven’t got the resources or the time to audit their engineers so things are just left. A fingers crossed type of approach.
I wonder though how customers would feel if they knew? If I’m paying for a service, the least I would expect is for that service to be carried out competently to ensure the safety of my premises and staff. Wouldn’t you?
A whole new industry mindset?
Some just turn a blind eye because it’s somehow become acceptable to do this … I mean, this is life safety equipment! It’s become almost normal, if many people are doing the same thing then a mentality within an industry forms.
I’m standing on my little soap box shouting an important message, the standards have fallen at an alarming rate and it’s time that this changed.
I know for a fact that you’re on board with this, that compliance and standards matter to you, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.
Standard external training, is it working?
External training has been the only option for training for a long time, the industry believes this is what is available and this is what works. But is it doing the job?
External training provides all that your engineers need to know. Unfortunately due to the overwhelming amount of information, much of it seems to get lost. Either it is misunderstood, forgotten or not registered in the first place. A worrying number of engineers, after experiencing the practical side of servicing, complete the training and then focus on this alone as their role.
This leads to a ‘head down’ and move from fire point to fire point approach. The essential positioning and placement is overlooked, premises are evaluated either incorrectly or not at all.
Lost income for you and non-compliant premises for your customers is the inevitable result.
Chinese Whispers
Engineers that shadows other engineers pick up habits or miss things that they should do. This is because the engineer that they are shadowing also picked up habits and shortcuts from the engineer they shadowed. Misinformation and incorrect working practices can just be passed down the line without anyone realising this is happening.
I’ve seen some companies with company procedures that were written many years ago and everyone has been following these ever since. They weren’t right in the first place!
School
Not everyone is cut out for the classroom. Learning styles vary and classroom teaching does not suit everyone.
If someone’s experience of school was a bad one, then this is not an ideal learning scenario. Words, slides and talking about calculations could cause someone to just shut off.
An approach in the environment where they work offers a practical experience for them, they can see, hear and feel what’s needed and why.They are more relaxed and learning can happen naturally without the effort of brain strain.
Selling your other services
Observational skills are not taught in external training. There isn’t enough time! This doesn’t come naturally to many people, and is especially pronounced if their focus is on servicing alone.
Being on-site with your engineers allows me to show them, to talk them through why it’s important. This of course will mean that they also observe what other services your company could offer the customer.
A full refresher on Parts 3 & 8 may not be required and you just want to ensure that your engineers are doing a good job on-site. Maybe there are a few minor tweaks (or maybe major) needed.
I can find out where they are struggling, what they need to do a better job and to make them a more productive and happy engineer at work. This also means compliance for you as recommendations will be made, as they should be.
This is something that is easy to set up and is a valuable learning experience for your engineers. When you consider the inevitable increase in honest sales, why wouldn’t you?
You will receive a full and detailed report on my findings.
What people are saying
“Steve was the best service manager I’ve ever known. He became and still is a very good personal friend who I’ve known for many years. He doesn’t cut corners and knows the industry inside out. He always has your back and can and will show you the correct way to do the job.”
Alan Martin
FAQs
Cost of Consultancy Fees.
£450 per day, plus travel expenses
What is needed for on-site mentoring days?
Ideally 2 sites in one day to allow the variety of environments.
Who do you prefer to work with?
An engineer who is interested in developing their knowledge. Someone who has commitment to their role and to you.
Any other questions?
Please ask. I would be delighted to talk to you. Speaking with people in the industry is more pleasure than business!
What are your terms and conditions?
You can read these here: