Savvy Training & Consulting Delivers Best Bang-for-Buck with Onsite Training
Client
Scott Douglass & McConnico
Tyler J. Hurn, Manager of Information Systems
Challenge
Scott Douglass & McConnico was upgrading its systems from Windows 7 to Windows 10, and from Office 2010 to Office 2019. The firm needed training for all of its 90+ users in a format that would deliver maximum productivity on the new platforms in a brief period of time.
Solution
Savvy Training & Consulting delivered remote pilot training to assess content and delivery methods, then delivered two weeks of onsite training.
Results
“After the rollout, I can now see the importance of onsite training. Remote training wouldn’t have been nearly as effective.”
THE STORY
Scott Douglass & McConnico was upgrading its systems from Windows 7 to Windows 10, and from Office 2010 to Office 2019. Tyler Hurn, Manager of Information Systems, understood that, in order for the firm to be productive on the new platforms, he needed to provide training to every single one of the firm’s 90+ users. The question was: What training method would deliver maximum results in an economical way?
Hurn and the firm’s management guessed that remote training would be the answer. It seemed reasonable: If you employ a seasoned trainer to deliver trainings via the web to learners at the firm, logically they would learn every bit as well as if the trainer was standing in the room with them, and it would be less expensive.
However, Hurn learned first-hand that in-person training was much more effective, and therefore, economical.
As part of the firm’s contract with Savvy Training & Consulting, the two companies conducted pilot training remotely with 10 to 12 people.
“We set up a conference room and Pam [Savvy’s trainer] did a round of training remotely,” explains Hurn. “To be honest, after that pilot, I had my concerns that Pam wasn’t the right trainer for us. The remote training just didn’t seem that effective.”
But the project moved forward and the next phase was for Pam to spend two full weeks at the firm. At the end of the very first day, Hurn had received so much positive feedback about Pam that he realized the problem in the pilot had been the remote training method, not the trainer.
“People were really impressed with Pam,” Hurn recalls. “People went out of their way to track me down and tell me how much they liked working with her. I had one partner come to me and say that he was really impressed by how well she handled different personalities, skill sets and the pace of the learners. I realized that if you have the right trainer and the right method [onsite], people are enthusiastic to come back for more.”
In addition to classroom-based trainings, Pam also offered walk-in office hours during her two weeks at the firm. These one-on-one sessions enabled Pam to provide customized help to individuals.
“We made sure that we took advantage of every hour she was here,” Hurn quipped.
Scott Douglass & McConnico will likely require additional training in 2020 to ensure that everyone is using firm protocol and standards while working on the upgraded platforms, and Hurn says there’s no doubt that he will opt for in-person training.
“In my opinion, after witnessing both types of training first-hand, remote training would not have been effective at all. I can now see the importance of onsite training.”