5 Steps for Improving Your Logistics Training - Inbound Logistics

5 Steps for Improving Your Logistics Training.

March 17, 2014 | By Anne Yarmark. Training is often viewed as an employee benefit, rather than an investment in the business. That's why in difficult economic times, training and employee development are among the first budget items to go. To avoid these cuts, you must align educational programs with your company's business objectives, and position them to drive results. Here are five steps for building effective logistics training programs: Understand the business. The most meaningful training programs address one basic question: What does the company need to do to improve the customer experience? No matter what business you are in—but particularly in logistics—you are nowhere without the customer. Understand the challenges your company faces, then build a training program that addresses them. It will be easier to gain buy-in for training investments if management sees it as a vehicle to strengthen the business. Conduct a needs assessment. Logistics training programs need to be relevant, constructive, and engaging.

Talk to key stakeholders in your company to determine what they are trying to accomplish on a departmental and employee level. Create a meaningful program around those business needs. Take into consideration not only the enterprise's needs, but also employee needs. Everyone does not respond to the same learning techniques, so mix it up. Using a blended-learning approach gets everyone involved. Include visuals, and make the program interactive so everyone has an opportunity to participate. Following these five steps will enable you to develop a learning culture that includes meaningful and relevant training programs. It will also align your logistics training initiatives with your company's business objectives, which will position your employees and your company for continued success.