I am sure many of us as Service Desk or Helpdesk Managers have training programmes for our engineers. Even though we may have tonnes and tonnes of training materials available for newly joined engineers, that may prove counter-productive as the incumbent is going to experience information overload. Always remember that every individual is different, every individual absorption rate is different, every individual learning curve is different.
How then can you develop a single training programme suitable for all?
The answer to that is what I term as structured training. Notice how you go to a restaurant and you just want a set lunch? Anything else besides set lunch is then added on to your bill. Let’s take that similar concept into Service Desk; which means you must have a core training program (e.g. house rules, call handling procedures, escalation process, etc) and the remaining programs are split into multiple smaller units.
Every individual that joins your team will be accorded the core training program and at their own pace, finish up with the remaining programs. You must monitor their progress, though.
Using this approach to training is effective as it brings new recruits to the phone quicker and more effectively.