In this age of advanced metrics, businesses are always looking to quantify performance and, invariably, measure improvement. In the case of training, companies want to know if what they’re doing is resulting in improved key performance metrics. The office tech universe is no different.
After all, when a company dedicates both investments of money and time, there needs to be a demonstrative return on investment. Our next chapter in the State of the Industry report on coaching and training takes a look at the marked improvements our dealer panel has reaped, from a statistical standpoint or via other variables.
The Attitude, Skills and Knowledge (ASK) model resonates with Prosource in the quest to differentiate itself in the marketplace. The focus has translated into measurable results, notes Tom Hemmelgarn, senior vice president of sales for the Blue Ash, Ohio, dealer, from increased profits and a higher-quality pipeline to improved win ratios. Sales professionals are guided on how to leverage a superior value proposition to garner more takedowns.
Training has bolstered Prosource’s key internal metrics, among them team member retention for both sales and service, higher Net Promoter Scores and a shorter ramping-up period for newcomers. In the end, the new hires can be productive sooner.
“In our most recent sales training program, we saw new customer discovery meetings grow by over 200%,” Hemmelgarn said. “We feel this success is a direct result of our high-quality training materials, rigorous practice sessions, and a culture of team-level accountability for activity and focus.”
At Fraser Advanced Information Systems in West Reading, Pennsylvania, one of the most telling stats on the service end is first-call effectiveness (FCE). Blake Bossler, vice president of service, notes Fraser’s team now consistently exceeds the industry bench mark of 92%.
“From the customer perspective, we maintain a Net Promoter Score above 90 with survey response rates over 15%,” Bossler said. “Managers follow up personally on any passive scores to identify areas for improvement, ensuring we turn feedback into actionable change and stronger relationships.”
On the sales end, training has led to measurable improvements in performance and profitability. “Reps who fully embrace the process are better at uncovering customer challenges and demonstrating solutions, which drives higher close rates and long-term success,” added Michael Macri, vice president of sales.
By the Numbers
The results for United Business Technologies have been rather drastic. Post-certification, techs reduced service resolution times by 28%, notes Laura Poletti, director of marketing/senior project manager for the Gaithersburg, Maryland dealer. Meanwhile, targeted training has allowed sales reps to bolster solution sales by 22%,
“Clients using our onboarding portal and shortcut guides reported 40% fewer support tickets in the first 90 days,” she said.
In order to be a leading-edge dealer, it behooves Rhyme of Wisconsin to be on top of learning how to apply the technology that is available to its customers. Kendall Steinhoff, director of sales and marketing, staying on top of production print advances has proven to be extremely profitable.
“We have expanded our offerings and knowledge in the production print space this year,” Steinhoff said. “We sent sales management and service specialists to offsite training (a case where we did use the manufacturer) and expanded our knowledge immensely. This has resulted in a 75% increase in sales in the category this year.”
Planting Seeds
The ability of a dealer’s technical service team to grow its cadre of certifications is directly correlated to helping reduce customer down time. Building a base of knowledge for beginners prior to the formalized training has enabled DEX Imaging to put their rookie techs in a better position to attain success. Chris Kanehl, service training director for the Tampa, Florida-based dealer, notes a recent class shortened the learning curve by nearly 30% by introducing hands-on courses prior to manufacturer training. That foundation has been key in moving the candidates to more complex instruction quicker.
It’s not an insignificant head start. Kanehl points out the rookies enter the field fully prepared in weeks instead of months.
“A key strength of our program is that it’s led by DEX subject matter experts who provide real-world, hands-on instruction,” he said. “We also offer a structured 30-60-90-day training path that extends throughout an employee’s career, continuously building and reinforcing skills. This approach not only boosts confidence and accelerates professional growth, but also strengthens retention. For customers, the impact is clear: faster repair times, reduced downtime, and stronger ROI on their technology.”
One of the upshots of IT training for Pulse Technology—both in-house and externally—is the appreciation for the gravity of phishing scams. According to Vince Miceli, vice president of technology for the Schaumburg, Illinois-based dealer, it’s helped mitigate the instances of clients and team members falling into a cyber trap. Another perk has been making clients more self-reliant on some of the more remedial tasks.
“Training has helped our customers perform some of the basics, such as replacing toner, that they don’t need to wait for a tech to do and incur even minimal downtime,” he said. “We train our clients on several items that they can do on their own. But for those who prefer a technician, we of course provide one.”
Confidence Boost
There’s something to be said for the confidence techs glean from training and certifications, notes Deb Dellaposta, president of Doing Better Business in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The greatest measure resides in the dealer’s high customer satisfaction ratings and survey response.
“As we have started utilizing more and more of our offerings internally, it has really helped the sales team gain confidence and realize the benefits,” she said. “This translates to better discussions and training with the customer. The ongoing training with the clients has been key to the growth of our diversification areas. The more pain points and needs we can uncover, the easier it is to see how the new offerings will help resolve those issues.”
Training users on a new solutions offering has enabled clients to grow their business by an impressive 30%. It has a salutary impact on increased solutions within accounts, and Doing Better Business created a case study to entice similar clients to engage the dealer.
