I've been quiet lately
Yes - it's true. The beginnings of summer in Wisconsin have quieted me. Actually I have been busy readying the launch of SmartFade ML. Did a short demo for Jackie Tien and David Barbour of Light and Sound America today. They were in the Mad city for a pilgimage to ETC and I spent a few minutes with them. They seemed to like the desk - but we'll see what they say!
There has been a lot of talk around ETC about training lately. How will we effectively train our reps, distributors, dealers and customers to use a completely new range of controls products we have been launching? I mean there has been a complete changeover here and there is a lot of need for knowledge to spread out around the world. What is your view on training? We have a task force headed up by Sarah Spencer Danke to form a better plan for training.
I am personally the big advocate for a heavy focus on electronic training tools. The past week found me making training videos for the SmartFade ML that ships next week. You can watch them here. My view is that this type of training is the base essential for virtually every product and that in-person training comes after this tool has been used. In-person training is expensive for the customer and costly for ETC as well. It is essential for many people - but we find that it never comes at the right time - the right people are often not present - someone is always missing - and the trainees retain a low percentage of the training if they were previously unfamiliar with the product.
I feel that a customer is far more likely to retain in-person training knowledge if they have already learned online and then continue to review information online afterwards. Agree or Disagree? This is your chnace to sound off.
I off to the North Woods for a few days. I plan to fish and ski for Memorial day and then spend a couple of extra days in seclusion finishing the SmartFade training series. Please let me know your thoughts.
DL