Increase QSR Team Member Retention With Digital Learning

Digital Learning Platforms For Employee Onboarding
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Summary: Have you ever tried to truly quantify the value of new team member training? What is your goal for the new team members? Certainly, it is not one task such as taking orders at the front counter, cooking chicken or flipping hamburgers. Do not underestimate the true power of learning during the onboarding process.

Facilitate Employee Onboarding With A Digital Learning Platform

The goal should be that the new team members feel valued and confident in their role as well as a true part of your business. A well-thought-out digital learning program that incorporates gamification and microlearning principles can help you reach that goal and go beyond.

Are you currently ready to adopt a digital learning platform that engages the learner? The ability to incorporate technology into your learning culture is important if you answered yes to the question above. The ability to achieve the goals listed above with a digital learning platform is possible today with the ability to show ROI.

Build Confidence With Digital Learning

After spending the past six months meeting with QSR owners, operators, and franchisees, the one constant is the challenge of ensuring their team members are both onboarded in the most efficient and effective way as well retaining the learning material for use at the point of need. Even though learning by shadowing someone else’s work is valuable, the inability to retain that information due to lack of reinforcement bubbles up as an issue.

The inability to retain important learning material during the learning period can negatively affect the confidence of new team members. As well, the designated trainers can show frustration about both working their normal shift as well as training the new team members without the ability to reinforce and/or assess the learning that has taken place.

Digital learning platforms provide focus on the challenges mentioned above by either being stand-alone platforms to deliver the "3 pillars of learning"—knowledge transfer, reinforcement, and assessment—or as part of a blended learning approach to incorporate both face-to-face learning along with reinforcement and/or assessment. Also, don’t forget that the new team member can learn anytime and anywhere with digital learning as part of your learning structure.

Retain Team Members With QSR Learning Programs

The retention rate in the QSR industry tends to suffer because new team members don’t feel as if they are part of the restaurant. Meanwhile, the stress they experience during the learning process can make them doubt that they are fit for the job.

A digital learning platform helps them gain confidence by always being accessible, unlike the certified trainer. Many team members are afraid to ask the same question twice, thus making unnecessary mistakes. However, they don’t have any reservations about clicking buttons to access the necessary information on a digital learning device, be it an iPad or laptop or mobile device.

Digital learning programs that use a platform that includes both microlearning and gamification principles make the learning process comfortable for new employees while reducing unfortunate mistakes. And when you think about the average workforce age in the QSR space, digital learning is how they learn.

Creating Coachable Moments

World-class QSR learning involves an in-depth analysis of the new team members' learning progress. The ability to use an embedded BI (business insights) tool can now deliver the analytical data for the training manager to coach the team member and focus on the knowledge gaps that may exist. The BI tool also allows you to evaluate your learning programs. We can now evaluate the program and know where changes need to be made.

Final Thoughts

A digital learning platform doesn’t just make the onboarding process efficient and effective, but it promotes an inclusive environment where new employees can be nurtured. By providing a seamless and positive experience, restaurants can improve their employee retention and provide their customers with the best possible service. With a digital learning platform, you can take the onboarding experience to a new level while running your successful restaurant.

There are many options when it comes to finding the correct solution. Be sure to do the work at the beginning to avoid being "wowed" and having to do more work when the quick pick might not serve your needs.