Buying GPS units and software can make it much easier for you to manage your business. A reliable GPS system can help your employees find items in warehouses, track packages en route to customers, and follow safety regulations. Before you can benefit, though, you need a plan for training someone in using GPS.
Identify How Your Employees Will Use GPS Units
Many industries can improve operations by using GPS technology. Before training someone in using GPS, you need to identify how your employees will use the GPS units and software.
A big box retailer’s employees might use GPS units to locate items on shelves and in warehouses, improve customer experiences and prevent theft.
People working for eCommerce stores might use a GPS system to track shipments, verify deliveries and improve efficiency.
Make a list of how you expect your employees to use GPS units at work. Try to think of everything they might do with the units. Don’t worry about it too much, though. You can always add to the list as you learn more about how GPS technology serves your business.
Develop A Training Program For Using Your GPS Unit
Once you know how your employees will use GPS units at work, you can develop a training program that addresses all of those needs.
Eventually, you will probably want to add GPS training to your onboarding program. That way, new employees will have the skills they need to use GPS units.
Right now, though, you need to make sure that your current employees know how to use GPS units.
The training process will likely involve:
- Introducing employees to GPS units and describing what the devices can do.
- Giving employees opportunities to use the GPS units in a controlled environment.
- Testing knowledge retention by having the employees perform various tasks within a realistic work environment.
- Depending on the size of your business, you might have an HR professional who can put together a GPS training program for you. If you run a small operation without a dedicated human resources team, you can provide hands-on training for someone using GPS.
Introduce The GPS Units To Employees
When introducing GPS units to your employees, you can simply stand in front of them and show them how you use the devices. You might want to talk a bit about the units’ capabilities, how you plan to use them in the workplace and what you expect employees to learn during training sessions.
At this point, you do not expect employees to know anything about your GPS devices. You just want to provide a general overview so they can start getting used to GPS technology. You might, however, want to pass around the GPS units so people can hold them in their hands.
Include Real-World Situations
Once you have told your employees about GPS, you can get into training someone in using GPS units. This portion of your training session will probably include verbal instructions, demonstrations and hands-on practice.
Refer to your list of tasks so you can focus on real-world situations that employees will encounter while working. Your GPS units might have features that your employees never need. Don’t bother teaching them about features they will never use. It makes more sense to concentrate on the most frequent ways that they will encounter the technology during work hours.
During this section of the training, you want to give your employees information and let them apply what they learn. For example, you might demonstrate how to use your software to locate item A18 in the warehouse. Then, you ask the trainees to perform similar tasks.
Gamify Training Someone In Using GPS
After training someone in using GPS units, you need to make sure that they have an opportunity to reinforce the learning. Gamification offers a useful approach that helps most people retain knowledge.
In this context, gamifying your training program could include:
- Awarding points when trainees perform each step in a task.
- Giving bonus points and “badges” to trainees who show progress or exemplary skills.
- Rewarding the group with a free lunch after they accumulate enough points.
- Gamification works well because it makes learning fun. It also creates a more tangible goal than learning how to use GPS. An employee might not feel very motivated to learn about using GPS units. If you make the end result a pizza party, though, they will feel more driven to excel.
Provide Regular Training Opportunities To Keep Skills Fresh
Unless your employees use their new GPS skills frequently, they will probably forget many of the details that they learned during the training sessions. You can help them keep their skills fresh and effective by offering regular training opportunities.
Training someone in using GPS units might take some time before they master all of the steps. As long as your workers make progress, encourage them to keep learning.
Contact LandAirSea For More Information About GPS Units And Software
Are you interested in adding GPS units to your business? Contact LandAirSea Asset Protection to learn more about the devices and software that work well in your industry.