A career in the retail industry can be very exciting, challenging and rewarding.

As a retail assistant, salesperson, or call centre operator, you have the opportunity to connect with customers, either face-to-face or via phone, to find the best products, solutions or services for their lifestyle.

However, as with any customer-focused industry, the retail sector also has its challenges. You need to be prepared to work in a very fast-paced, competitive, high-pressure environment, that is known for its quick turnover of staff.

That’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re taking part in ongoing training and development, to keep your retail skills sharp and up-to-date, while carving out a rewarding career pathway in the industry.

Let’s look closer at the importance of professional development in retail.

There are certain skills that will help you succeed in the retail industry.

Obviously, customer service is first and foremost. But you need to drill down and look at the skills that make up a great customer service experience.

Interacting with customers is more than just matching a product to their needs. It’s also about communication, building trust, handling complaints, problem solving, and collaboration.

Training can also help you improve your skills in important areas such as motivation, productivity, time management and handling deadlines.

Fortunately, these are all ‘soft skills’ that can be developed and continually improved upon, adding so much value to the experience of your customer and helping you succeed in your retail career.

Employers – Be Committed to Employee Development

If you’re reading this as a retail employer, remember – your staff are your best asset.

These days, many retail workers are looking for more than just a pay cheque. People want to work for companies that show a commitment to their employees’ professional development. Without this, staff can feel unmotivated, unappreciated, and ‘stuck’ in their jobs.

This creates a negative work culture, so helping employees to progress and reach their true potential is a win-win solution and well worth the investment. Well trained staff are more efficient and effective and produce higher quality work, meaning less time, money and resources wasted. A good training program gives employees the skills and confidence they need to progress through the ranks and become an asset to your organisation.

With ongoing training, staff are also less likely to be involved in workplace accidents. They’ll require less supervision, which will free up you and your management team, and help to keep your business more safety compliant.

The Importance of Training in High Turnover Industries

As we said earlier, the retail industry is known for its high turnover of staff.

Professional development training has been shown to increase staff retention, minimising the cost of staff turnover and loss of company knowledge.

Hiring and recruiting staff costs a considerable amount of money. As does onboarding and initial training for new employees. So it’s important to hold onto new hires as best you can, as retaining staff is the best way to reduce future hiring and training costs.

As an employer, you need to offer staff a strong, positive and supportive work environment and culture. One that fosters leadership and collaboration. Establishing this kind of company culture is your best bet of retaining employees in high turnover industries, such as retail.

In a work environment that supports employee development, staff will be more productive, creative and innovative – and far less likely to leave!

Online Training Courses for the Retail Industry

Whether you’re a salesperson, call centre operator, or retail supervisor, you can benefit from expanding your skill set through online training.

One of the best ways to learn and develop new skills, or improve your current skills, is to enroll in online training courses. You’ll be able to increase your knowledge of the retail sector and work on developing your soft skills for professional development.

Spending time on online training will also show your current or prospective employer that you have the ability to take the initiative and work hard for your career goals – all impressive qualities in an employee!

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Why professional development in retail is important

Want to get ahead in your real estate career, or get your foot in the door of this competitive industry?

Good communication skills are at the top of the list when it comes to being a successful real estate professional. No matter what part of the sales process you’re involved in – connecting with customers, negotiating contracts, closing a sale – it all comes back to clear and effective communication.

Think back to your own experiences with real estate agents – was it a positive or negative experience? There’s no doubt that an agent’s attitude and communication style can make or break a deal.

That’s why it’s so important that industry professionals invest time, energy and money into communication training.

The Benefits of Communication Training for Agents

Whether you’re keen to pursue a career in the real estate industry, or are hoping to make your way up the corporate ladder, improving your communication skills is essential.

Being successful in the real estate industry is about more than just sales numbers. As a real estate professional, you need to know how to connect with customers, communicate, negotiate and close the deal. As with all sales roles, there’s a very human element when it comes to selling homes and properties.

Remember – at its core, real estate is a people business. And to forge successful connections with people, you need to know how to communicate effectively. This will have a massive impact on your sales figures and career success.

Developing Your Communication Skills for Real Estate

Jean Gordon, from Estate Agent Stars, believes “poor communication from real estate agents is one of the biggest frustrations for people who are buying or selling property.”

“It’s so important that agents stay in constant contact with their clients and customers,” she says. However – and this is the tricky part – you want to make sure that you’re communicating with your clients just the right amount. You don’t want to overwhelm or swamp potential buyers. Just as you don’t want to be hard to reach or appear disinterested.

Getting your timing right with communication is one of the most critical aspects of working in the real estate industry, with agents responsible for keeping all parties updated and across any issues throughout the whole sales process. Without clear, effective communication, you’ll fail to establish positive working relationships with your potential customers.

It’s a good idea to find out how your buyers prefer to be contacted – would they prefer to be contacted by phone, text message, or email? Being a good communicator means adapting your communication style to suit your customer or client.

Be Aware of Other Aspects of Communication

Good communication is also much more than just how you talk with your clients. It encompasses other aspects such as written communication, active listening, and even your body language.

As Gordon reminds us, remember that in the real estate industry your written communication skills are just as important as your verbal communication skills.

“If you are using a text message or email to communicate with buyers, ensure that all spelling, grammar, sentence structure and information is correct.”

It’s also important to remember that communication is a two-way process – so you might want to spend some time on improving your active listening skills also. This can be very beneficial for real estate workers, as it helps agents to establish a clear idea of what your vendor or buyer actually wants. You’ll be able to establish specific details about the type of property they are looking for and the time period they think they will own or live in the property.

Body language – communicated through our facial expressions, posture, and use of gestures – also plays a role in the impression we give to potential clients and buyers. Improving your communication skills will help you learn more about using your body language in a positive way.

Online Communication Training for Real Estate Professionals

Ready to get started on improving your communication skills? You can use online courses to improve your industry skills and boost your results, putting you one step ahead of the competition.

Whether you’re just starting out in the real estate industry, or looking to develop and build on your property management skills, online real estate training can help you. By learning new techniques in these areas, you can significantly hone your skills and increase your performance and sales.

Online courses make it easier and more convenient for you to learn when and where you want, allowing you to develop your professional skills from the comfort of your own home.

With Go1’s online courses, we aim to provide you with high quality online training resources. Real estate professionals have access to everything they need to know about registration and licensing, property management skills, successful sales techniques, auctioneering, real estate administration – and communication.

Take a look through our online communication courses and get started today.

Why communication training in real estate is essential

Think employee training is only necessary when onboarding new staff? You might want to think again.

It’s not just new hires who need to receive proper training and development. If you want to get the best results from your team members, while helping them grow in their career, you should be investing in ongoing and continual employee training.

Putting time and energy into professional development isn’t just beneficial to staff – it’s equally important for your business. Let’s take a look at the benefits of investing in a long-term employee training program.

Keeping Company Knowledge Relevant and Up-to-Date

Investing in ongoing professional development training, through regular courses, workshops and seminars, will ensure your employees are constantly refreshing their skills and acquiring new ones.

This is particularly beneficial for anyone working in a fast-paced and continually evolving industry. These days, new skills can become outdated in a matter of months, particularly in the technology and creative industries for example.

The fact is, knowledge needs to stay relevant to be of any use – there’s no point being highly skilled in an outdated program or having a wealth of knowledge about certain processes that simply aren’t used anymore.

By committing to ongoing training for your staff, you’ll have peace of mind that your employees always have the most relevant and up-to-date skills and knowledge. This will give employees greater confidence in their skill set, as well as the ability to transfer new knowledge and practices across the organisation to other team members.

Increased Employee Performance and Engagement

With ongoing training, you can also expect to see the benefits of increased employee performance, engagement, and job satisfaction.

As an employer, you no doubt want your staff to feel motivated, energised and satisfied in their work. Committing to continual employee training is one of the best ways to make sure this is happening in your organisation.

Believe it or not, more money isn’t always at the top of the list of what staff want. Many workers are motivated by the non-financial factors that a company can provide them with, such as opportunities for career development and growth. There’s no doubt that today’s employees place high value on the amount that a company invests in employee learning.

By showing staff that your company is committed to ongoing professional development, you’re more likely to attract high level candidates and retain good employees. This lowers staff turnover rates and associated hiring costs. With increased employee engagement, you’re also likely to see higher levels of job satisfaction and team morale, leading to the development of a positive workplace culture for all.

Making Employee Training a Continual Process

So how do you make sure employees are receiving continual professional development training?

Online training courses have become a very successful and popular way for staff to receive ongoing learning and development in the workplace.

Your team members can simply enroll and complete training modules online, using a Learning Management System such as the Go1 platform. This way, you can engage staff in self-directed development, through customised training modules they can access anywhere, anytime.

Informal learning methods, such as mentoring programs, will also help employees reach their full potential, ensuring they’re ready to take on opportunities for higher duties or pursue a new career path. Informal learning in conjunction with more formal modes of training is a great way to make sure staff are receiving information and skills that are aligned with the values and direction of the organisation.

Ready to Give Your Employees the Training they Need?

Taking all of these factors into consideration, you can see how ongoing employee training brings great benefits to both staff and the business.

Investing in training tools that provide continual and ongoing development for staff will help your employees to become more engaged, productive, skilled, and satisfied in their work. And with higher levels of staff productivity and engagement, you can expect to see better results across the whole company.

Why you should invest in continual employee training

When you think of working in the construction industry, you might not consider tech skills to be all that important for the job. Maths and mechanical knowledge, sure – but IT?

However, as with all industries, technology has made its way firmly onto the construction site, with workers now using a number of devices, software, and apps to carry out everyday tasks.

This means that these days, you’ll find that a certain level of tech skills are now considered mandatory, or at least desirable in an employee. That’s right – in today’s competitive job market, it’s not only IT workers who need tech skills.

If you want to start moving your way up in the industry, or are thinking about applying for a more supervisory position, it’s worth investing some time into professional development training.

Here, we’ll look at how you can go about doing that, giving your skill set the boost you need to succeed.

Why are Tech Skills Important in Construction

More jobs than ever before are requiring technical skills from employees. In the construction industry, you may need to demonstrate proficiency in using certain project management software, data tools, or Microsoft Excel, for example.

With the world becoming more immersed in technology, it’s in the best interest of construction workers to become comfortable and familiar with the different kinds of devices that are being used on the job.

It’s also beneficial for companies if employees have the skills they need to work effectively and productively from remote locations, away from the office.

“Being able to problem-solve minor technical issues on your own, rather than having to burden the IT department with simple requests, is a huge plus in my eyes,” says Sara Sutton Fell, Chief Executive and founder of FlexJobs.

“So many companies expect you to be able to work from anywhere … It’s really important to have the ability to troubleshoot technical problems on your work equipment.”

Preparing Construction Workers for the Future

A recent article on Construction Executive looked at the impact of technology on the industry.

“In environments such as a construction job site, automation is expected to enable safer and more enhanced collaboration … But automation and machine learning also will require worker re-training.”

The author believes training technology is key to preparing workers for the future: with “training technology in its tool belt, the construction industry can address its pressing talent shortage and begin developing the next generation of skilled craft professionals needed to achieve safe jobsites, quality projects and increased profitability.”

So how can construction workers who are already working in the industry make sure that they’re upskilling for the future? The answer is in online training.

Online Training for the Construction Industry

With online training, employees can enroll in eLearning courses and modules and start gaining the tech skills they need on the job.

These days, online training is one of the best ways to take charge of your professional development and set a pathway for your career. You’ll find many courses related to tech skills available online – and unlike traditional face-to-face training, online courses allow you to simply log in and go through the training materials at your own pace.

You can even use your smartphone to access training materials. And with mobile devices being used to support training in nearly every industry, it’s important to get up-to-speed on using your mobile for learning purposes.

Go1 – For Professional Development in the Construction Industry

At Go1, we offer you access to lots of resources that can help you meet your professional development training needs.

Take a look through our online courses, workshops, and eLearning training modules to find courses that will help you improve your proficiency in certain software programs, apps, or tech tools.

If you’re ready to get serious about your career in the construction industry, it’s important to make sure you’re continually developing your skill set and learning new skills in response to industry changes.

Take a look at the courses Go1 has to offer and get started.

Tech skills helping construction workers to succeed

When it comes to working in the healthcare industry, employee training is key.

Whether you’re working in practice management, health administration, patient support, or medical reception, having the right knowledge and training is crucial.

In such a fast-paced and high-pressure work environment, employee performance has a direct impact on patient wellbeing, with poor performance being the difference between life and death.

That’s why healthcare employers need to make sure their workers are receiving ongoing and high-quality training. So, how do you ensure each team member has the adequate skills necessary to perform their job?

Here’s what you need to know about training in the healthcare industry.

One of the downsides of traditional classroom training for is that it takes healthcare employees away from the workplace – and their patients.

So what can you do to make sure all staff are properly trained, without taking them off the floor or reception desk? The answer is in online training.

Anyone working within the healthcare industry will need to make sure that all their relevant certifications and training are kept up-to-date. eLearning offers a convenient solution for employers and employees, with all training modules and materials available on the user’s computer, tablet or smartphone.

This means staff can complete their training at a time and place that’s convenient for them, around their busy work schedule. And for employers, it means saving money on trainers, facility hire, travel, and other costs generally associated with employee training.

Increased collaboration and knowledge sharing

Adrienne Erin, writing on the benefits of eLearning for the healthcare industry, raises another important point.

By using an eLearning platform for staff training, you’ll be establishing a database of information, that healthcare employees can continually refer back to.

As Erin explains, “they may have remembered that they read something about the topic in one of the modules, but not remember the details of it. Within minutes, they can log into the system, go to the module and find the answers they need. Most eLearning systems also have search engines that can be used to find information."

Online learning platforms also enable staff to collaborate and share knowledge, helping to create a positive learning culture within the organisation. In this way, the platform can be used as a kind of ‘message board’ to house important news concerning the workplace.

Whether you’re using online training to onboard new employees, or to provide existing staff with regular ongoing training, you’ll be keeping company morale high, making each team member feel part of the organisation and as though you are invested in their professional development and career.

As you can see, online training is one of the easiest and most effective ways to help hospital and healthcare workers improve their skills and service levels.

Online courses provide employees with the professional development they need, with a wide range of resources available to train both new and already-established staff on a variety of healthcare workplace subjects.

Whatever your role, online training courses provide employees with improved skills in key areas such as professional development, expert patient care, effective decision-making, and workplace ethics.

The Go1 platform offers a number of online courses specifically designed to provide training for employees working in the healthcare sector – across practice management, health administration, patient support, and medical reception.

Online courses can also help staff learn how to handle and manage workplace stress. While all industries have their own unique challenges and pressures, staff working in the healthcare sector are at particular risk of burning out. It’s very important that workers know how to look after themselves, so they can continue looking after their patients!

Ready to take a look at the healthcare training courses Go1 has to offer?

Training in the healthcare industry: what you need to know

You’ve invested in a good CRM software program for your company – but are your employees using the system in the most effective way? And to its full potential?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems can often be underestimated, when in fact, they are a very valuable sales tool when used correctly.

If adopted and used correctly, a CRM system is guaranteed to boost the performance of any sales team.

It will help your sales team store and present data, optimise selling, and monitor staff performance. And when used effectively, the software should enable your employees to take better control of their work activities, improving productivity and time management.

However, using a CRM system without proper training can sometimes cause more problems than not using one in the first place. That’s why employee training is absolutely key to getting the most out of your CRM.

Here’s why you need to make sure you’re providing proper CRM training to your sales team.

Your CRM system should help to boost sales performance. Yet problems can arise if staff members are forgetting or failing to fill in fields correctly. Or when things are simply not being kept up-to-date.

According to a recent article, just over a third (35%) of CRM users cite technology issues, such as data problems, functional shortfalls and poor usability. The same study found that 38% of CRM users believe their problems are the result of people issues, including slow user adoption, poor change management and training.

Some employees may think that using a CRM simply creates more unnecessary work for their role, as filling out forms about customers requires a certain amount of time. They could feel that the CRM tasks are keeping them from their main job – selling. Others view CRMs as just another way for their bosses to keep track of staff and are reluctant to use them.

Without proper training, employees may fail to see the significant benefits a good CRM can bring to their daily work tasks, as well as their sales career.

There’s no doubt that introducing new working processes and practices can be tricky, but it’s important to put in time and energy, to help employees learn and embrace the new system.

Ongoing CRM training is the best solution to overcome any change resistant behaviour or negative attitudes towards the product.

Through training, your sales team can begin to appreciate the following benefits of using a CRM system:

Your CRM safely stores all your customer-related data, allowing your team to analyse and understand your customers’ needs, with everything kept meticulously up-to-date.

It frees up your sales teams from the majority of admin tasks, by reducing and even removing certain repetitive actions that take up a lot of time.

The system helps staff to plan out their daily schedules and prioritise tasks, ensuring customer are contacted on time and as planned.

CRMs track all customer communication, letting you know the right time to contact individuals for product replacement, contract renewal, or a new product or service.

The system helps streamline the entire sales cycle, resulting in closing deals in your sales pipeline and helping everyone in the team to reach targets faster.

With proper training, sales staff will be able to use the system to its full potential and take advantage of these benefits, and many more.

Research firm Forrester believes companies must view CRM training as a continuous improvement process.

As the Forrester reports states: “Traditional training methods will not work in an age where sales staff can use online services and data sources to build customer relationships. To make the most of your CRM system, your firm must adopt a proactive approach to training that uses on-demand, interactive tools.”

Relying on traditional classroom-style learning simply isn’t the best approach for CRM technology – staff really need to get into using the system in a hands-on way. And online courses provide the interactive, engaging training methods that are your best bet when it comes to CRMs.

One of the best ways to ensure successful CRM training is to use an interactive online course. Online training courses will teach staff to not only use the CRM effectively, but help them to make the most of the system to get top results.

Take a look at the Go1 platform, to see the CRM training courses we have to offer for your team.

Is your sales team using their CRM effectively?

Have you just invested in a new digital tool for your company, but are unsure how to introduce it to your staff?

Getting employees to engage with new systems can often be tricky, especially if staff members have been using a particular process or product for a long time. The truth is, some people just don’t like change. And not everyone is tech savvy!

Regardless, with technology delivering continual changes to the workplace, it’s important to keep your staff up-to-date and equipped with the latest systems and software.

So how can you ensure a successful uptake of your new digital system? Especially when it comes to transitioning employees away from outdated paper processes to shiny new digital tools?

Helping staff prepare for new technologies and tools

The first thing to note: with any new system, you’ll want to ensure that you’re encouraging employees – not overwhelming them. Throwing staff in the deep end is not the way to go!

Before you roll out any new tool, it’s your responsibility to make sure there is adequate support and training provided, right throughout the whole implementation process, as well as beyond.

Training will allow employees to gain a thorough understanding of how to use the system, and exactly how it relates to their daily tasks and work processes. It’s also important to let staff know how the system will be rolled out to them, as well as any steps of the implementation process they need to take part in.

By having the right training and support for your employees throughout the whole roll out, you can ensure a smooth and easy transition with the least disruption to your everyday business.

To encourage employee engagement with the new system, Dave Evans (Managing Director at software house Accessplanit) recommends showcasing the benefits to staff.

“This helps them to visualise exactly what the new tech can do; specifically, it shows what it can do for them,” he says.

For example, training management software saves time for more or less every employee in every department, so it’s easy to tailor the benefits to the individual. Show how new technologies can save workers time, in comparison to outdated paper or print processes.

Evans also suggests getting feedback from employees during training, to “find out what they like and dislike, what they find easy to use, and where stumbling blocks appear.”

This will help you know when you need to provide additional training or guided support, or in some cases, implement development changes to the system that address the issues.

After all, you want your staff to actually use the new system – but more than that, you want them to master it. When employees are provided with training that helps them to embrace and adjust to a new system, they are more able to use the technology to its fullest.

Using online training to implement digital systems

These days, the best way to deliver training to your employees is through online training. And online courses are particularly effective when it comes to encouraging staff to engage with new digital systems, increasing the chances of successful uptake.

That’s because online learning allows employees to practice new skills and processes themselves, in a ‘real-time’ environment.

Stephanie Hammerwold, writing for HR Gazette, agrees that taking a hands-on approach is the most effective way to train employees on new technology.

“Simply standing in front of a group and showing them the new technology on a screen does not give them the chance to test it out and get a feel for how it works,” she explains.

In contrast, online courses allow individuals to easily run through software updates, perform new processes, and use new systems – practicing until they are confident and comfortable they’ve got it right.

When it comes to particularly change-resistant employees, Hammerwold believes in meeting them halfway, and accepting that technology is a struggle for some people.

“Provide the training and tools to help them feel comfortable with learning the new process or skill. The more time and energy you invest in training resistant employees on new technology, the easier it will become to train them on such things in the future.”

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

Digital transformation is one of the biggest trends in business today. But what exactly does it mean? And how do you go about implementing it?

How to encourage staff uptake of new digital systems

Working in the construction industry and keen to improve your leadership skills?

You may have recently been promoted to a supervisory role or given more responsibility on the job. Or maybe you’re interested in developing your skill set, with the aim of moving into a construction management position?

No matter what industry you’re working in, being a good manager is something that can be continually developed and improved upon. These days, there are plenty of professional development and training resources to help you develop your management and leadership skills.

Stepping into a leadership position means you need to be ready to take responsibility for your team. You’ll want to help your team grow – individually and as a unit – through strong collaboration and positive working relationships. And you’ll need to make sure you’re creating a safe, compliant work environment for all employees.

Let’s take a closer look at the leadership skills required in construction management, and how you can start building them into your skill set.

What leadership skills do construction managers need?

Both management skills and leadership skills are critical to the construction industry.

If you’re in a management position, you have a responsibility to provide professional development opportunities to your employees, to get the best out of each individual staff member in your team and help each one to succeed in their career.

You’ll also be responsible for fostering a safe work environment for all staff. A good manager will want to make sure everyone in their team is treated fairly and given the same tools and opportunities. And it’s very important to make sure the employees in your team are working in a positive environment, free from bullying, harassment or discrimination.

Being a good leader also requires high-level soft skills – these skills are different from technical skills, that are easier to measure and define. Soft skills are more about an employee’s character traits and qualities, for example, attitude, work ethic, problem solving abilities, empathy, communication and collaboration.

It’s these abstract skills that can really help a leader to succeed. In the construction industry, high-level soft skills will help you:

Encourage the team to work toward shared goals

Foresee (and resolve) problems and issues within the team

Establish a profitable strategic direction.

If you’re keen to move up within your construction company or get noticed by management, improving your soft skills is one of the best ways you can set yourself apart from the competition.

Using online training courses to improve leadership skills

So how can you get started on building and developing the skills you need to be a great leader?

These days, online training is one of the best ways to take charge of your professional development and set a pathway for your career. You will find many management and leadership courses available online – and unlike traditional face-to-face training, online courses allow you to simply log in and go through the training materials at your own pace.

Online learning is also a great way for employers to make sure their construction employees are getting the training, development, and onboarding they need for a safe and efficient work environment. And it can help you onboard new employees, quickly and effectively.

When bringing new hires into the construction workplace, there are many important areas and topics to cover. Before stepping onto the job site, construction workers must understand proper operating and safety procedures, not only for their own safety but also for the safety of others. Workers also need to understand how to complete projects in a timely manner and with the highest quality.

Go1 – for professional development in the construction industry

Take a look through our online courses, workshops, and eLearning training modules for the construction industry, or for leadership skills in general. All our materials are up-to-date and compliant with industry requirements.

If you’re ready to get serious about your career, start working on building your leadership skills. When the opportunity for promotion comes up, your online training will already put you one step ahead of the competition, while also showing your commitment to self-development and the industry.

How to develop your leadership skills in the construction industry

For your company to run like a well-oiled machine, all managers, even those not linked to the finance department, need to understand financial basics along with the core business goal. Only then will you have teams working together to generate a profit. Fortunately, you can get your management staff up to speed quickly and affordably by taking advantage of quality online courses combined with in-person training.

It is a known fact that unless you have managers who collectively understand both the strategies and processes required to manage finances, you will have a difficult time achieving the level of business success you want. That does not mean that your non-finance managers need to know how to calculate challenging contracts or negotiate deals, but there are specific key factors that training should cover.

For instance, all your managers should have a good understanding of how your specific business generates profit. In other words, they need to know what drives the revenue your company makes. They should also know the way your business invests capital. Through in-person education, you can explain to your non-finance managers the different ways that your business increases the generation of cash flow.