Training Is Only the Beginning

When I created a new customer experience training program for a client, I had one concern that had nothing to do with the training itself. I was afraid it would become just "cool training."

New employees would learn it, maybe even be excited about it. The organization would have a new model and shared language. And then, when the newbies entered the "real world," they would look around and realize no one else was actually using it.

That's the challenge with training. We can create great content, teach it well, and make sure everyone understands it, but none of that guarantees it will become part of how the organization actually operates. New employees don't learn only from training. They learn from the people around them.

They watch how experienced employees interact with customers. They listen to the language managers use when they coach. They notice which expectations are reinforced and which ones aren't. When what they see happening every day conflicts with what they learned in training, everyday behavior usually wins.

That's why something I learned last week was music to my ears. The client had just held a bootcamp to roll out the customer experience model for all of their existing team members. Even better, the bootcamp wasn't a one-time refresher. They're planning to hold it quarterly.

That matters because the goal of training isn't simply for people to remember what they learned. The goal is for them to apply it consistently enough that it becomes part of how the organization works. And that requires reinforcement.

Processes evolve. People develop shortcuts. Managers emphasize different things. New employees join the team while others leave. Even the best training begins to drift when the organization doesn't continue bringing people back to the same expectations.

Reinforcement doesn't necessarily mean repeating the exact same training over and over. It can mean practicing skills, talking through real situations, coaching to the same standards, revisiting expectations, or giving experienced employees an opportunity to recalibrate. The important part is that learning continues after the original training ends.



I think organizations sometimes evaluate training based on what happens immediately afterward. Did people enjoy it? Did they understand it? Can they demonstrate what they learned? Those things matter, but the better test comes months later. Are people still using it? Are managers reinforcing it? Are experienced employees modeling it for the people who come after them?

Training can teach people what to do. Reinforcement is what makes it "the way we do things here."