Is live training the best solution? - Part 1
Currently most ultrasound manufacturers include several days of on-site product training with the purchase of each ultrasound machine. The question is - is this the best approach?
Let's look at the pros of "live" training:
• Most customers are more comfortable speaking to a person than reading a user manual
• A live instructor can adjust their teaching material to your needs
• A live instructor can answer questions the customer poses
What it really comes down to is a live instructor can Customize Content, Present in a Non-Linear Fashion and Provide Background Information on Any Subject. Let's define these terms for our purposes:
• Customizable - Instructional content can be changed based on customer need. If a customer only needs help with 3D scanning then they will only be taught 3D techniques. They won't have to sit through a bunch of 2D or Doppler lessons that they aren't interested in.
• Non-linear - Content that the customer already understands can be skipped. Once again the customer is able to learn more efficiently.
• Background Information - If the customer lacks sufficient background or context to understand the subject being taught the instructor can provide that background.
But what is the downside to live training:
• They are only available for a limited amount of time
• Some are better than others - there may be a large degree of variance in the various instructors' abilities
• They generally teach in large blocks of time
See if this scenario sounds familiar. An ultrasound machine is purchased and delivered to a medical office. Several days later the Application Specialist shows up. Two full days of training have been scheduled for 3 sonographers and one perinatologist. Patients will be seen as normal. Everyone will be trained during the course of a normal workday.
None of the sonographers or the perinatologist have any prior training on the machine so the first bit is spent on some very basic functions - how to turn the machine on, how to enter patient information, how to activate 2D mode, etc.
Patients start showing up so the sonographers need to get to work. The Application Specialist tries to teach the customers the various features of the machine. At first the sonographers just want to know how to do what they previously did with their old ultrasound machine. They just want to know how to get through a standard exam. The Application Specialist tries to teach them some of these skills.
There are many interruptions and the Application Specialist has to keep reviewing the same information. One of the sonographers ends up having to leave early and thus doesn't get all of the first day's training. The perinatolgist has hardly been present for any of the training. He/She will have the sonographers show him the features later.
The next day the Application Specialist shows up again. Much of the same information is covered again as the sonographers have forgotten a lot of what was covered yesterday. The Application Specialist has to spend extra time covering information that the sonographer who left early missed.
Once everyone is back up to speed the Application Specialist tries to teach some of the more advanced features of the system. They rarely get to do anything too interesting though since the patients keep coming through.
At the end of day 2 some progress has been made but not much. The sonographers have caught a glimpse of what is possible with the new machine but can't remember how to do most of the "fancy" things that the Application Specialist did. The perinatologist has to ask the sonographers for help just to adjust basic settings. At best the clinic is getting 20-30% utilization of the machine's feature set.
Several weeks later the Application Specialist comes back. Some progress has been made. The sonographers and perinatologist have a long list of questions. The Application Specialist tries her best to answer them. The sonographers ask the Application Specialist to write down the steps involved in using various features. At the end of the day a little more progress has been made. They have solidified some concepts and moved on to some new topics. But no supporting material besides the user manual is left behind.
At the end of training process how does the customer feel? Are they confident in their abilities with the new technology? Are they overjoyed with the new efficiencies the technology will create or do they end up using only a small fraction of the machine's capabilities? When they look at the machine do they feel confident? Intimidated? Frustrated?
Does this seems all too real? Tomorrow I will describe an alternative method for training customers that alleviates many of the issues apparent in the scenario presented above.