Selecting a training company

Here are some guidelines.

Conduct a stringent internal analysis. These sorts of questions should be asked:
Is the internal environment conducive to the delivery and execution of excellent customer service? How do we treat our internal customer? What is the level of product knowledge throughout the rank and file of the company? Is there unnecessary red tape or overly bureaucratic procedures?

Essentially, the starting point is to ensure internal environment is ready and prepared to support and encourage any initiatives taken in the development and training of your staff.

In "Reveling in the Wild" by Regulate Lascaris and Mike Lipkin they write that the external customer is always second. "The Employee will treat the customer in the same way that he or she is treated by the organisation".

Before any training consultants sell you their training package, check whether they prompt these sorts of questions. The cause of the problems might not necessitate training. This simple internal audit may well reveal other needs that are creating the symptoms of the problem.

In fact, training may not be the priority at all, but rather other areas such as role duplication, role overload, vertical/horizontal communication channels, interpersonal frictions and poor goal clarity may well be issues that need to be addressed prior to any form of training.

The true professional should be diagnosing the real problems and if they are identified, he or she should red-flag the situation and advise the prospect not to jump immediately into training.

Selection of an appropriate training company: Involve the staff in the selection process. Managers still labour under the illusion that they are solely responsible for sourcing programmes.

Questions to ask prospective training suppliers: How will the effectiveness of your training be measured? How do you manage the performance improvement of individuals after the workshop? Why has conventional training failed?

To repeat, this performance system should involve the manager and the participant and the facilitator. It is the facilitator's responsibility to gradually distance him or herself from the situation and transfer the responsibility of training to line management.

Beware of companies who merely sell regular quarterly reviews without adding any value during the interim periods.

What is the trainer's credibility regarding your specific market? The real issues may well revolve around the organisational structure, insufficient manning or lack of succession planning, so the real question to ask is whether the training company has the resources to provide expert guidance in many areas.

What is the personality or motivational style of the training consultant? What is most acceptable to your people - a chalk and talk-tell style or a participative facilitating style. Given the type of personalities in your company, what would be the most appropriate personality fit?

Where has the training consultant been unsuccessful in the past? Nobody has a utopian track record. It is not unfair to test the integrity of the prospective trainer and to evaluate to what extent he or she is prepared to share what they have learned from mistakes made in the past.

What are the costs? A per delegate fee may sound attractive, but be careful. Work out the total amount of staff you intend putting through the sales programme and calculate the total cost as compared to a quote daily fee.

How flexible is the trainer in terms of both course content and course duration? Will your staff have a direct "hot" line to the trainer whenever they need advice or support?

Check whether the training consultant is solely interested in selling his or her training programmes or sincerely interested in establishing and identifying the real problems and concerns.