Technology today is playing a huge role in the security guard industry more than ever before. COVID-19 pandemic is the sole reason behind it. Due to it, a lot of security guard companies have embraced new technologies to help improve productivity. If you find yourself in that situation today and realize that your security workforce trained on the traditional systems might struggle to keep up or even resist using the new technology, we have good news for you.
Getting your security guards used to new software you wish to introduce can be done with a minimum of training friction. How? Here are our tips & tricks on how to train your security workforce on new software or technology:
Trainers Need To Know The Software Themselves
Not every security guard is going to be eager to embrace the new technology you enthusiastically want to introduce. To ensure, you make it as easy as possible for them, is to have your trainers be experts in their way before developing the training program.
If the trainer is not well versed in the software or is unenthusiastic about the program, your security workforce will know immediately. Therefore, choose your trainers wisely and give them the training needed to support your guards in the next step of implementation of the software.
Make Training A Priority
One of the biggest mistakes security guard companies make while implementing a new program, procedure, or even technology is automatically assuming that the already overloaded security workforce will find the time to add training to their everyday work schedule.
If that’s the strategy you’ve been following, know that your security guards might already have been putting off learning the new software for as long as they could to complete the work they already have. This is why you need to prioritize training by allocating the time and resources and ensuring the training is comprehensive and well-received.
Help Guards Understand The Benefits Of The New Software
Another great way to get more security guards on your team to smoothly go through this major change within the security guard company is to take the time to help them understand why this new technology is beneficial to them.
Your security workforce needs to know how this technology will make their life better and job easier, with minimal change on client sites.
For instance, while introducing GuardsPro mobile app you can tell how using it not only can they access their schedules online, they can choose from the open shifts, confirm them, make their weekly schedule available, request time-off, swap shifts, clock in and out of site hassle-free, submit crucial guard tour reports live, share videos instantly, track their work hours and breaks, and do so much more.
Set Clear And Realistic Deadlines And Rollout Methods
If you do not want your new software implementation to fail miserably, well, then do not spring training on unsuspecting security guards at the very beginning of a busy day or right at the end of the day.
A crucial part of getting guards to use the new software is to give them plenty of advance notice for training deadlines and outline the methods to be used. Employees often feel better about training requirements when they know what to expect and the space to process the change. Hence, this way you’ll be able to overcome change fiction and pushback from your security workforce.
Use Training Incentives
New technology means new opportunities not just for the security guard company to retain their best clients by offering improved security guard services but also for the security guards in terms of job requirements and incentives.
The key is knowing your security workforce well enough to know which rewards will help them be more engaged and motivated to go through and complete the training.
For some, a simple verbal recognition acknowledging their dedication is enough. For others, a gift card when the training is complete might keep them motivated. Since you know security guards the best, be creative.
Pick The Right Format For Training Your Guards
Picking the right format for training that is going to bring your security workforce face-to-face with the new technology is critical. Which is why going digital is vital. Though, a lot of security guard companies still use the old training format of hours in a conference room. It sure does deliver the training quickly, but always doesn’t make it easy for the employees to move forwards.
After that factor is decided, be patient and take small steps when introducing the new technology to the security guards. Some of them may pick up on it quickly, while others may need some extra time and training. Therefore, also focusing investing in extra training sessions for the less tech-savvy employees, making it as interactive as possible.
Finally!
Even if your security workforce fails to get on with the new technology, know that it’s okay. Allow them room for failure. We all learn from failure and so will they.
