Running head: EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

Employee Training Program

Kelly Proffer
AET/570
Dr. Gale Cossette
September 05, 2015
Employee Training Program
Training Program Description
Background
Through a series of surveys administration at an online university found that the
outcomes of student satisfaction surveys were falling. One of the mentioned concerns was that
the admissions process was not straightforward and easy and they felt that the support they
received over the phone was not enough. The administration along with the training department
created a Go To Assist program that would allow EAs to view students screen. The idea was
that EAs would be able to see exactly what the student was seeing and could help them step-bystep through the enrollment forms. However, at the end of six months student surveys did not
improve in the area of enrollment process. Through system analytics trainers found that EAs
were using the tool only 45% of the time. When the tool was used student satisfaction was high

and the enrollment process time was decreased by almost 50%. The Go to Assist tool was the
right tool, but administration need to get EAs on board. EA surveys found that many EAs with
forgot to use it or were not comfortable with the software.
The training department decided to start from the beginning to analyze the need and
scope of the training. The following training program will detail the program description, gap
analysis, budget, staffing plan, communication plan, and program evaluation.
Title:
Go To Assist for Enrollment Advisor Training
Description
Go To Assist is a computer software that allows Enrollment Advisors (EAs) to remote
access potential students to help them fill out enrollment and financial aid paperwork. The
program does not allow the EA to manipulate the forms, but they can see what is on the students
screen to help direct them through the process. The training for Go To Assist will go through the
process of setting up the program on the EAs computer. It will show them how to send the link
to the student. The EA needs to follow the required steps including the disclosure agreements
that the students must sign before starting. Once the student and EA are connected the EA needs
to know how to use the tools to help the student navigate through the paperwork. This included
using a highlighter tool, and drawing tool, and an arrow tool. Even though it is a technical
process, the majority of the training will be helping the EA understand the benefit of the tool for
both the enrollment counselor and the student. They will also go over where in the conversation
it is appropriate to start using Go to Assist.

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

The initial training was a self-paced tutorial followed by a practical exam to test for usage
understanding. This follow-up training will be face-to-face training, followed by practical use
exam at each EAs cubicle.
Target Audience
Each class will be comprised of 10-15 Enrollment Advisors. Their tenure ranges from 3
years to over 10 years. They all have at least a bachelors degree or higher. The age range is
from mid-20s to early 60s. All have previous professional experience in customer service.
Each enrollment advisor has previously went through the initial Go to Assist tutorial training and
a practical exam with a manager to prove basic understanding of the program and how it works.
Goal
At the end of 1 months Admission Counselors will use Go to Assist in 90% of phone calls
with students
Objectives

All Admission counselors will attend a computer based Go to Assist refresher course within
the next two weeks demonstrate why it is beneficial to use Go to Assist by completing a quiz
with 80% accuracy.

At the end of the course Admission counselors will be able to demonstrate how to use Go to
Assist by connecting with a "mock" student and taking them through the enrollment
application with 100% accuracy
Needs Analysis
A needs analysis is the process of, identifying training needs in an organization for the

purpose of improving employee job performance ("Needs analysis," 2015, p. 1). Todays
workplace needs employees who are working at their best to meet the expectations of their jobs

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

and the organization. When those expectations and business needs are not being met it is
important not to just guess what is going on. It is important to perform a needs or gap analysis to
see where the gap is and to create a training that will fill the gap and have employees working at
maximum capacity.
The Problem
Organizational management approached the training department that overall enrollment
was down for the university. Not only was enrollment down, but customer satisfaction surveys
showed a decline in the area of enrollment advisor satisfaction and satisfaction with the overall
enrollment process. Potential comments showed that many students found overwhelmed by the
process and needed more hands on help. Leadership were baffled because they had implemented
the Go To Assist software to help in the enrollment process. They wanted it fixed and wanted to
make sure that all the tools given to enrollment advisors were being utilized to their maximum
potential. The first thing was to create a plan on what kind components were needed to conduct
a successful gap analysis. The three components chosen were research, surveys, and group/focus
groups.
Research
Trainers decided to research using Go To Assist analytical reports to see what the usage
percentage was. They found that Go To Assist was being used on only about 45% of calls.
They needed to figure out why advisors were not using the tool and if there was a benefit for
students and advisors who were using it.
Through the use of reports trainers where able to determine that almost 82% of students
who used Go To Assist went on to enroll into the university in the last 30 days. Managers were
tasked with calling the students and found about 90% felt Go To Assist was very beneficial in the

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

enrollment process. 45% of students felt that they would not have applied if they had to go
through the enrollment process by themselves.
Surveys
A survey was sent out to all 120 enrollment advisors. Through the use of reports trainers
identified 20 enrollment advisors that either met or exceeded expectations on a consistent basis.
Their answers were then compared to the other advisors to determine if they felt that Go To
Assist was beneficial. Answers below
Survey Question:
On average how often do you use Go To Assist when appropriate with potential
students (Check one.)

90%-100% of calls
70%-89% of calls
50%-69% of calls
Less than 50% of calls

Survey Question:

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

What do you feel is the main reason you do not use Go To Assist (Check one)
I do not feel it is necessary to use during the call
I am not comfortable using the software
I forget to use it
Other
Does not Apply (I use Go To Assist when appropriate)

Research Question: What type of tailoring will make the plus 50 population feel welcome?
Survey Question:

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

Please answer the following questions

How important is Go To Assist to the
enrollment process
How important is it to you to have further
training on Go To Assist
How important is it to you to use Go To
Assist
How important do you feel Go To Assist is
with students

Go To Assist

7
Not very
important

Important

Extremely
important

Not Very Important

Important

Extremely Important

How important is Go To
Assist to the enrollment
process

14%

47%

39%

How important is it to you

to have further training on
Go To Assist

17%

55%

28%

How important is it to you

to use Go To Assist

32%

50%

18%

How important do you feel

Go To Assist is with
students

13%

41%

46%

n = 120

Surveys found that the top 20 used Go To Assist on a consistent manner and felt it was
beneficial to the enrollment process. A large proportion of advisors did not use the tool because
they did not feel comfortable with the software or they forgot. It was also surprising to the
trainers the percentage of advisors that felt that it was not beneficial.
Interviews
Trainers decided to better understand why some counselors felt Go To Assist was not
beneficial they would interview advisors. They found that the majority of advisors that did not

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

find it beneficial did not use the tool on a regular basis. When interviewed further it was
determined that the advisors did not feel as comfortable as they would like with the tool and felt
further training was needed.
Results
After research, surveys, and interviews the training department came to the conclusion
that Go To Assist was an effective tool when used on a consistent basis. However, further
training on the tool was needed to help advisors gain confidence in their abilities and understand
the benefits of using the tool.
Budget
Category
Personnel
Fringe Benefits
External Staff
Materials
Technical Support
Equipment
Travel
Facilities
Supplies
Misc.
Total
Income Source
Parent Company
Grants
Misc.
Total

Estimated Cost
$600
$250
x
$120
x
x
1300
x
$150
$1,500
$3,920
Amount
1120
1300
1500
3420

The cost of the training will be approximately 3420.00. There are several areas that are
no cost. Trainings will be held at six different learning centers. However, they will be held

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

onsite, so there will be no cost associated with facilities, equipment, or technical support. The
facilitator is given $100 per training on top of their normal salary. Cost has also been included
for lunch for all participants under misc. expense. Training manuals are included in materials
and cost $10.00 per participant. The remainder of the materials are web-based and have zero
cost. The other major expense will be travel. One trainer will spend 1 week traveling between
the 4 different locations. Two of the trainings are at the home campus and no travel expense is
needed. Travel expense include airline tickets, baggage check, and hotel stay. Under fringe
benefits is meal costs for the trainer. Lunch is covered each day.
Travel is covered by a grant the university received for travel cost for training needs.
Misc. donations to the university from the alumni association will cover the cost of lunch for
employees which is budgeted for 1500.00. The university will fund the remaining expense of
$1120.00.
Staffing Plan
The University has a department of professional internal training to consultants to choose
from to deliver the Go To Assist training for enrollment advisors. There are many benefits to
choosing an internal consultant. Internal consultants are accepted members of the group. They
can build rapport quickly that leads to trust with both upper management and the employees they
are training. They know the ends and outs of an organization including employee challenges and
customer issues. They understand cultural norms. Because they are insiders it is easier for
them to gain buy in for organizational change (Scott, 2008).
The skill set requirements are collaborates with others, establishes credibility, takes
initiative, acts resourcefully, and understands the business. The training consultant Assesses and

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10

identifies training needs and interventions, then delivers programs, and measures learning
transfer for training programs to enhance individual and team effectiveness.
Responsibilities include:
Develops and/or coordinates training programs, which include orientation, job content,
technology and customer service for management and area personnel
May collaborate with training vendor
Works with central training area to identify training resource materials and personnel
Maintains training schedule for team members
Conducts training and/or arranges for guest lecturers/trainers covering technical issues, new
products/services, individual on-the-job training, and new-hire orientation
Produces periodic reports outlining training needs accompanied with recommendations and
implications, such as changes in operations, budget or quality
Assesses the effectiveness of training programs
Makes recommendations for improvements
Establishes a project plan and conducts cost/benefit analysis for any recommendations made to
area management
May organize multi-disciplinary project teams
Follows established training procedures to identify, deliver, and track training programs
Creates partnerships with other KP and HR departments to ensure consistency of policies and
procedures
Maintains current knowledge of area functions, customer service and quality improvement
literature, research and projects

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11

Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience, in education, psychology or other relevant field.
Master's Degree preferred.
Significant experience (usually four (4) or more years) developing and conducting training
programs on a variety of subjects.
Experience in training needs assessment and gap analysis.
Experience in curriculum development and instructional design required.
Must have exceptional verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
Demonstrated ability in quantitative and qualitative analysis.
User knowledge of desktop and word processing software required
The position is full-time. It is salaried. Traveling is required 30% of the time. The
department staff include a Sr. Director of Learning, one manager, and four learning consultants.
2 of the learning consultants have been assigned to create and deliver the training program. The
above qualifications and skill sets are the bask qualifications for a learning consultant.
The training department has access to all the resources within the organization. They
work closely with HR, IT, data analytics, and the print shop. They are able to ask for reports to
help in needs analysis. They work with HR to make sure training is within the law and meets the
needs of all employees. Training does not need to hire experts in these fields because they are
already employed with the University. The department also has a budget to fill any resource
gaps that might occur.
Employees are evaluated on a yearly basis. Performance includes 360 degree feedback
from manager, peers, and training feedback. The manager is required to sit in at least 1 training
session per quarter for the four learning consultants.

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12

Stakeholders and Goals

Stakeholders
Enrollment Advisors

Goals
The goal of the training is to

Support
In order for the training to be

help EAs better assist

successful EAs need to

potential students. Helping

support the initiative. The

students will increase their

learning consultants will work

enrollments and customer

to show the EAs the benefits

satisfaction survey.

of using Go To Assist in their

overall student enrollment and
retention thus leading to better
conversions and better

Upper Management

The goal for upper

reviews.
The training department met

management is to increase

with upper management to

overall enrollment. They need

show them how the Go To

to make sure the Board of

Assist will help enrollment

Directors, Shareholders,

advisors meet the needs of

employees, and students are

students and give them one of

happy and productive. The

a kind, personalized service.

training will help EAs enroll

The end result will be EAs

more satisfied students that

who are more satisfied in their

increases enrollment and

jobs and more students who

retention.

are enrolling into the

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

Board of Directors

13

The goal for board of directors

University.
Upper management garnered

is to increase overall

support from the board of

enrollment. They want to

directors who were concerned

make sure everything is done

about the low customer

ethically and growth can be

satisfaction results and

sustained. Happy, satisfied

declining enrollment. They

students leads to more

had training present the Go To

students that maintains the

Assist Tool to the Board to

growth of the University.

gain buy-in. They also

showed testimonials from
students and EAs on the
difference Go To Assist made
to the enrollment process. The
Board was excited to integrate
technology and focus on

Shareholders

The goal of shareholders is

personal service for students.

Shareholders support

that the University is

initiatives that increase

profitable and shares continue

company shares. A letter was

to rise. Successful students

sent out ahead of training to

lead to more successful

show what the University was

students. The training will

proactively doing to increase

help EAs find and enroll

enrollment and student

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

HR and Legal Dept.

14

students who are satisfied and

satisfaction. Shareholders

willing to refer their friends.

were excited to see the end

The goal of the HR

result.
It is important to work with

department is to ensure the

HR and Legal and every step

training meets all

of the way to ensure

governmental regulations. Go

regulations and policy are up

To Assist involves sharing

to date. It is good to have

computer screens with

them review while the training

potential students and there

is being created so they can be

are a lot of regulations

proactive in recommending

involved. HR and Legal need

changes and nothing has to be

to ensure all regulations are

changed at the last minute.

met.
Communication Plan
With an increasing number of training programs competing for the adult learners
attention it is important for program developers to market their programs especially when
participation is voluntary (Caffarella & Daffron, 2013). Marketing and communication plans
need to be eye-catching and appropriate for the intended audience.
Marketing is defined as
The function of . . . [an organization] whose goal is to plan, price, promote, and distribute
the organizations programs and products by keeping in constant touch with the
organizations various constituencies, uncovering their needs and expectations for the

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

15

organization and themselves, and building a program of communication to not only

express the organizations purpose and goals but also their mutually beneficialproducts
(Caffarella & Daffron, 2013, p. 312).
One of the most important components is to explain why programs are useful and
meaningful to the participant. This especially important for adult learners who want to know
what is in it for them. Even if participation is mandatory, letting learners know why the program
will benefit them will gain buy-in and encourage greater participation. The University knew that
the Go To Assist training program is mandatory for enrollment advisors. However, they felt that
many were not excited for the training so they wanted to drum up interest by creating a creative
and engaging communication strategy.
The first thing the training department wanted to do was to create a catchy logo, slogan,
and fact sheet. The most important section they felt was putting together a fact sheet based on
the data analytics that used in the gap analysis.
Logo and Slogan:

The training department felt that the logo and slogan were clever and funny. In the past
many enrollment advisors felt frustrated trying to help potential students do the enrollment paper

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

16

work over the phone. They felt the picture depicted the frustration and would catch the attention
of the audience. The slogan simply states the obvious: when the going gets tough; the tough get
Go To Assist.
Fact Sheet
Facts:

82% of students who used Go To Assist went on to enroll into the university in the
last 30 days

90% of those students felt that Go To Assist was higly beneficial in the enrollment
process

45% of those students would probably not have enrolled had it not been for Go To
Assist

100% of the top 20 Enrollment Advisors use Go To Assist on a consistent basis.

Testimonials:
I was extremely frustrated because I did not know what my enrollment advisor was
talking about on the enrollment paperwork. I was ready to just throw in the towel. Applying for
school should not be this difficult. Then he suggested we use Go To Assist. What a difference it
made. He pointed out where I needed to be and we could see the same things. Turns out that I
had typed in the wrong address and did not realize it. Joe Student
I use Go To Assist on every call when appropriate. Students love the fact that I can
point out where they need to be and where to click. It has eliminated so much frustration. Plus,
the enrollment time has greatly decrease because we are not going back and constantly fixing
mistakes. I can see the mistakes right away and have the student fix them while I am on the
line. Top 20 Enrollment Advisor.

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17

Benefits
There are many benefits from taking a training in person. University trainers come with
years of experience both creating and facilitating effective training. Learners are not left trying
to guess what is going on via a WebEx or online tutorial. Adults do best with social learning
situations where they are able to collaborate with others. Training facilitators are trained in the
latest training techniques including social media and playspace. Learners will be able to practice
in a controlled environment and be able to ask questions in a safe environment so that they will
be prepared to use Go To Assist with students straight out of training.
Promotional Channels and Materials
The training department decided to fist send out a series of emails to enrollment advisors.
This would save on costs and catch the attention of all enrollment advisors. The first series were
sent out before the invite to the training. The first email was a brochure showing that the training
was coming. It was a little teaser using the logo and slogan letting the audience know there was
more to come.
The trainers put together a webpage on the intranet discussing the training and its
benefits. Second had the same logo and slogan and then a link to the webpage to further explain
what the training program is and what the benefits. They also had a section where EAs could
leave comments and ask questions about the upcoming training. They also encouraged EAs to
ask questions and what they wanted to gain from the training so that the training department
could gather important information before the training began.
The third email that came out was the invite a long with an agenda of the training
program. The fourth and fifth emails were just short reminder emails with the slogan and logo
along with a couple facts or testimonials.

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18

Program Evaluation
Evaluation might be the most important part of a training program. Programs that do not
meet the goals and objectives, as well as, helping the organizations bottom line are not effective
and need to be reworked. Summative evaluation is a method of judging the worth of a program
at the end of the program activities (summation). The focus is on the outcome (Clark, 2010,
para. 4). The various instruments used to collect the data are questionnaires, surveys, interviews,
observations, and testing. Through this observation we can deduce whether or not the training
was successful and that the enrollment advisors met the goals and objectives of the training.
Along with observation to collect data it is important to interview the counselors for
understanding on why we use Go To Assist and why it is important to them. A great model to
follow is Robert Brinkerhoff's Success Case Method. The SC Method is a, relatively quick and
easy method of finding out what is working and what is not, which also provides accurate and
trustworthy information that can be used to make timely decisions (Brinkerhoff, 2002, p. 7).
It is one thing to evaluate a training workshop, but it another to evaluate an entire training
program. The training department wanted to evaluate the training program using Kirkpatricks
evaluation model. Doing this meant there would be several steps over a year to evaluate the
effectiveness of the training program. A rubric was created to evaluate the training program.
The training would then decide whether the program was effective as a result of the training.
Training Program Rubric:
Level 1 Reaction
Students response to
post training survey
question #1: Please
rate the overall
effectiveness of
training on a scale of

Good: 3 Points
90% or higher of
respondents rate
overall training a 9 or
10

Fair: 2 Points
80%-90% of
respondents rated
overall training a 9 or
10

Poor: 1 Point
Less than 80% of
respondents rated
overall training a 9 or
10

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

1-10; 10 being the
best.
Reaction
Answer to question
#2: Do you feel the
Got to Assist training
will benefit your role
as an enrollment
advisor
Level 2 Learning
Evaluation in increase
of knowledge. Pre and
Post-test. Participants
were given the same
test before and after
training to evaluate
that learning took
place
Learning
Participants take a
practical exam
demonstrate
knowledge of Go To
Assist by role playing
first phone call with a
mock student
(trainer). Participants
were given a rubric.
Total points possible
was 10. Passing grade
was 8 or higher.
Level 3 Behavior
1 month after training
asking manager to
asses participants
usage of Go To Assist
in initial phone call
with student
Behavior
Managers were asked
to assess participants
overall productivity of
answering the
question: of
participants using Go
To Assist on a

19

90% of respondents
felt that Go To Assist
would benefit them in
their role

80%-90% of
respondents felt that
Go To Assist would
benefit them in their
role

Less than 80% of

respondents felt that
Go To Assist would
benefit them in their
role

90% or higher of
participants showed
an increase in
knowledge from pre
to post-test by scoring
90% or higher on
post-test

80%-90% of
participants showed
an increase in
knowledge from pre
to post-test by scoring
90% or higher on
post-test

Less than 80% of

participants showed
an increase in
knowledge from pre
to post-test by scoring
90% or higher on
post-test

90% of participants
passed practical exam
with a score of 8 or
better

80-90% of
participants passed
practical exam with a
score of 8 or better

Less than 80% of

participants passed
practical exam with a
score of 8 or better

90% or higher of
participants showed a
continued
understanding of Go
To Assist by using the
model in 100% of all
first calls
90% or higher of
managers saw an
increase in phone
calls leading to next
steps after Go To
Assist training

80%-90% of
participants showed a
continued
understanding of Go
To Assist by using the
model in 100% of all
first calls
80%-90% of
managers saw an
increase in phone
calls leading to next
steps after Go To
Assist training

Less than 80% of

participants showed a
continued
understanding of Go
To Assist by using the
model in 100% of all
first calls
Less than 80% of
managers saw an
increase in phone
calls leading to next
steps after Go To
Assist training

EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

consistent manner has
there been an increase
in the number of calls
learning to a next step
or enrolment after
training
Level 4: Results
At 1 year. Increase in
student satisfaction
based on student first
contact survey
question 1: How
satisfied were you
with your enrolment
experience on a scale
of 1 to 10; 10 being
the best.
Results
At the end of one year
overall enrollment
will be assessed.

20

80% or higher of
respondents rate
experience a 9 or 10

70%-80% of
respondents rate
experience a 9 or 10

Less than 70% of

respondents rate
experience a 9 or 10

Significant increase in
new enrollment
compared to new
enrollment last year

Moderate increase in
new enrollment
compared to new
enrollment last year

No increase or
decrease in new
enrollment compared
to new enrollment last
year

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21
References

Brinkerhoff, R. O. (2002). The Success Case Method. Retrieved from

http://www.bkconnection.com/static/The_Success_Case_Method_EXCERPT.pdf
Caffarella, R. S., & Daffron, S. T. (2013). Planning programs for adult learners: A practical
guide (3rd ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection
Clark, D. J. (2010). Types of evaluation in instructional design. Retrieved from
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/isd/types_of_evaluations.html
Needs analysis: How to determine training needs. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.hrguide.com/data/G510.htm