Small and midsize businesses depend on entry level positions for day to day operations and these positions usually include manual business specific tasks and customer service type duties. Vacancies and ineffective training can create service gaps that negatively affect productivity and ultimately, profitability. SMBs continue to see challenges in hiring for entry level type positions and older methods of training only increase time and costs for getting newly hired people deployed and contributing. Traditional methods of entry level training would consist of binders, paper modules, physical worksheets and training videos to get important skills and organizational habits across to new hires. The move to online training has merely digitized these older methods of learning. Smaller organizations need highly effective and practical training tools that get new hires working and contributing faster to prevent and eliminate productivity draining service gaps. New innovations in artificial intelligence and machine learning are creating next generation training tools that help small and midsize businesses get new hires contributing faster and more effectively than traditional training methods.

Advanced Engagement Ensures Better Understanding

One of the great highlights of AI and machine learning models is their advanced ability to understand and comprehend humans and language. Conversation like exchanges can occur between human and machine through either text and type inputs or actual voice exchanges. AI technology uses a method known as Natural Language Processing (NLP) that can quickly break down a sentence, identifying definitions, verbs versus nouns and context to understand the meaning of the complete sentence. This is similar to how humans process language and machines can ‘learn’ from this analysis for faster and even more accurate comprehension as time passes. NLP drives output so that conversations and responses seem more human-like. From a training perspective, comprehension, attention and engagement are key goals for any method of training but AI and machine learning technology have a significant edge when it comes to user interaction and understanding of concepts and skills.

AI Technology Adapts to the User

Traditional training methods used for entry level training are rigid in structure and offer little to no flexibility to suit different learning styles and capabilities. One of the great advantages of AI is its ability to learn about the user and create responses and outputs better suited to that user. This is a major feature for training tools as Machine Learning models can evaluate user engagement in real time and adjust learning pace to better suit the trainee and their individual learning style and abilities. The two way engagement of AI technology can help new hires learn skills, processes and organizational habits with greater effect and in a faster time frame. Individual attention with real time feedback and evaluations enables AI training tools the ability to make adjustments to learning speed, pace and content vocabulary that will ensure complete understanding of the training material and work related expectations.

Benefits Across Many Industries

Small and midsize businesses are still facing challenges in entry level hiring and this is felt across most customer facing industries. Accurate hiring is crucial for SMBs to help mitigate service gaps and increasing costs related to filling positions. Training and onboarding is the next hurdle as most turnover occurs during the early stages of the new hire’s career. AI based technology has proven valuable across many categories of business including:

Online and storefront retail

Transportation, accommodation and other travel businesses

Contact centers

Customer facing industries can benefit from AI and machine learning based training tools that can reduce overall training time and get new hires working faster and more productively over traditional methods of training. AI training platforms can also extend benefits to existing staff with upskilling and reskilling opportunities to increase productivity and individual capabilities.

The Bottom Line

Small and midsize businesses are still contending with an unfriendly hiring landscape for entry level positions. SMBs depend on their frontline teams and any loss in productivity can create service gaps that increase costs, reduce efficiency and can potentially negatively impact profitability. In uncertain times, smaller organizations must optimize their onboarding and transition processes to ensure new hires are fully trained and effective in their positions early in their hire. AI and machine learning can deliver next generation training tools that speed up initial training processes and have greater effect on new hires than traditional methods of training. AI based platforms have greater engagement capabilities and can ensure better understanding of key skills and organizational habits needed for success. The flexibility and advanced functions of AI based training tools elevates training management, evaluation and reporting tasks, becoming an all in one training solution for new hires and existing workers that want to upgrade or add skills and abilities.