The days of finding a job in logistics, settling in and stagnating are long gone. Now, adequate training, continuing education, and evolving updates to procedures and policies are required to build a strong, empowered workforce. But what’s harder than building a strong workforce? Keeping it strong in the face of shifting regulations, evolving market practices, rapidly fluctuating market conditions and logistics requirements. Team members need to be made aware of these variables quickly and need uniform information to deploy responses in keeping with the excellent service standard for which we’re known. This is why ITG has invested in a new Learning Management Software (LMS) – an interactive, educational portal that allows our learning and development administrators the ability to deliver standardized content and customized training to suit both new hires and tenured teammates.
Reimagining Onboarding and Training with ITG’s Learning Management Software
From the beginning, the question we had was simple. How do we streamline training, standard operating procedures, and encourage our team to build on their knowledge both in courses that enhance their logistics understanding but also could provide continuing education in supplementary support subjects like Excel or compliance training? The ITG LMS offers not only a way to get new hires up to speed, onboarding them over the course of three days with interactive assessments, general knowledge about their position and the industry, but also preparing them for a job where they are empowered and expected to feed their hunger for knowledge frequently and with courses that can boost their careers, not just their current position.
ITG expected to deploy the LMS to veterans first and hear a little grumble about going through new training, but swiftly the tone shifted. Quickly, we heard the enthusiasm building, as comments like “Hey, at first I didn’t think I needed this but now that I have done it, I realized how well it prepared me to answer questions and find solutions.”
A Surprising Shift: Veteran Employees Embrace the Learning Curve
According to Franklin Mead, Operations Specialist at ITG Lisle, IL, “The LMS has been wonderfully insightful and accurate in description of duties / responsibilities for employees. Learning the ins and outs of the industry can build a broader understanding of how our work is part of the larger business of freight movement.”
For his coworker in Lisle, IL Matt Andrews, Operations Supervisor and trainer, the LMS possibilities are enormous. “I think the LMS is great for helping set a more uniform foundation of processes and expectations for all staff to be aware of and abide by. Having the LMS has been especially useful for training new employees by taking some of the training fundamentals off our plate as they are covered thoroughly in the LMS. Opportunities for continued learning and job training are crucial. The LMS helps make those training courses readily available to all staff in an easy to navigate platform. I would really love to see us add some additional training courses that are very targeted and specific to operations. There are certain subjects and situations that come up frequently and there tends to be a high variance in understanding on the best way to handle them. By covering these in the LMS, it would help clear confusion and uncertainty.”
Harnessing LMS for Enhanced Operations and Customer Service
It’s exciting and humbling to see how invigorated and excited our staff is at the possibilities offered by the LMS. For Anthony Aguirre who works in dispatch at ITG in Henderson, NV, the excitement is palpable. “ITG’s Learning Center has helped so much. I received great hands-on training when I first started but of course, not everything can get covered in every situation. I learned a lot from the Learning Center and it’s helped me do my job more accurately. Knowledge is power and I look forward to each course added to help me better myself.”
Each new team of hires to journey into the LMS comes back with more knowledge, more tools and more anticipation than we expected. Even those who have been at ITG for over a year speak gratefully for the comprehensive information. For Liliana Cardona, one of our Lean Staffing employees and ITG Operations Specialist located in Barranquilla, Colombia, the LMS helped her see the bigger picture. “The LMS helped me to clarify many concepts. I gained a lot of knowledge that has now helped me have a better performance because now I know how to do the whole process and not only halfway. It is now easier for me to solve any problem. The logistics sector is very variable so there is always something new to learn about. I think it is very important to be in continuous learning to be up to date with the market and with our sector to be able to offer a better service to our customers.”
The enthusiastic response speaks for itself. Empowering employees to grow, learn, help, and serve provides an environment of respect and understanding. We’re humbled by the way our team has jumped in with both feet to experience the system and take charge of their knowledge. The suggestions and feedback allow ITG to be in a constant state of self-improvement and each new batch of teammates coming through the interview process will build on something the entire company works together to refine.
If you want to experience the difference in working with a company that takes pride in excellence, come visit ITG and learn more.