-By Jenny McTaggart

Never before have grocers needed such strong training programs. Customer service can make or break an operation, shoppers are asking more questions than ever, and important operational issues such as food safety and loss prevention require every store associate to be on top of his or her game.

Luckily, there are new tools around to help management better educate the labor force. One of those applications is e-learning, the use of digital tools and content to educate.

Several grocers, including Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets and Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer, Inc., are wielding e-learning to get their associates up to speed on service standards and product knowledge.

Wegmans, Meijer, and San Antonio-based H.E. Butt Grocery Co. became alpha partners with Tallahassee, Fla.-based LearnSomething, Inc. in 2006, as the company developed "Prepare to Sell," an online customer service training program.

The program teaches employee engagement skills while also providing full background on specific categories, explains Deborah Faucette, s.v.p. of sales and marketing at LearnSomething.

"The idea was to better prepare employees to engage customers in the store," she says. "So, for example, if a customer comes in to buy a skin care product, but they don't really know that much about skin care, the associate will feel empowered to suggest products and answer questions, which could ultimately increase the customer's basket size."

As more retailers look to differentiate themselves by delivering a more personal experience in the store, this type of training is vital, she observes.

Trade groups train

Trade groups, too, are taking advantage of e-learning to educate their retail members on category-specific issues, notes Faucette. Last year, LearnSomething worked with the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) to develop "Prepared to Sell" on the perishables side. Called "Prepared to Serve: Product Solutions for Customers, Fresh Perishable Foods," the program teaches deli, cheese, bakery, produce, meat, and seafood associates how to increase sales and learn new skills  -- all via online simulated interactions.

E-learning has many advantages over the traditional classroom, according to Faucette, because it "delivers a consistent message and enables a company to deliver best practices and reach a large number of employees over time. It works better than the old-fashioned way where you got in a group with a facilitator, which was more costly. With e-learning, you can make changes to the program quickly."

Companies can also easily track their employees' progress on training initiatives, she notes. "From a management perspective, a retailer has a management tool to monitor training progress and better assess needs. In addition, if verification of training is ever needed, it can be readily available."

Beyond customer service and category-specific training, digital applications come in handy for tackling operational training, says Faucette. "Lately there's been a lot of required regulatory and compliance training, from HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) to food handing. We can deliver the training that’s required, but we can also customize it by allowing the retailer to include their specific policies and procedures."

Examples include LearnSomething's work with the Food Marketing Institute to produce a SuperSafeMark food-safety training program, and a new fraud, waste, and abuse training program created by LearnSomething and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation, designed to satisfy training requirements that are included in a new Medicare Part D regulation.

Virtual, then hands-on

Clear Thinking Group, a retail and manufacturing consulting firm based in Hillsborough, N.J., helps set up e-learning applications for retailers on a budget, according to Jim Bunn, the firm's managing director.

"We've taken a low-budget approach for retailers that can't afford to spend a lot," he says. "We put up an e-learning application for a $30 million retailer, for instance, and it was a Web site with videos of different activities in the store, including receiving, stocking, and loss prevention. Employees could click on the Web site and explore different activities."

Bunn and others stress that e-learning is best used in tandem with hands-on training -- particularly in the supermarket industry. "E-learning absolutely makes sense for grocers, because there are a lot of activities that are common across different departments," says Bunn. "On-the-job training alone can't cover everything that happens, especially when you have a limited amount of time. But I've found it very helpful for new associates to do computer-based training first, then go through hands-on training on the floor."

In addition, e-learning is useful as a course refresher, observes Bunn. "If the employee has some slow time, they can always go back on the Web site and go back through whatever module they need to work on. But you have to be careful about including updates in the curriculum if changes have occurred since the material was first developed."

As bandwidth and availability of the Internet continue to increase, more retailers will likely turn to e-learning, say Bunn and others. "I think it will grow even more when people realize you don't have to spend a fortune, and that this is an effective way to train people," says Bunn.

At LearnSomething, business is picking up significantly, according to Faucette. The company currently serves 157 chain customers in the food industry as well as the pharmacy channel, plus more than 100 professional industry trade associations.

"We have about 180,000 active course assignments each month, so we're seeing an increase in this trend," she adds. "It's becoming more readily acceptable, especially since the younger generation is used to using technology. Our retail customers are telling us they're seeing good results."

With retail training under its belt, LearnSomething is now looking at a new area of business, notes Faucette -- educating consumers.

"When you look on the Internet, there aren’t a lot of places consumers can go to learn about products and how to use them," she observes. "As we were training employees, we thought it would be great if consumers could understand more before they get into the store. In this sense, they'd come to the store prepared to buy. We call the consumer program 'LearnSomethingAbout.' The information can be made available through the retailer's Web site."