As lines of customers shrink and phones stop ringing, pool and spa businesses have time to regroup and make the most of the winter months. Professionals can now take a closer look at what worked and what needed improvement in the previous season. With cooler temperatures rolling in and sales slowing down, it is crucial to prioritize training, retraining, and cross-training employees. Winter is also the ideal time to do some careful inventory analysis, as well as a detailed re-evaluation of software system needs.
Training, cross-training, and training tools
In preparation for the next busy season, specialty retailers need to train their staff on a wider variety of tasks. The pool and spa industry is always stretched thin, but this past season forced retailers to push employee limits. Everyone took on jobs they had not done in the past. As a result, the industry became aware of the upside benefits to having cross-trained staff, as well as fully trained seasonal employees.
Cross-training full-time staff
The slower season allows businesses to implement a cross-training program. This involves creating a daily schedule of what each employee is expected to do and learn. Once the schedule is complete, employees can begin to swap jobs. Best practices suggest making a two-week schedule, listing day by day what they will learn—whether it be the new responsibilities in the retail store, working in the water testing lab, cash register management, inventory control, warehouse work, or helping the service and construction departments. At the end of the two-week period, employees will take a test by role-playing customer scenarios.
Throughout the program, employers will likely discover where staff may need additional training on specific products, software features, or water chemistry basics. Luckily, there are ample training tools available. Many manufacturers offer webinars, tutorials, videos, and even live sessions to train, re-train, and cross-train existing and new employees. Product vendor reps will have information on their current training programs, both online and in person. The winter is also a great time to take the certified pool operator (CPO) training, which provides industry professionals with the necessary education to not only keep pools safer but also keep them open.
