It’s not uncommon for most industries to experience periods of downtime. Bad weather, shoulder seasons, and technician injury can all contribute to a normal workflow coming to a halt, especially for HVAC teams. But there is a way you can take advantage of idle or uncertain times and make downtime more valuable — upskilling your techs with on-going training.
Utilize Unexpected Downtime for HVAC Training
While unexpected downtime can be stressful for Service Managers and techs alike, it also creates a unique opportunity for training. Continued learning is important for your techs as it helps them to keep their skills sharp and reinforce their core skills. In fact, investing in training during these times can equal much greater productivity improvements in the future.
Not only can ongoing training keep your techs on their A-game during downtimes, but it can also:
- Increase productivity
- Reduce costs
- Promote teamwork
- Decrease turnover of employees
- Improve safety and wellness
Offer HVAC Training From Home
Thanks to advances in technology, taking advantage of downtime with ongoing training means going digital. When training events get canceled or travel to workshops, labs or seminars aren’t possible, online training from home is a great solution.
With online training , you can continue to keep your techs productive from home with the opportunity to train on any device they choose. It’s the perfect tool for anything that interrupts business as usual. Major benefits of training from home include:
Flexibility
Online training gives techs the ability to work on their skills whenever they choose, wherever they choose, and on a device that works best for them. Additionally, techs can self-pace through training and aren’t forced to conform to a schedule.
More Training Opportunities
The ability to self-pace also opens opportunities for those who want to go above and beyond with their training and do more than what’s required. Online training options allow motivated employees to self-guide their learning and continue upskilling in the areas they are interested in the most, even when business picks back up again.
Cost Savings
Online training can save on costs for both management and employees. This is especially important during downtimes. While employees can save on things like transportation to training and child care, management can save on costly fees associated with in-person training.
Upskilling Techs
One of the biggest benefits of utilizing online training is that you are actively working to improve the skills of your techs, even when times are slow. When work picks back up, you’ll not only have a motivated team, but they will be more skilled and profitable to your business than before.
Online training can also help with developing good habits in time management and motivation as techs are responsible for setting their own schedule and completing tasks on time.
Provide the Best Online HVAC Training
With the rate of innovation and advancing technology, training for HVAC techs has never been more crucial. However, both the day-to-day responsibilities of HVAC teams and unexpected downtime can make it hard to find the time. This is why online training is so beneficial. It allows techs to train in any location at the times most convenient for them.
Interplay Learning’s SkillMill learning platform offers an incredible catalog of online courses for your HVAC team with a train from home solution that was never possible before. From a selection of real-world-based 3D and virtual reality courses that take the trainee through foundational and advanced knowledge to basic HVAC principles, techs can get hands-on experience in a safe and risk-free environment.
SkillMill is a great way to utilize any unexpected downtime to upskill your techs so they come back more knowledgeable, motivated and more profitable to your business than ever before.
