5 Free Training Tools
As this special training issue of EB points out, there is an amazing array of resources to help you teach new hires about optical.
And, while you usually call on vendors to help with product-specific training, many have also debuted broader curricula to assist ECPs in training the post-pandemic’s abundance of new hires, as well. For many, that also includes helping the new kids on your block learn about the business of optical.
Partnering with suppliers for training can be a win-win. “There are benefits to developing long-term and collaborative relationships with B2B partners,” reports HR Daily. “The personal relationships that can develop between end users and vendor training staff can help deepen and strengthen those partnerships.”
Another plus for the practice? Suppliers often offer education at no cost to eyecare professionals.
READY RESOURCES
Here are just a few examples of key frame and lens vendor business-focused offerings for your newest hires.
ESSILORLUXOTTICA.
Launched in January, EssilorLuxottica’s Leonardo recently unveiled the New Hire Programs, designed for new hires taking their first steps into optical. Leonardo, which is available in 30 languages, is free for all users, though there is a premium content section.
There are versions for dispensers, front desk professionals, opticians, and practice managers, with others, including one dedicated to lab technicians, going live by Q4. The training has multiple phases: Welcome/Introduction, Vision Need, Basics of Optics and Solutions, Customer Management, and Life in the Practice.
SAFILO.
Safilo provides quarterly live webinars that are recorded and posted on mysafilo.com in the Safilo Academy section and live ones at industry events, including Vision Expo East and West. The webinars on mysafilo.com are for all ECPs with access to its B2B site. Access is not weighted by volume. Videos that are great for newbies include Optical 411, Advanced Eyewear Technology, Multiples Mindset, and Secrets to Visual Merchandising.
SHAMIR.
Shamir offers CE courses and “lunch-n-learns” by ABO-certified account executives in the field and ABO-certified self-learning/testing articles, as well as an education department focused on learning journeys, onboarding, and more.
The company is currently working on a platform called Shamir Personal, where users will be able to access education modules, sign up for in-person CE and other education events, and access materials.
VSP/MARCHON.
Premier Academy360 provides business-building training and education as a benefit of participation in the VSP Vision Premier Program. These no-cost offerings are designed to provide practice management tools and actionable insights to practices.
The Academy is also launching Staff360 Employee Onboarding and Development, a complimentary new training series that will begin with a new 215G Onboarding Optometry New Hires course. The company also offers UUniversity, a technical education resource for ECPs at all levels. ABO Technical courses appropriate for new hires include Frames and Transforming the Masterpiece.
ZEISS.
The company’s ECP education offerings include sponsored CE articles and webinars, free marketing materials that include tips, an ECP education-focused blog, in-person team trainings by its regional education team, and Zeiss Academy, an online learning platform. Zeiss also recently published a CE article on its online ordering portal Visu-store that teaches opticians about optics and ordering. Enhancements are underway to help expand the knowledge of customers through a digital community.
These are all excellent options, but be sure to check with your other suppliers of choice, as well.
Don’t wait until a new hire is on board, however—get a plan in place. You never know when you’ll need it.
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