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Review of Post Office Ltd New Entrant
Training Pilot December 2011
Author : Sue Richardson
Network Services Projects & Standards Manager
Sandra McBride Network Change Advisor
Lee Heil Network Services Admin & Scheduling Team
Leader
Linda McLaughlin Field Team Leader
Dave Ogleby Field Team Leader
Peter Jackson Field Team Leader
David Patrick Field Team Leader
Adrian Paling Field Team Leader
Julia Mann Field Team Leader
Bob Collins Field Team Leader
Frank Martin Field Team Leader
Rita Kendellen Field Team Leader
Chris Gilding Field Team Leader
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Contents
Page 3 - Executive summary
Page 4 - Pilot Review
Page 4 - Commencing the Review
Page 6 - Stakeholder Feedback - Internal Stakeholders
Page 7 - Gathering the evidence
Page 8 - What is new? - Changes to the Classroom & On site Training
Packages and Post Transfer Contact process for new
entrants
Page 9 - Next Steps & Implementation
Appendices
Appendix A Internal Stakeholder Feedback
Appendix B Changes by session and material owner
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Executive Summary
Introduction & Background
In April 2011, the new entrant training offer for both classroom
and on-site, was revised along with the Post Transfer Contact
process, and deployed in pilot for the remainder of Q1 & 2, with an
intention to review in Q3.
Delivering the review
The following stages were planned to deliver the pilot review in
Quarter 3 of 2011-12 Financial Year:
1. Revisit all of the original stakeholders to seek feedback.
2. Review the current packages and training materials,
considering the feedback. revising as appropriate
3. Cascade the results of the feedback and any changes made to
the training materials or processes to the Field Team
4, Final communication to stakeholders In Jan 2012
Headline Changes to New Entrant Training
The full detail of the changes can be found attached at Appendix B
attached, but the headlines are:
e Many minor changes have been made to slides and supporting
material to provide clarity
e The timetable will be reviewed in 04
e The requirement for all newly appointed Agents to attend
classroom has been clarified to say this must be the Officer In
Charge of the branch and the 2 day refresher course for existing
partners considered
e Improvement made to the checking of Prep box information to
ensure all out of date material is removed before despatch
e Improvements planned for EASE navigation when the move to
SharePoint is completed
e Enhancements made to the presentation of Grapevine throughout all
training and Post Transfer Contact all security sessions reviewed
with the Security Team
e User enhancements to Performance Standards Assessment (PSA)
delivered
e Compliance Audit in Post Transfer Contact (PTC) process , moved
to 3 month visit to reduce length of day at 6-9 month and to
address any Compliance issues at an earlier stage
e Competent and confident Field Support Advisor’s (FSA) now to
deliver 3 month Post Transfer Visit ( PTV)
e Bespoke PTC process introduced for PO Local
Next Steps
* Deliver training to FSA’s through WILs in Jan/Feb 2012
* Send report out to all stakeholders- All stakeholders will
receive a copy of this report and appendices w/c 23" January
2012
* All new materials will be deployed in training from February
2012.
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* Through 04 complete and deliver new training package for Mains
branches
* Update classroom timetables and materials following the Sales
& Service Team review
* Pilot the new offer for all PO Local branches- including
classroom training for new Operators
Introduction & Background
The Pilot Review
In April 2011, the new entrant training offer for both classroom
and on-site, was revised and deployed in pilot for the remainder of
Ql & 2, with an intention to review in 93.
The headline improvements included:
e An enhanced and updated package of pre-work including on-line
Compliance training and testing and revised product distance
learning packs.
e Classroom training mandatory for all new Agents.
* A consistent training offer across all segments, including
conversational selling skills, skills to increase remuneration
and to complete compliant transactions, to conform to Branch
Standards and deliver great Customer Experience, with the
consequences of failure to comply understood.
e Duration of course increased by one day to accommodate this.
e On Site Training - New Tools introduced to protect our Brand
and to support new Agents to grow their remuneration by
focusing on their specific customer base.
e Failure to demonstrate skills from Classroom Training
challenged and recorded and reported to Contracts Advisors with
hands on support given.
e Balance Support -now supports Agents to produce their first
Branch Trading Statement
e Post Transfer Contact - enhanced to include extra support and
checks through visits and telephone support in the first year.
e Bespoke Packages - having the capability to react in a timely
manner to the introduction of all new Post Office® Formats,
train in remote locations using mobile kits with classroom
session “lifted off the shelf” specific to Branch and to react
effectively to the needs of the Network and provide quality
training.
Commencing the review
The following stages were planned to deliver the pilot review in
Quarter 3 of 2011-12 Financial Year:
1. Revisit all of the original stakeholders to seek feedback.
2. Review the current packages and training materials
considering the feedback. revising as appropriate
3. Cascade the results of the feedback and any changes made to
the training materials or processes to the Field Team
4, Final communication to stakeholders in Jan 2012
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e Revisit all of the original stakeholders to seek feedback
All of the original stakeholders were approached for feedback on
the piloted training package, and were asked to submit feedback
using the Lose, Change & Keep approach that had been used
successfully in the original project.
e Review the current packages and training materials,
considering the feedback:
Engagement was undertaken with all of the Field Team Leader owners
of the training materials and classroom sessions, to go through the
stakeholder feedback and deliver any changes or enhancements made
as appropriate.
e Cascade the results of the feedback and any changes made to
the training materials or processes to the Field Team
There will be a number of training events early in 04 to cascade
the results of the review and give detail of any/all changes to
formats, packages and materials used for training in Classroom and
on-site including the Post Transfer Contact Process. These will be
led by the Field Team Leaders with their teams, following their own
event on 12™ January 2012.
e Final communication to stakeholders January 2012:
All changes will be communicated to the stakeholders during
January/February 2012.
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Stakeholders Approached for Feedback
Directorates:
e Network
e Operations
e Compliance
e Agents Policy & Contracts
e Legal
e Marketing
e NFSP
e Sales & Service
e Sales & Service
Other stakeholders:
O Network Services Field
Leaders,
Field Support Advisors,
Julia Marwood
Paul W Martin
Paul Meadows
Tracy Marshall
Susan Crichton
Sarah Munro
Anita Turner
Michael Larkin
Julie Thomas
Support Team - Regional Managers, Team
Scheduling & Admin Team and
Field Change Advisor
Stakeholder Feedback
All Internal stakeholder feedback is detailed in Appendix A
Output:
Internal Stakeholders
Areas highlighted by our Internal Stakeholders that should be
considered for removal.
Areas that our Internal Stakeholders believed should be changed.
Areas that our Internal Stakeholders believed should remain.
Other areas where issues were raised by Internal Stakeholders.
Proposal:
All Feedback provided has been considered / included in the review
of the New Entrant Training Offer.
Gathering the evidence - MI
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Throughout the pilot, supporting MI was collected to identify
strengths and weaknesses in the training programme. These are the
headline results:
Performance Standards Assessment (PSA)
This action planning tool is used throughout both the classroom and
on-site training, to track the progress of candidates and their
confidence levels as they develop their skills and knowledge.
The following headlines are taken from 59 branches within the
pilot:
e 82% scored a Green rating in classroom training
e 18% were at Amber - with development actions identified, agreed
and cascaded
e 90% scored a Green rating during on-site training
e 7% were at Amber - with development actions identified, agreed
and cascaded
e 3% were Red - with development actions identified, agreed and
cascaded
\PSA tracker v1 2.xIs
In all cases the Performance Standards Assessment will be followed
up at the 1 month phone-call and 3 month visit to the branch.
Further support will be given and if necessary an additional
training intervention visit will be completed.
Conversations
During the classroom and on site training, all candidates are
trained and coached to deliver the Minimum Service Standards
Conversations. At the 3 month and 6-9 month visits as part of the
Post Transfer Contact process, these are observed and further
assessed to establish any further support and coaching that may be
required.
Using a sample of 124 candidates and a range of 17 different
conversation area’s, the results were disappointing. In only 2
area’s out of 17 was the result either a ‘’Good’’ or ‘’Top
Quality’’ performance. Seventeen area’s were assessed as either ‘’
Room for improvement or Poor’’.
a tS
Minimum Service MSS Conversations
Standards Assessmer Summary Pilot sample
Whilst this feedback is disappointing, the anecdotal feedback that
accompanied it told a story of a lack of will to deliver the
conversations rather than a lack of skills and knowledge of them.
The vast majority agreed that they were aware of the conversations
and recalled the training, but felt that they had a better idea of
what their customers wanted/needed and felt uncomfortable using
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them. This feedback has been passed back to the Contracts Advisor
for performance management where appropriate.
New Agent Feedback
Throughout the pilot and at the end of the on-site training, new
Agents were asked to complete a brief feedback form about the
training package. Here are some headlines:
e 73% felt they had sufficient training to enable then to process
all PO transactions
e 81% felt they had sufficient training to enable them to prepare
the office balance ( BTS)
e 100% understood the requirement to log on to the Horizon system
in their own name / user ID, and were able to tell us why this
important.
e Only 8 out of 48 (17%) felt there any areas where they needed
more training / support. This was primarily about accounting.
e All but 1 person understood the branch standards requirements and
their responsibilities in regard to them.
e 100% of people found their time with the training team
worthwhile.
Customer
Satisfaction SUMMAR
What is new? — Changes to the Classroom & On site
Training Packages and Post Transfer Contact Process for
new entrants
The full detail of the changes can be found attached at Appendix B
attached, but the headlines are:
e Many minor changes have been made to slides and supporting
material to provide clarity
e The timetable will be reviewed in Q4 once the outputs of the
Sales & Service Team review have been included in the sessions
e The requirement for all newly appointed Agents to attend
classroom training has been clarified to say this should be the
Officer In Charge of the branch and where they are an existing
partner, the 2 day refresher training should be considered as an
alternative to the full 6/8 day offer.
e Ready to Serve document reviewed to include some weekly actions
rather than all daily
e Confidential waste instruction added to Ready to Serve Document
e A bespoke Ready to Serve Document has been created for PO Local
e Improvement made to the checking of Prep box information to
ensure all out of date material is removed before despatch
e DVD’s are now embedded within the classroom sessions
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e General comments section added to PSA regarding site issues for
follow up during the PTC.
e Improvements planned for EASE navigation when the move to
SharePoint is completed
e Enhancements made
training and Post
e Security sessions
e User enhancements
e Question added to
to the presentation of Grapevine throughout all
Transfer Contact
reviewed with the Security Team
to PSA delivered
SharePoint to detail opening time after
transfer - to inform decision about scheduling of day 1 of on
site training
e Compliance Audit in PTC process , moved to 3 month visit to
reduce length of day at 6-9 month and to address any Compliance
issues at an earlier stage
e Competent and confident FSA’s now to deliver 3 month PTV in
addition to the continued role of the Team Leaders
e Bespoke PTC process introduced for PO Local
e Improvements to supply of DDA and Welcome packs for new Agents
secured with HR.
Next Steps
* Deliver training to FSA’s through WTLS in Jan/Feb 2012
* Send report out to all stakeholders- All stakeholders will
receive a copy of this report and appendices w/c 234 January
2012
* Return to BAU revision timetable for maintenance of materials
* All new materials will be deployed in training from February
2012.
* Through 04 deliver new training package for Mains branches
* Update classroom timetables and materials following the Sales
& Service Team review
* Pilot the new offer for all size of PO Local branches-
including classroom training for all new entrants
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