It’s a giant big heavy different dumb scary frustrating awesome new healthy wonderful computer program that a bank gets. It’s the one that stores all yo money, honey. Digitally, of course.
But that’s not what we are talking about. We are talking about little ole me. I am going to say very little about the bank that I work for that is getting a new core. Sigh. It really means nothing to customers except a disturbance to their lives. TO BOOT, we are replacing our online system as well. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
I am the trainer in the customer service center. Customer service be doing all the things. We work with prolly 20 systems. We do everything we possibly can over the phone or with verbal guidance online so that people don’t have to go to the bank. Hey, I get it, and I’m down.
We got this huge new system. I wonder how much they paid for it? Anywho, I have about 30-40 reps I think? I had one, yep I said one, day of training in the capitol city a couple weeks ago and now, oh yes, it is my job that I love very much, to train everyone that answers the phone.
Terror. Depression. Self-doubt. Hidy hole. And what the hell else can I do other than learn this system on my own with written instructions. Gross. That’s why I am a trainer. So my peeps don’t have to read a paper, or 20 or 50 papers and be expected to do the things.
Well, I got a start on it on my own. A start. And since it was on me to lead the charge, a start was good enough. Oof, it was going to be rocky.
I was up at 5, ready by 630 and in the parking lot at 7. I had my laptop and my extra monitor from home. I had a week’s worth of snacks and lunches. The training room only has one monitor at the work stations, so I BYOM-ed it. Buuuuuut, it turns out that I was also to attach to the big screen in the training room, so I ended up having 4 monitors. I kinda felt like a bad ass.
Now I couldn’t figure out how to work said monitors to 100% of my liking and I have a sore neck and shoulders as a result. The giant screen was right down the row from my desk, perpendicular. AAAAND I couldn’t figure out how to mirror one of my screens, so I sat, looking down the row all day manipulating this giant screen from my desktop.
I kept imagining my mouse zinging across the room when I went from the screen on my desk to the monitor at the front of the room. Zing! Zing!
Oh Oh! And half the class was in another room in another city. We were on the zoom zoom. My screen was their big screen as well. So technically I had like 5 or 6 screens. The one they had was the mirror I was looking for for mine.
The training was muddy. It was mirky. It was trudgey. Yes, I know it’s not a word. I took five reps through a 40 page study guide tour sample starter kit. I went line by line. I messed up a lot. I often couldn’t find things. I talked my way though every procedure, hoping that they were following. Checking in with them as we went. There was some awesome collaboration as we got comfortable. We were just a team learning together. If someone found the next step before I could, they shared where the hell the button was.
I followed my own advice. We trudged together. Line by line. Read a line on the workflow. Do the action. Back to the workflow. Next action. We played a little, seeing what the system would do if we pushed this button or that. We were like baby deer. We all leaned a lot of things. I got some reference material started.
Since I started my Quality Analyst/Trainer/Mini-Sup position, I have never been in a position where I was learning the system with the people I was teaching. Normally I come prepared with an outline, workflows, pictures with red arrows and step by step instructions.
We got through it. I know with 100% certainty that my first five folks walked out of there knowing something they didn’t before. These are my people. I want to take care of them. I also know that I am not special in any way and if I am nervous about the change, they are, too. And unlike the training I got, I can do better. I can take care of them. I can get them the tools. It’s what I do!
It was okay. I just did what I always tell people to do. I learned how I train them to learn. The sky didn’t fall. I will be better tomorrow. I won’t be much better tomorrow. But I will be a little better. I think, once everyone has the intro course, I will have gone through the system 4-6 times. Then I have to get them to do the same. It’s fine. It’s gonna be fine.
Suit up and show up. And Breathe.
The Isms of the Ic 