ONLINE ACCESS: WALDEN SECURITY PROVIDES WEB TRAINING AS A LEG UP ON THE COMPETITION

Jun 1, 2005 12:00 PM

Michael Walden is always looking for ways to improve performance and customer satisfaction, and increasingly, he finds himself turning to technology for help. As president and CEO of Walden Security, Chattanooga, Tenn. — one of the fastest-growing private security firms in the nation — Walden turned to technology when it was time to reevaluate his employee-training program.

Walden Security had already experienced first-hand the positive impact of technology on his business's bottom line after integrating the Vision workforce management system and Vantage telephony system from Valiant, Woodbury, N.Y., a workforce management solutions company.

Vision allows Walden Security to schedule, invoice, generate payroll, manage human resource issues and develop financial reports. For organizations like Walden Security, which manages off-site contract staffing, the ability to control overtime, reduce job costs and to accurately invoice has a direct impact on the bottom line.

“Walden Security's large, remote, hourly workforce and geographically challenging area made it the perfect candidate for Vision,” says Jeff DiDomenico, vice president of Valiant.

Using the Vantage system, Walden Security allows its off-site security officers to clock in and out via telephone, thus eliminating the need for time clocks. A built-in caller ID verifies that guards are, in fact, calling in from their posts.

“Valiant's technology helps us to operate with fewer administrative staff while providing accurate staffing, payroll processing and billing/invoices to our clients,” Walden says.

Technology for training

Walden Security was hoping for the same technology-driven results when, last October, the company launched “Walden Security University,” a Web-based e-learning system. After four months of beta testing, in which the software was exposed to “real world” testing by more than 24 security guards, a company-wide rollout is imminent.

Michael Walden, a former law enforcement officer, and his wife, Amy, founded Walden Security in 1990. It has grown from four employees to more than 1,000 security guards in 14 states at commercial and government facilities, including airports, malls, office buildings, schools, financial institutions and museums.

With growth comes challenges. In particular, when it comes to employee training, Walden Security — named one of Tennessee's top employers by Business TN magazine in 2004 — faces a large, diverse workforce spread across several states and industries, many with their own licensing and training requirements. “We have to continually push for improvements in officer training, while lowering operating expenses wherever possible,” Walden says. “Making investments in technology allows us to do both.”

Feedback from clients favored e-learning over on-site training. “An e-learning platform offers true value both to our officers and more importantly to our clients,” says Jason Turner, corporate training manager for Walden Security.

Walden Security hired Intellum Inc., Atlanta, to lead the e-learning effort. Intellum helped determine receptive beta sites and branches and created custom courseware that employees may access via the Internet by logging onto the Walden Security Web site.

Five courses are currently offered: Communications; Emergency Situations; Ethics and Professional Conduct; Field Notes and Report Writing; and Human and Public Relations. Guards also have access to Intellum's resource library of ready-made courseware, which includes modules on topics such as Safety and OSHA, HIPAA privacy, human resources, EEOC and drug-free workplace. There are plans to expand the offerings, even adding customized management track modules.

E-learning saves money

Growth in e-training has been fueled by companies looking to cut training costs. Industries regularly using e-learning include the wireless industry, healthcare, airlines and financial services providers.

The security industry, by and large, however, has not yet embraced the technology, says Matthew Gilley, Intellum's vice president for business development. The industry presents some inherent challenges, including a lack of Internet access at the sites where guards work and a lack of computer skills among many blue collar workers. Besides, many companies are unwilling to make the financial investment in their employees when typical turnover rates in the security industry average 200 percent, according to Corporate Security newsletter. Initial development costs typically exceed those of video, print-based or instructor-led training.

Walden Security, which boasts one of the lowest turnover rates in the industry at just 32 percent, felt the upfront costs were worth it. And, although the initial output is great, companies report significant cost savings over the long term.

Another factor behind e-learning initiatives at Walden Security: In a post-Sept.11 society, government standards for licensing and the resulting need for standardized training in the security industry have become more important.

“Classroom settings are ideal in certain cases, but not ideal in training where it is imperative that you are consistent across the board in the messages you convey,” Turner says.

Another driving force: The quality and knowledge of the guards is paramount in client satisfaction.

“The more and better training we provide to our officers, the better service our clients receive,” Walden says.

Delivering the courseware online enables Walden Security to reach individuals faster and with greater frequency. Guards do not have to wait for a class that is taught only once a month or once a quarter.

Web-based training takes less time to complete than instructor-led classroom training. And with no classroom rentals, overtime pay for guards, travel expenses for trainers, packaging/distribution costs, etc., the overall cost for training has decreased. Furthermore, as regulations or procedures change, online training materials can be updated more frequently and less expensively.

Web-based training can also be integrated with workforce management solutions, such as Valiant, to track results for internal recognition and external oversight from clients and government entities.

Guards benefit from being allowed to take online training at their own convenience at their own pace. Studies show that the more a company invests in training employees, the more loyal those employees become to the company.

Clients benefit by receiving a highly skilled officer, one who understands how to treat the customer and who is trained in correct procedures and techniques. With no additional charge to them, training is purely a value-added benefit.

Meeting e-learning challenges

Walden Security addressed head-on the challenges of implementing an e-learning system. Guards who work at sites that lack access to the Internet can log in at home. If they do not have Internet access, they can take the training at one of Walden Security's branch offices or on a trainer's lap-top, or Walden Security can deliver the interactive modules via CD-ROM. For employees who are not computer-literate, Walden Security has created an easy-to-use software program that teaches the basics such as how to log onto the system, how to use a mouse and how to navigate through a Web page.

Beta testing gave Walden Security an opportunity to get feedback from employees, to investigate and determine if there were things they did not like in order to tackle the problems and fix them. After the testing, employees took a survey to evaluate randomly selected and assigned training modules. The results were good.

The majority of participants said they felt comfortable with the Web-based training and said that they were “very likely” to voluntarily participate in another Walden Security University e-learning class.

Research has shown that e-learning is 35 to 45 percent more effective than traditional training methods such as video instruction. Whereas watching a video is passive, e-learning requires interactivity — thought to be a key in the learning process. Students are required to navigate through a series of “slides” and complete learning objectives, such as putting a list of procedures in the correct order. At the end of each module, students are tested on their retention of the knowledge and a score is given. (If anyone scores less than 80 percent, they need to retake the course.)

Web-based training has other advantages:

• It provides a safe and non-threatening environment, where students are not afraid to make mistakes and learn from them.

• It provides students with immediate feedback on their performance.

• It can encourage timid learners (with cues like “help” or “show me more”) and allow more confidant ones to work at a faster pace.

In addition to the course materials, Walden Security's e-learning system — also called a Global Learning Management System (LSM) — has a variety of tools to streamline the training process. The Global LSM has been integrated with Walden Security's human resources software, Vision. Valiant uploads employee data into the LSM on a daily basis, thus enabling managers to log onto the system and assign courses, see test scores, determine which guards need which courses and when certifications expire. They can also easily generate reports for clients.

Additionally, guards can log on and view a personalized calendar displaying all scheduled events and any authorized sessions, view their current enrollment and completion history and enroll in open courses. They can also see a calendar of instructor-led courses, like CPR, register online and print out certificates of completion.

BY THE NUMBERS

20% or more

The amount of CORPORATE TRAINING NATIONWIDE that is now being conducted online

$12-14 billion

The value of total TRAINING CONTENT, SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY now dedicated to e-learning.

SOURCE: BERNSIN AND ASSOCIATES, A RESEARCH AND CONSULTING FIRM SPECIALIZING IN E-LEARNING TECHNOLOGY

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This page offers an opportunity for readers to share management lessons they have learned and to provide other helpful information to their peers in the industry. To offer suggestions, or to contribute to this page, contact Larry Anderson at (770) 618-0118 or e-mail landerson@primediabusiness.com

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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