For my design project, most of the training will need to be done in person using current, live files as practice. However, within this training there will be separate training materials provided to learners that they can basically use as cheat sheets while on the job. Employees are not permitted to take home any training material, items, or copies of items from a file that contain any confidential personal information about a borrower. Employees are allowed to take home the other training materials that do not contain any confidential information. Some examples of these types of training materials that I will be including in the ID document and that can be taken home for learning are diagrams of the loan process, lists of employees and their departments, guides on 1003 form completion, lists of needed items to accept an application, order for creating the application, instructions for inputting applications, and definitions/rules of categories within approvals.
Training will begin with an orientation which will last a few hours and will discuss the basics of the loan process as it relates to the data entry department. This orientation will also go over common definitions in the mortgage industry that data entry will need to understand to do their job. This will be a slide presentation in which some of the cheat sheets will be handed out. Learners can use these sheets to refer to while on the job, take home to study, and use as another place to record their own notes. Learners are also encouraged to adapt the training material notes provided into their own notes that will work best for their learning style.
My organization is extremely understanding about the learning process and recognizes that it takes time to master these skills. We encourage learners to take the time they need while on the job to review their notes. Following along with their own notes as well as incorporating the training materials provided while they work is needed to lessen the number of mistakes made. While learners are encouraged to take their notes home to study if they have time, it is also acceptable to keep their notes in the office and simply refer to them while working. The most important thing is that a learner can achieve and maintain accuracy. Speed will be learned with time and is not expected but is a bonus for new employees.
For specific training materials, right now I am working on creating a diagram of the loan process as it relates to data entry. I am using a program called Visual Paradigm which is a process designing tool. In the draft I am working on now, I have the diagram split into two different sections of “Reception” and “Data Entry”. There are boxes throughout the diagram that show the responsibilities of each department and how these duties affect the flow of the file. I will also make a separate and more simplistic diagram focusing on just the file and where it is moving without focusing on the specific duties of the employee. Having these processes visually laid out will give the learners a foundation to base their in-person training. Instead of having to completely piece together each stage of the process themselves as they learn, I wanted to provide a starting point during the orientation. Giving physical copies of the diagram to each learner will also allow them to constantly refer to this visual as they progress through their training.
Along with these general diagrams, the orientation will also include some cheat sheets for working the front desk because the employee will immediately begin the shadowing portion of their training at the front desk after orientation. Having some background of what is going on in reception will aid the learner in following along during the reception training. A list of mandatory information that needs to be filled in on the 1003 form will be provided to the learners. They will also be given a blank copy of the 1003 form to have with them and will be instructed to highlight the necessary areas during the orientation to prepare them for the reception training. Though the 1003 is largely self-explanatory, learners will need to spend time looking at the form and working with it to become confident about where each piece of information is located. After some study and practice, they will be able to more easily locate the necessary information and speed up the application accepting part of the process.
Another training material that will be given to learners is a list of the employees at the company along with their department. Learners will refer to this list more once they have completed the shadowing portion of reception training and moved on to more active learning in which they are working the front desk while the receptionist guides them. This list will categorize employees’ names based on their department as well as what types of phone calls that particular person receives. Learners will be able to refer to this list as they answer the phones, and, with practice, they will quickly learn where each phone call should be directed. Learners are also encouraged to ask the receptionist, who will be sitting beside them, whenever they have a phone call they are unsure of.
In addition to these materials, more specific materials will also be provided about how to order the contents of the application as well as how to create the physical file. Specific information needs to be included on both the outside and inside of the file. Cheat sheets of this information will be given to the employees to reference. They will also be practicing these activities themselves with the supervision of the receptionist.
Once the employee has become more comfortable working the front desk, they will then begin covering the receptionist for her breaks and lunches. This allows them to spread their wings and experience some independence. This is a wonderful experience for the learner because they will realize additional questions they have and be able to identify their strengths. They will take more ownership working independently and be in a situation in which they must fully rely on their own instincts, memories, and notes to accomplish the tasks required.
Because of the size of my company, our resources are limited because we do not have many people who can set aside time to create the training or deliver the training. The receptionist and data entry lead will act as our trainers; however, they will also need to focus on their own jobs. Therefore, while time is always made for training and is treated as one of the top priorities, it is the reality that training will sometimes have to be put aside for the needs of the business. For example, if a difficult application comes to the front desk just a few hours before the office closes, is marked as a “rush” (which means the closing date is quickly approaching), the application has been submitted on an outdated 1003 form, and there are several important pieces of information missing, the receptionist may decide to take over this task so that it can be completed quickly. Normally, the trainee would have the opportunity to practice this difficult application and ask questions as they work. However, because of the shortage of time, the receptionist may have to take over the task and complete it herself. This takes away a valuable learning experience for the new employee, but, because we do have to put the needs of the business first, this situation is often unavoidable.
The materials that have been selected have been chosen because their contents are necessary for new employees to know. We realize that learners cannot memorize the information needed because 1) this would not result in true understanding and 2) this is an unrealistic expectation that would result in our business suffering because we would not be able to find or retain employees who could manage this task. Because of this reality, I am deciding to include these written training materials for new employees to reference quickly and easily while working.
