With the severe labor shortage, many organizations are placing a greater emphasis on upskilling their current workforce and rethinking their approach towards providing a better employee job training experience, specifically with next-gen workers in mind.
As a result, industries that typically rely on hands-on teaching have become even more aware of just how much human capital is needed to onboard and train every employee on each task in their repertoire. These job training-intense industries include almost every trade, as well as jobs requiring equipment assembly and maintenance, from subcontracted construction to home healthcare.
Further complicating the situation for employers are the preferences of younger employees regarding outdated technology in the workplace. According to research from Laserfiche, one in five Gen Z workers wouldn’t consider working for a company that doesn’t have technology that aligns with today’s digital standards, and 33% of them are actively seeking a working environment equipped with modern technology.
These challenges and seismic shifts are why companies are increasingly relying on BILT to maximize the value of their existing instruction manuals by turning them into interactive 3D digital work instructions that serve as a valuable job training tool. In short, they’re entrusting BILT to help modernize their employee and customer experience.
Rodger Schmidt is a Technical Trainer with the Electromechanical Solutions Group of ASSA ABLOY. He and his team are tasked with training apprentices, as well as managing the continuing education of the company’s tens of thousands of entrance solution professionals. He strongly recommends his attendees supplement their virtual job trainings by utilizing BILT 3D interactive instructions.
The BILT app can be downloaded on any Apple or Android mobile device, providing 3D interactive instructions for assembly, installation, training, maintenance, and repair.
Using animated CAD as well as voice & text guidance, the free app walks users through complex processes step by step at their own pace. Users can pinch to zoom in or out on an image or tap on a part for more information. They can drag to rotate the 3D images 360º in order to change perspective—providing that eureka effect.
“When I take my finger and rotate the image 360 degrees on the BILT app, that’s when they get it. That’s the ‘ah-ha’ moment, when they can visualize the specific details of the area—from the product, to the frame, to the next step, to the wire-connection—everything,” says Schmidt.
The cloud-hosted 3D digital work instructions can be downloaded for use with or without WiFi. Thousands of instruction sets can be stored on a single mobile device, allowing users to keep a virtual library of instructions in their pocket.
“It’s a tool like we’ve never had before—there’s no better way to virtually experience a product. BILT makes it possible to train employees thoroughly,” says Schmidt.
Companies using BILT have touted its benefits, saying that BILT results in faster assembly and installation times, fewer callbacks, and better employee confidence and engagement.
Let’s take a closer look at four reasons the BILT app is so effective for job training:
1. Trains Employees Effectively, No Matter Their Learning Style
Job training with BILT is incredibly powerful because BILT reaches users no matter their individual learning style. Experts estimate 20% of the global population suffers from mild to severe dyslexia, so relying solely on paper manuals could be unsafe and may put employees at a serious disadvantage.
Like Google Maps, BILT guides users through any task using voice instructions, text, animated images, and interactivity. BILT’s combination of teaching guidance reinforces instruction steps in greater detail.
2. Serves as a Pocket Guide for Professionals
Not only do 3D interactive instructions accommodate a wide variety of products, but they are also appropriate for a broad spectrum of skill levels and procedural complexities. Certified professionals benefit from using BILT as a quick reference guide, particularly for products or processes they don’t encounter frequently.
The power of BILT is especially helpful for professionals because their time is far too valuable to waste on inefficiencies like trying to remember an obscure product installation, deciphering paper manuals and nested websites, or struggling with bad WiFi connections. With instructions downloaded to their mobile device, they have all the power at their fingertips to get the job done correctly and safely every time.
While Schmidt also incorporates traditional job training materials during his four-hour online demo blocks, he touts BILT as a great takeaway for long-term ongoing help—like an “on-site trainer for products that technicians may not install frequently.”
“If I’m on a job, I can be standing on the ground and use the BILT app to see what I’m going to need for the top of the door that’s 10 feet above me. Everyone finds value in that view,” says Schmidt.
3. Prepares Employees for the Job Ahead
For each job or instruction set, BILT displays a convenient overview of the manpower and time typically required and the parts and equipment needed.
Technicians can quickly and easily review instructions before they arrive on a job site so they know what to expect and how much time to allow.
Training new hires with BILT immediately improved efficiency for Chandler Inc., which specializes in major remodeling and reset projects inside retail warehouse stores during overnight hours, when stores are closed. The company turned to BILT for 3D interactive instructions, and now every member of the crew reviews the job plan on BILT before arriving onsite.
“BILT makes us more efficient because the instructions help my crew know what to expect from every job. They get the right materials in the right order and there’s less going back and forth. BILT helps us get the job done faster,” says Sue Nigg, Senior Project Manager.
BILT is also used for front-office scheduling, especially when dealing with job distribution between junior employees and experienced pros. Depending on the job complexity, Schmidt recommends adding more time to the BILT estimates for new or junior employees.
“If I’m an estimator, I can look at the BILT instructions and the estimated time allotment, and this helps me determine the skillset of the technician I want to send to the job. If I have a junior technician versus a senior technician, I may estimate more time for the junior technician because of his skillset. This helps me bid projects much more accurately,” says Schmidt.
4. Facilitates Job Training Improvements
With BILT, clients also have the power to improve a process based on real-time analytics. For example, if users are spending more time than expected on a step, it’s likely an indication the step is unclear and needs clarification. Updates to instructions can be made in real time, so they’re never obsolete—one of the reasons the US Air Force has contracted with BILT to modernize maintenance and job training and operations instructions.
Evolve Employee Job Training with BILT
Just as Google Maps revolutionized the way we plan trips and follow directions, BILT empowers employees to safely tackle new tasks with efficiency and certainty.
Millions of users follow official BILT 3D instructions to assemble, install, maintain, and repair thousands of products from hundreds of leading brands. By adopting this award-winning commercial solution, companies can leverage a cutting-edge tool to get more jobs done right the first time—every time. Contact us to book a meeting with our experts.
