Electronics + Training Program

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ELECTRONICS + PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE AND CUSTOMER
Electronics + Product Knowledge and Customer
Service Training Program
Prepared by:
Eda Talushllari, Supervisor
Kizzie Carter, Instructional Designer
Ruben Ochoa, Training Specialist
Shameka Loye, Facilitator

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Contents
I. Introduction Pg. 3
a. Company Overview Pgs. 3-4
II. Business Need and Needs Analysis Pg. 4
III. Performance Gap Pg. 4
IV. Learner Analysis Pgs. 4-5
V. Training Goal Pg. 5
A. Objectives Pg. 5
i. Objective 1
ii. Objective 2
iii. Objective 3
VI. Evaluation plan and tools Pgs. 6-7
VII. Conclusion Pg. 7
VIII. Lesson Plan Pgs. 8-10
IX. Transfer Matrix Pg. 11

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Introduction
Circuit City Stores, Inc. was an American multinational consumer electronics business. They were the
second largest U.S. electronic retailer and in 2009, after 60 years, went out of business (“Circuit City,” 2014).
CompUSA went out of business in 2012 (“Compusa,” 2014). In that same year, Best Buy underwent a
“transformation” to fix their revenue decline (“Best Buy,” 2014). Even though some of our big name
competitors collapsed during the recession, our own company, Electronics + prevailed. We believe that our
customers and employees were and are a vital part to our sustainment.
Company Overview
Electronics + has always been committed to customer service; in fact our company, which specializes in
various electronics like laptops, computers, and smartphones, was started by the great Langston Williams in
1991. He created this business in his parent’s garage at the age of 21. Williams believed in treating customers
with the utmost respect and answered any questions they would have regarding the various electronics.
Williams was known around the community for his fantastic deals and outstanding customer service; his
success led him to move his business to a strip mall in Houston, TX six months after startup. As of today, the
company has expanded to 10 Houston locations and has plans to open a few more stores in Texas. Williams is
now the CEO of Electronics + and he has an incredible vision, which is for Electronics + to be the best
electronic retailer in the United States.
Recently, we have been experiencing a steady decline in sales. According to our customer satisfaction
surveys, our employees are not effectively trained. Our goal is to revamp the training program so that it focuses
on providing outstanding customer service, ensuring that the employees have extensive product knowledge,
and providing the employees with helpful tips on how to close a sale. We believe that we will accomplish this
by providing various training that appeals to each different type of learner. Finally, the areas that we will focus
on to develop an effective lesson plan are as follows: business need/needs analysis, performance gap, learner
analysis, training goal, objectives, evaluation plan/tools, conclusion, lesson plan, and transfer matrix. We want
to stress that this is not just a regular employee training program; everyone, including the managers and the top

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shareholders, will do their part not only to ensure that transfer of training occurs, but also to restore the
customer experience and thus increasing revenue.
Business Need and Needs Analysis
In order for Electronics + to succeed, we must first determine the business need. Our team of instruction
designers spent roughly six months doing just that. They decided to focus on the store that brought in the least
revenue and had the worst customer satisfaction surveys. We decided to focus only on one store because the
rest of the stores were doing pretty good, but this one was underperforming tremendously. After that they
delved deep and started observing not only the sales associates, but also upper management. What they did
next was ask the sales associates to complete anonymous questionnaires to get an idea of what the employees
needed help in. Afterwards, the instructional designers started interviewing the sales associates and upper
management. What they found in all that research was that the employees are not skilled at greeting,
interacting, and offering assistance to the customers, not skilled at suggesting products and do not have a clear
idea of how to close the deal; the combinations of all of this is why sales transactions are so low. The needs
analysis determined that training is the most appropriate mean to meet the business need.
Performance Gap
In order to keep up with the big shots, we would like to increase our revenue. After doing a needs analysis
we realized that the employees are not skilled in customer service, introducing the new products that the store
has and they don’t have a clear idea of how to close the deal. All of this is impacting our revenue and our sales
per transaction. Currently our sales per transaction is $40, but we would like to increase this to $48 per
transaction or 20% higher.
Learner Analysis
After performing the needs analysis, we conducted the learner analysis to understand the trainees a little
bit better. We did this by looking at the job description and determining what the qualifications were at the job;
in addition to this we anonymously surveyed the individuals prior to the training to get a basic idea of their
age, their experience with technology, etc. The purpose of the learner analysis was to ensure that we design an
instruction that would motivate the employees, exhibit the majority of the learning styles (e.g., visual, auditory,

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kinesthetic), and consider the trainee’s characteristics (e.g., age, socioeconomic status.) (Brown & Green,
2012, p. 74-78.) This training is mostly focused on people that are the front end sales associates of the store;
the ones that are interacting with the customers the most, and the ones that are suggesting products to the
customers. In the learner analysis, we determined from the job qualifications, that the front end sales associates
have to be high school graduates and have a minimum of one year of customer service experience, one year of
selling experience, and they need to have a general knowledge of how technology works, i.e., how to turn it on,
the special features it has, etc.
Training Goal
Our goal for this training program is to increase the revenues, particularly the sales per transaction from
$40 per transaction to $48 per transaction or 20% higher and we would do that by the three following training
objectives that deal with customer service skills, product knowledge skills, and closing the deal techniques.
Training Objectives
Training Objective 1:
After the training program, employees will acknowledge every customer within 10 feet of them by
smiling, introducing themselves, discussing their shopping needs and offering assistance.
Training Objectives 2:
After the training program, employees will demonstrate the ability to offer the customers a choice of two
to three items that have features that the customer values, with an 80% customer satisfaction rate.
Training Objective 3
After the training program, employees will determine the top 3 ways to close the deal according to the
closing the deal techniques with an 80% customer satisfaction rate.

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Evaluation plan and tools
In order to determine if the training was effective or not, there needs to be an evaluation that will take
place. The way we devised our evaluation is by using the idea of 360 degree feedback. We also decided to
include the three levels of the Kirkpatrick model: reaction, learning, and behavior. We thought not to include
the fourth level, reaction, because that will be determined whenever we look at our quarterly data and
determine if we met our goal of the sales per transaction (from $40/transaction to $48/transaction).
For the reaction survey, we included it in the lesson plan because the training will be fresh in the
participant’s minds; they can decide if they liked the training, if it was beneficial, etc. We created the reaction
survey in the form of a pencil and paper survey. Next, we have the pre and posttest, which also are paper and
pencil form. We included the pretest in the training program to get the participants thinking about the training
program and also to measure their prior knowledge of the training program. For the post test, we scheduled the
evaluation 1 week after the training program because that way the information would still be fresh in their
minds and they would have utilized some of the skills they learned in the training program. Both the reaction
and the pre and posttest will deal with the participant's views of their opinions on the training program hence
they will evaluate themselves.
We also decided that some participants will be very lenient whenever it comes to grading themselves
so this would not be a very accurate measure and that is why we decided to also conduct customer surveys and
manager evaluations of the participants. Both the customer surveys and the manager evaluations of the
participants will take place two weeks after the training program; we think this is ideal because the participants
would have already started using some of the techniques that was taught in the training program. The customer
surveys will be done online and in order for the trainee to have mastered the training program, the customer
surveys must have an 80% satisfaction rate. We decided on 80% because we thought that was ideal for our
company and we realize that there are some customers that actually put thought into the satisfaction surveys
and there are some that do not. For the manager’s evaluations of the training program, the manager will
observe the participants for a full week and then decide how well the participants have implemented the

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training programs; this will be done through paper and pencil. The manager and the customers will have
similar surveys because they are both watching the participants from an outsider’s perspectives.
Conclusion
By designing an effective training plan to fix the identified problems, providing effective training, and
involving the employees, managers, and shareholders will ensure the participant’s training transfer. We will
ensure that Electronic + restores the customer experience, which will increase revenue. Electronics + will
follow in the vision that Williams has and we will challenge our employees to maximize their performance,
which will help us be the best electronic retailer in the United States. We will see how well the employees have
utilized the training program and see how the sales have changed; through this we will determine how
successful the training program was and if it needs to be changed.

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Training Instructional Plan
3 hour program
Timeframe Objectives/Content Content Presentation/ALP Materials
20 Minutes - Welcome/Introduction
- Question
- Training objectives are
passed
Gagne’s:
- Gain attention
- Inform learners of
objectives.
(10 mins) Introduce yourself; ask
participants “What is your goal at the
end of the training program?” and ask
the participants to write it down.
Pass out our training objectives and
emphasize the goals of the training
program.
(10 mins) Take the 10 question pre-test
to determine how well they know
about the organization, their job duties,
and product knowledge.
Emphasize a casual tone for asking
questions; there are no dumb questions,
and reassure participants that it’s okay
if they don’t know all the answers to
the pretest.
Motivation component
Visual Aid 1 – PowerPoint
Presentation
Visual Aid 2 – Copies of
training objectives
Visual Aid 3 – Copies of pre-
test
Materials -
Note paper and pens
Computer, projector and
screen
20 Minutes - Discussion of awful
customer service
experience
Gagne’s:
- Stimulate recall of prior
(5 mins) Watch the two short videos
about an uninterested salesperson, and
one of a great salesperson.
(5 minutes) Talk about a time
whenever you had awful customer
service experience
Visual Aid 4 – Find a video
that show’s a clueless,
uninterested, salesperson.
Visual Aid 5 - Find a video of
a salesperson that does a great
job at helping the customer

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learning
● Emphasize a similar tone to the
video; say you asked a clerk about
a product and they had no idea
what the product was, where it
was located, and what it’s features
were.
(10 mins) Ask the participants to share
a time whenever they had awful
customer service.
Information component
40 Minutes Objective 1 -
Acknowledge every
customer within 10 feet of
them by smiling,
introducing themselves,
discussing their shopping
needs and offering
assistance.
Gagne’s:
-Present the content
-Provide “learning
guidance”
-Elicit performance
-Provide feedback
-Assess performance
-Enhance retention and
transfer to the job
(10 mins) Review the slides about
ways to introduce yourself to
customers, discuss their shopping
needs, and how to offer assistance.
(10 mins) Practice by dividing the
room in half and decide who will play
as the customer, and who will play as
the employee.
(10 mins) Then they will alternate.
(10 mins) Towards the end, the
“employees” and the “customers” will
talk about what they did right and what
could be improved.
Information, Practice, and
Application Components
Visual Aid 6 – Slides on ways
to introduce yourself to
customers, discuss their
shopping needs, and how to
offer assistance.
10 minutes Break People can use the restroom, get a
drink of water, eat a quick snack, etc.
N/A

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35 minutes Objective 2-
Demonstrate the
ability to offer the
customers a choice of two
to three items that have
features that the customer
values, with an 80%
customer satisfaction rate.
Gagne’s:
- Present the content
- Elicit performance
- Assess performance
- Provide feedback
- Enhance retention and
transfer to the job
(10 mins) Review the slides on why it’s
important to know the features of the
items, and how knowing the
customer’s needs enables us to provide
great recommendations.
Pass out a paper that has the features of
our top 10 most popular products.
(15 mins) Pass out an open ended quiz
about 3 different customer’s needs, and
it’s the participant’s duty to write the
best products for the customer and
why.
(10 mins) Exchange papers and see
which ones people got correct, and
which ones could be improved.
i.e. What are some of the features of i-
pads?
-They are light, take great pictures
(8 megapixel camera)
i.e. I’m looking for a light tablet that
will take great pictures for my myself.
Did you have something in mind?
-Yes I think the _________ would
be a great choice for you because....
Information, and Practice
Components
Visual Aid 7: Slides on why
it’s important to know the
features of the items, and how
knowing the customer’s needs
enables us to provide great
recommendations
Visual Aid 8: Paper that
features the top 10 most
popular products
Visual Aid 9: Paper about
customer’s needs.

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35 minutes Objective 3-
Determine the top 3 ways
to close the deal according
to the closing the deal
techniques with an 80%
customer satisfaction rate.
Gagne’s:
- Elicit performance
- Provide feedback
transfer to the job
(10 mins) Present the video about the
best way to close the deal and pass out
paper about closing the deal
techniques.
(15 mins) Complete a open-ended quiz
that has three scenarios and the
participants pick the best closing
techniques depending on the scenario.
(10 mins) Review/discuss what was
learned
Information and Practice
Components
Visual Aid 10: Watch a video
about the 3 best way to close
the deal.
Visual Aid 11: Paper about
closing the deal techniques
Visual Aid 12: Open-ended
quiz
20 minutes Wrap up
Discuss if goals were met
Reaction survey
Gagne’s:
- Provide feedback
transfer to the job
(5 mins): Did the employees complete
their goals?
(10 mins) Discuss what were things
that people had learned from the
training program? I.e. It’s important to
greet the customer, and figure out their
wants and needs in order to satisfy
them better and keep them coming
longer.
(5 mins) Complete the reaction survey
Thank you for your time, it has been a
pleasure.
If anybody has any questions please let
me know.
Visual Aid 13: Reaction
Survey

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Transfer of Training Matrix
What actions can be taken to involve each party in the transfer of training?
Before During After
Trainer Asses styles of trainee group
Set expectations
Communicate with trainee
about reasons for training
Ensure a proper environment
for trainees
Use Ice-Breakers
Maintain a positive environment
Encourage trainees to ask questions
Summarize key information
Offer coaching
Pass out reaction survey
Evaluate objectives
Provide refresher of key objectives
Be available and in sight of trainees
Trainee Come up with questions for
trainer
Make personal goals for
oneself
Understand purpose of the
training
Review objectives
Ensure a good night’s rest,
eat a healthy breakfast, and
come to training
Attend as scheduled
Take notes during training
Actively participate by asking questions
and engaging in role play
Have fun
Give feedback to trainer and supervisor
Accept any feedback given by trainer and ways one
can improve
Have a clear understanding of objectives
Communicate questions/concerns to trainer
Review new information with supervisor
Supervisor Work with trainers to create
evaluation tools
Involve trainees in planning
Go over training content
Discuss trainees needs
Emphasize certain parts of
the training program
Promote and encourage the
training program and
trainers
Develop an action plan with
trainees
Monitor trainees attendance and
satisfaction
Available for questions and concerns
that the
trainees or trainer might have
Critique and provide feedback with trainees/trainer
Evaluate results of the training program
Develop action plan with trainees
Evaluate measurable objectives and go over
expectations
Reward Performance improvement
Conduct quarterly assessments

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References
Brown, A., & Green, T. D. (2012). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental principles
with process and practice (2nd
ed). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Circuit City. (2014, March 21). Wikipedia website. Retrieved April 6, 2014, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_City
Compusa. (2014, February 11). Wikipedia website. Retrieved April 6, 2014, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CompUSA
Corporate responsibility & sustainability report. (2010, May 5). Best buy website. Retrieved April 6, 2014,
from http://www.bby.com/sustainability/
Reaction Survey

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1. What is your overall reaction to the training course?
o Very Poor
o Poor
o Average
o Good
o Very Good
2. How does this training course compare to other training courses of ours you have taken?
o Very Poor
o Poor
o Average
o Good
o Very good
o Haven't taken any other training courses of yours
3. The instructor's contribution to the training process was valuable.
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Agree
o Strongly Agree
4. Were the materials, hand-outs and/or activities useful? If no, explain.
o Yes
o No
o Explain:____________________________________________________________
5. Were the teaching methods effective? If no, explain.
o Yes
o No
o Explain:____________________________________________________________

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6. Would you recommend this training course to others? If no, explain.
o Yes
o No
o Explain:______________________________________________________________
7. I intend to use the training material on the job.
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Agree
o Strongly Agree
8. What did you like best in this training course?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
9. What did you like least in this training course?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
10. How could the training course be improved? (Please list up to 3 ways)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Additional Comments:
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Pre Test

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1. When a customer walks in the door, what is your first reaction?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2. Within how many feet do we need to acknowledge the customer?
a) 5 feet
b) 10 feet
c) 15 feet
d) 20 feet
3. When you do not know the specifics on a product what do you generally do?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What is one way that you use to “close the deal” on a sale:
_________________________________________________________________________________________
5. When a customer seems confused about a product how do you offer to better explain the capabilities of the
product?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
6. If a customer does not want any help what do you say?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
7. How should a sale representative handle a difficult customer?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Post Test Questions

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1. What should you do when a customer enters into the door at Electronics +?
a. Acknowledge the Customer within 10 feet.
b. Smile and introduce yourself
c. Offer assistance and discuss their shopping needs
d. All of the above
2. According to the closing the deal techniques, name the top three ways to close a deal?
a. ___________________________________________________________________________________
b.____________________________________________________________________________________
c.____________________________________________________________________________________
3. What percentage of customers does Electronics + strives to be satisfied with their experience and purchase?
a. 30%
b. 60%
c. 80%
d. None of the above
4. A customer enters Electronics + inquiring about the purchase of an IPad mini. Describe how you would
handle the scenario.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
5. We should offer the customers a choice of how many items based on their need?
a) 1-2 items
b) 2-3 items
c) 3-4 items
d) 4+ items
6. If we want to provide great recommendations to a customer, what do we need to know?

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________________________________________________________________________________________
7. List 2 out of the 10 most popular products that was addressed in the training program and list their features
(Note: you may not use the iPad mini because it was already addressed in question 4).
_________________________ and ____________________________
Features of #1:
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Features of #2
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Customer Survey
1. Overall, I am completely satisfied with Electronic + service.
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Agree
o Strongly Agree
2. Electronic + Salesman are knowledgeable and professional.
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Agree
o Strongly Agree
o N/A
3. Electronic + Salesman act in my best interest.
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Agree

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o Strongly Agree
o N/A
4. Electronic + Salesman greeted me promptly as I walked in the door.
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Agree
o Strongly Agree
o N/A
5. Considering your complete experience with our company, how likely would you be to recommend our
company to a friend or colleague? (0 is not at all likely, 5 is extremely likely)
o Not at All Likely (0)
o (1)
o (2)
o (3)
o (4)
o Extremely Likely (5)
6. Please list any additional comments:
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

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Manager/Supervisor Survey
Employee:_______________________________
Date:___________________________________
The employee greets all
customers within 10 feet of
him/her.
Strongly
Agree
Agree Have not seen Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Comments:
The employee always smiles
and introduces themselves.
Strongly
Agree
Disagree
Comments:
If a customer needs help, the
employee is always willing
to help.
Strongly
Agree
Disagree
Comments:
The employee always takes
the customer’s needs into
consideration.
Strongly
Agree
Disagree
Comments:
The employee does a great
job at closing the sale with
the customers.
Strongly
Agree
Disagree
Comments:
The employee always
discusses the customer’s
shopping needs and offers
assistance.
Strongly
Agree
Disagree
Comments:

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I believe the employee
gained a great deal of
knowledge due to the
training program.
Strongly
Agree
Agree Indifferent Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Comments:

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