David Russell explains the implications of lack of training for businesses while Nick Bentley, gives his views on training and how it has positive impacts on business growth.

THERE are huge benefits to LVT training, but one point of view that needs to be respected is the employer and how it affects the full business.

Selling a product, giving the correct and most ethical advice, and knowing staff have the correct skills to deliver the service and provide the right level of aftercare are the fundamentals of any business. However, too often I hear about installers who’re sent out to installations, who aren’t confident they can carry out the works to meet these expectations.
There are many various substrates which require lots of preparation and as the employer, you need peace of mind there’s no risk to the installation of LVT.

In my experience, I’ve come by installers that have had floors fail owing to poor preparation which has been down to the installer not truly understanding the best course of action to take, and as we all know, guessing will always lead to a mistake of some kind.

Sometimes it’s been down to the installer just using the same products they always have and not being aware of any problems or blaming problems on other factors or people.

The truth is, everyone needs to maintain their continuous professional development as products are forever changing, and the construction of substrates have varying elements that need to be considered, such as UFH, calcium sulphate, weak screeds, laitence, types of moisture and the appropriate testing methods, and the many more interventions that need to be understood and implemented. If any of these are overlooked, there will be a risk of failure. And let’s not kid ourselves, this will be expensive to rectify, time lost, and cause damage to the reputation of the business which is future loss of custom.

As an employer, you want the installation works and your customers to be in safe hands. This is where training comes in, where the employer and installers can spend quality time learning from training providers on how to expertly prepare and install products.

It’s not just the preparation that ends up with serious problems, other factors such as acclimatisation of products, the type of adhesive for specific environments such as high solar gain areas, late placement, not using heavy rollers, and of course, LVT needs to be scribed and cut incredibly accurately.

This concludes training would be highly recommended to fully understand how these factors can be implemented to any installation.

There’s another factor from the employer’s point of view which is to take on jobs with the upmost confidence you can fulfil the demand and eliminate potential risk, so we can walk away without the fear of potential problems cropping up.

Nick Bentley gives his views on training and how it can have positive impacts on business.
Investment in training and growing a solid reputation is more effective than continuously advertising for work. As we all would agree, you can’t put a price on word of mouth. Not only is this cheaper but creates trust among our potential clients.

As humans we’re more likely to focus on the negatives from the point of a customer and bad news travels fast.

Not only that but prior to installation if you’re equipped with the knowledge, you’re more likely to win more jobs as you promote confidence with the customer.

Sometimes when we go to survey and price jobs, it’s hard to justify the price we value the work we undertake, as the customer doesn’t always appreciate the preparation and work that goes into it. But armed with a wealth of knowledge, we can gain the customers trust and understanding as they’ll appreciate potential consequences and risks to the work.

Therefore, if the client gets another quote which is cheaper, they can make an educated decision, and as a result improve industry reputation that flooring is a skilled occupation.
It’s always important to have a good relationship with your area technical support from various manufacturers and feel relaxed to pick up the phone. As from a business point of view, financially and for the reputation of the business, it makes sense to have a site assessment prior to the works rather than having to deal with issues that arise owing to lack of knowledge and suffer the financial implications.

Never stop learning and remember without knowledge, your skills are limited as they can’t be focused or adapted to different situations.
www.constructionandplantassessments.co.uk
David Russell is curriculum manger/trainer and Nick Bentley is instructor at CP Assessments