“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
― Mark Twain
The idea behind the book title, inspired by the above Mark Twain quote comparing your most gnarly problems to frogs that must be eaten, is that you’ll work more efficiently (and be happier too) by starting your biggest and most important tasks first.
In listening to our clients, we’ve learned one of the bigger, more intimidating frogs involves replacing their driver orientation process with a more modern online solution. The big picture can be understandably overwhelming – what might it look like to create new training procedures, manage drivers in various stages of onboarding, and implement inter-departmental change – all without negatively impacting workflow, driver experience and preparedness, and the bottom line?
Onboarding with Tenstreet – Online Onboarding Made Simple
CHOMP! We’ve just taken a huge bite out of that ugly online onboarding frog for you. We didn’t want our clients to have to reinvent the wheel. So we developed our Online Onboarding solution to provide you with everything you need to hit the ground running and move to virtually onboarding drivers within just days.Why should onboarding be moved online?
First, consider the most popular reasons clients cite for modernizing their orientation process to include online onboarding:- aligns orientation classes with CDC recommendations to enable social distancing
- brings more meaning to the in-person time (by moving the rote stuff offline)
- reduces cost and gets to revenue faster by minimizing time in the classroom
- improves retention rates, a benefit that comes from having a robust, driver-friendly onboarding strategy
- executes a winning onboarding solution for both drivers and carriers
What exactly is online onboarding?
Simply put, online onboarding can be defined as any onboarding task or tasks that are completed before a driver physically arrives at orientation – be it from their truck, their living room, or their motel room, anywhere other than a crowded training room.Which components of onboarding can be done online?
Today, almost every aspect of orientation can be completed online. Drivers use our mobile app, Driver Pulse (of which 2 out of 3 drivers already have downloaded on their phone), to supply carriers with:- their digital signature on an updated driver application,
- a completed orientation forms packet,
- digital copies of documents such as their CDL, SSN, and TWIC card,
- certificates of completion for successfully passing video training and testing assignments,
- completed drug test and physical results (not included in 90-days-free offer)
How does it work?
Listed below are all the ways we help you eat your online onboarding frog, and what we include in our Online Onboarding solution:1. Automated enrollment
Once you assign an orientation date, location, or orientation status, the driver is automatically sent a welcome email and pre-orientation forms, and is scheduled in default training.
2. Monitor Driver Progress & Engagement
Since drivers will be completing different forms and training modules at different times, we supply an Onboarding Widget to track and monitor engagement and completion. You also can use your Driver Recruiter Checklist which further connects both recruiters and drivers, helping them to stay on the same page as to what tasks remain to be completed. We also provide a free Drip email campaign (with daily reminders) to help nudge drivers when they stall and help you3. Driver Assist
We identify unengaged drivers for you so your recruiters can schedule individualized outbound calls or send video check-ins before in-person orientation begins to assist drivers who may be stalled, supplemental to the above Drip campaign.4. Complete Remaining Work at Orientation
Drivers will most likely be at various stages in the onboarding process when it’s time for in-person orientation to begin, and that’s okay! Even in the least productive of cases, some progress will always be better than none. You may ask yourself, “why does it do me any good to have online onboarding if not everybody is going to do it?” Here’s why – self-paced learning or individualized instruction as a general rule serves the majority better, as our educational institutions have quickly learned. The one size fits all approach actually extends the time it takes for all drivers to complete their tasks, leaving those who are ready to get on the road bored and frustrated. To make the most of this approach, start by identifying the work the majority of drivers have not done and start with that on Monday morning. Since most drivers will have brought their own device – an instruction you’ll include in your automated welcome letter – drivers will be able to work on what they need to at their own pace. Those drivers who have completed everything will be immediately ready to meet your safety team Monday morning, enabling them to get on the road sooner, thus bringing you revenue faster. Those who have completed 80% of their onboarding can finish up later that day and meet safety Monday afternoon. Those remaining can finish up with more personalized attention on Tuesday morning, meet with safety then, and so on. Regardless of the stage at which drivers arrive, Online Onboarding provides several tools to support the in-person process:- Dashboard app – captures remaining paper documents
- Bulk Attendance tool – allows for multiple subject updates for those high-impact issues
- Checklists – ensures completion and a clean handoff to DQF (safety)
What savings can you expect?
[pullquote type=”right”]”We were able to save about $400,000 a year we were spending on hotels, useless travel, food, etc. We cut all that out and actually made drivers happier by getting them on the road quicker.” – Casey Bellman, Director of Recruiting, HMD Trucking[/pullquote]
The more drivers do online and the more flexible you are, the bigger your ROI. At a minimum, we’ve seen clients realize a 20%-40% savings plus a faster path to revenue. By adopting this solution, you get a more fluid, flexible onboarding process and are rewarded with immediate savings – on hard savings such as room, board, and meals, as well as soft savings such as recruiter-time saved.The right time is now
In his book, Tracy reminds us of another quote by Napoleon Hill, American author: “Do not wait: the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.” Don’t wait a minute longer. Eat that frog today, and we’ll grow with you along the way – as we have since 2006. To get started free for 90 days, contact your advisor or write to sales@tenstreet.com. Your account manager and our orientation experts will also be there to listen to your needs and guide you to your optimal online onboarding solution.Interested in seeing our solution in action?
