80% of respondents to a new survey commissioned by ISA-UK, powered by BSGA, think design and innovation are very important to their business, with 67% saying they are frequently asked to make design recommendations. 95% said they would provide design recommendations, even if the customer doesn’t ask for them.
“Today’s customers expect their sign supplier to be able to recommend innovative solutions so they can stand out from their competitors. Investing in regular training for you and your staff will ensure you have a thorough knowledge of what’s available and what’s coming,” said Rob Lambie, president of ISA-UK, which as a partner of the International Sign Association, now offers 24 online training courses covering digital signage, business management, marketing, print, project management and sales. All the online courses are mobile-device friendly and each course costs £55 (£35 for ISA-UK members).
68% of those who took part in the online survey said that recruiting and retaining qualified staff is a key issue, with more than half of those (51.47%) saying that staffing issues pose a significant problem to their business.
The survey also revealed that sourcing good quality staff training is a challenge for sign industry decision makers. 62% of respondents said that accessing training for their staff is an issue for them, with more than a third of those (33.87%) saying it is a significant problem.
“One of the most common misconceptions about training is that it’s only needed at the start of a new job or to ‘tick a box’ for a specific project or position: once your career is well-established, and you have years of experience under your belt, surely you don’t need further training?” said Sam Armstrong, vice-president of ISA-UK and founding of specialist sign industry training company Make it Happen.