Let me first start out by congratulating you! You’ve accomplished one of the hardest tasks – convincing the leadership team to invest in their analytics. Many of us wish to be in your shoes. Demonstrating the value of analytics and the impact it has on the business is not an easy job. Now the pressure is on. But since you’ve done a fabulous job already, I have high hopes for you.
You’ve sold the idea; you’ve hired great, eager people. Now what?
“How do I train my Analysts? How do I get them up to speed efficiently and effectively?” Well, I’m so glad you’ve asked.
Whether you’ve hired internally or externally, here are a few steps to help you train your Analysts:
1. Orientation:
Most likely your HR department will be organizing an orientation in which they introduce the business to new employees. Don’t miss out on this! I know you are eager to get your Analysts up and running, but it is crucial for them to understand the business.
What better way to start this off than by receiving a class dedicated to this? It’s good to learn about how the company got started, the struggles and/or accomplishments along the way, the impact it has made to the industry or culture, and the upcoming goals or vision. I don’t have to remind you; it makes a difference when you love the company you work for and when you believe in what you do.
Let them begin here. Trust me, the best Analysts are those who understand the business inside and out, and who can see beyond their own job description. Let them start learning about what the business is about and who their customers are.
Training time: This step can take between 4 hours to 2 days, depending on the size of your company.
2. Meet and Greet:
Provide the Analysts an organization chart along with a list of people they need to meet and introduce themselves to. The list should include key Stakeholders, those who make decisions across the different departments. Depending on the size of your company, the list should include Managers, Senior Managers, Directors, or even Vice-Presidents across the various areas.
This exercise will not only complement the orientation, but it will allow the Analysts to meet the people they will be working for/with.
During these meetings, invite them to ask questions of the leaders about the business and about their individual roles. Encourage them to ask the leadership team who they believe the customer is, how they view analytics data, or how often they have based decisions on analytical data in the past few months.
Training time: As you can imagine, this step can take several days, since it will depend on the availability of the different Stakeholders. Have the Analysts schedule the “Meet & Greets” during their first 2 weeks while they complete the training. These interviews can help break up their day.
3. Learning the Analytics tool:
Part of being a great Analyst is knowing where to find the data you need. Your Analysts will be limited if they do not understand the tool or know what data is available. I would recommend requiring your Analysts to read the user guides! I know it doesn’t sound like an exciting task, but believe me – they’ll be grateful down the road. The user guides will teach them about cool features and shortcuts that would have otherwise taken years to learn. They’ll equip your Analysts with reporting capabilities.
Consider giving them a list of questions at the end of the “Learning the Tool” period so they can measure their progress. The list could include scenarios requiring them to look for data. For example:
- What was our traffic last week?
- What are the top Entry Pages?
- Which browsers had the highest conversion?
Compile a list of similar questions to help complement their training.
In addition to this, I highly recommend you set up a “mock training”. The mock training consists of the Analysts presenting the analytics tool. They pretend to be the Consultants brought in to teach a client (you and your team) about how the tool works. Have them guide you and your team through any analytics inquiries. Questions are welcome. I have found these mock trainings to be one of the most beneficial areas. It is truly a great way to learn.
Have you ever heard the saying, “the best way to learn is to teach”? This is the principle; they’ll study all the more when they have to teach it to you or to a team of people.
Training time: This step should take around 2 weeks. Keep in mind that they can interview the Stakeholders within the same 2-week period.
4. Tagging Basics:
Along with learning the tool, it is also crucial to learn the basics of tagging. A great place to start is with the Implementation guides. Again, this does not sound too thrilling, but it is useful and will equip the Analysts with the knowledge of how data is captured.
Understanding where the data comes from and how the reports are built will empower your Analysts to own and manage the data. When questions arise over different reports, they will be able to easily troubleshoot to get answers. When I first started working at Fossil, I offered an “Introduction to Tagging” class to all business users. I made it clear that no technical background was needed. This helped to create a shift in the mentality toward analytics. Once people understood that we control all the data in our reports, tagging started becoming more of a priority. It opened up a world of opportunities.
Training time: Reading the Implementation Guide should take no longer than two days. This can also be part of the 2-week training.
5. Storytelling Project:
Isn’t part of being a great Analyst being able to sell the idea, to get a point across? The purpose of the “Storytelling Project” step is two-folded. First, it will allow you to see the Analysts’ point of view as they approach an analytical challenge. Second, it will allow you to teach the company’s internal process for presenting ideas or developing a project plan.
In this step you provide them with something to analyze. Here are a few ideas:
- On-site search
- Checkout/conversion process
- Social aspects of the site
- Marketing campaigns/spend
- Registration/submission forms, etc.
This project will allow the Analysts to shine. Through this, you’ll be able to observe their thought process and their presentation skills. (You can also take this opportunity to have the Analysts work in teams if desired.)
In addition, you can use this time to teach them about how things are done within your company. Is there documentation that needs to be filled out, or is there a need for an ROI analysis? Who needs to approve or review their projects? What are the steps? Use this to fit your needs.
Training time: The whole project should take around a week to research, analyze, prepare, and present.
Here is a quick timeline. Feel free to customize and add more details.
Week 1:
Day 1-2: Orientation and introduction to the Training Program.
Day 3-5: Learning the Tool (Reading the User Guides), Tagging Basics (Reading the Implementation Guide), and Meet & Greet (Interviewing Stakeholders).
Week 2:
Day 1-4: Learning the Tool (Reading the User Guides), Tagging Basics (Reading the Implementation Guide), and Meet & Greet (Interviewing Stakeholders).
Day 5: Mock Training.
Week 3:
Day 1-4: Storytelling Project (Research and analysis).
Day 5: Project presentation.
Now, let me close with a few words regarding on-going training and personal growth opportunities. Please encourage your team to learn. Your Analysts’ main task is to think. The brain can be trained. Challenge it – feed it different ideas; make it work!
Allow and encourage your Analysts to get certifications, participate in industry events, read blogs, receive ongoing education, etc. And just a crazy thought – pay for them to do this! Invest in your Analysts, and you’ll see a huge return.
Marcela Gutierrez
www.linkedin.com/pub/marcela-gutierrez/27/b2/679/