Optimizing onboarding to create a better experience for the driver is a burning issue today. StayMetrics, a company highly focused on driver retention, states that a driver’s perception of your onboarding process weighs heavily into his decision to not only join your team, but to stay with your team. Simply put, by creating a positive onboarding experience for your drivers, you’ll make a better first impression and will build longer-lasting relationships.
So what does a positive driver experience look like? We’ve recently outlined three key practices and held a webinar to help carriers improve relationships with their newly-hired drivers. Today, we’ll show you how you can also implement these two practices below to net an even greater experience:
(1) spend less time on paperwork,
(2) spend less time in a classroom
Sound like a summer fantasy?
Heed these 6 easy-to-implement tips to help get you there, quickly.
Tip #1: Use Online Forms
Using online forms means:
- drivers no longer need to fill out countless forms by hand,
- common form fields can pre-populate across your library with answers that have been given previously, and
- validations can be put into place to make sure required fields are completed correctly.
This tip is key. By moving your forms online, drivers can complete all paperwork at their convenience before orientation ever begins – meaning less time on paperwork and less time in a classroom chair.
Tip #2: Quickly Correct Employment and Application Gaps
Both the DOT and FMCSA have regulations around driver application data, so put a system in place that ensures compliance and saves everybody time. Use a fail-safe method that readily identifies any gaps in a driver’s employment history. Then, make it easy for the driver to quickly make these corrections, sign drug and alcohol releases, and resign the updated application.
Tip #3: Enable Secure Mobile Photos of Important Docs
Relieve your drivers of the burden of making copies, faxing, buying envelopes and stamps, locating a post office, and mailing their documents to you. Give your drivers a way to easily send you photos of their documents (CDLs, SSN cards, etc.) using a secure method via their smartphone.
Tip #4: Provide Online Video Training
Let your drivers train and test remotely on their smartphones or tablets to give them the flexibility to learn as much as possible prior to arriving at orientation. In turn, having a driver complete training and testing from home or on the road gives you the flexibility to make warmer connections with your drivers when you do meet them. Instead of wasting precious in-person time on paperwork and training videos, spend time talking with drivers, showing them around their new company, and introducing them to key employees.
Tip #5: Make an Online Driver/Recruiter Checklist Available
It’s helpful to keep a running to-do list outlining the entire onboarding process to allow drivers and recruiters to more easily work together online. This keeps required documents, testing results, forms, travel details, etc, all in one place, and keeps both parties aware of any missing information and next steps.
Tip #6: Keep Communication Alive
Like everybody else, drivers tend to respond more quickly and more frequently to text messages than they will to a phone call. Take advantage of this fact by messaging with your prospective and hired drivers in real time, for free. And even more importantly, continuing to keep communication alive long after the hiring process ends makes drivers feel included, which encourages them to stay longer – the true measure of a successful onboarding process.
Tenstreet Can Help!
Let us show you how! Call us at 877-219-9283 or contact our sales team at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
