Technician Training Goes Virtual at New CLAAS Academy

CLAAS is committed to providing state-of-the-art support for our customers, and that begins with world-class training for our dealers and technicians. The new CLAAS Academy was completed in November of 2020, ready to provide the perfect environment for hands-on training for hundreds of people. But, with the pandemic in full swing, our service team couldn’t safely host in-person training. That’s when CLAAS got creative.

The Challenges of Going Virtual

Like so many companies, virtual training was something the CLAAS team considered in the past but hadn’t given it a try. With COVID-19, remote learning options became essential.

That meant the new CLAAS Academy needed to serve an unintended purpose – a studio for videos and virtual training. They improved the sound quality and adjusted so the Academy could become a multi-functional space.

“Beginning in January, we began conducting our first virtual training courses for technicians,” says Adam Haworth, CLAAS Director of Service, North America. “We educated approximately 600 people in our technical training and well over 1,000 people in product training.”

While nothing can compete with hands-on learning and working together in person, the CLAAS training team learned how to use technology to provide effective demonstrations. To ensure they were teaching in a way that stuck, they assigned “homework” to discuss during the next session.

“We realized interaction took hold more when homework was part of the curriculum, and the technicians took it quite well in terms of doing their homework at night,” Haworth says. “I think we were really able to connect with a lot of technicians. They’ll be the first to admit there’s nothing like real-life, in-person training, but the way CLAAS provided it was the next best thing.”

Haworth says although they’re getting get back to in-person training, the CLAAS team handled things well through the pandemic, always keeping the customer in mind.

“People still needed to eat, crops still need to be harvested, and equipment still needs to be in top condition,” he says. “We need to provide quality support, and we wanted to make sure our technicians had all the resources needed to support our customers. So, through this process, it only improved the way we provide information to the technicians and our customers.”

Moving Forward

Haworth says he can see CLAAS using everything they learned about the technology and virtual tools to make training even better in the future.

“We’ll continue with our in-person training, but we will be incorporating virtual training into our curriculums, especially with certifications. It can save technicians travel time and expense, and still give them the value of our classes.”

Looking to the future of training will continue to be a driving force for CLAAS to deliver unparalleled service and support for every agricultural operation.