MULTIMEDIA SPEEDS A&P TRAINING OF DSD TEAM

DEENA AMATO-McCOY

CHICAGO -- A&P, Montvale, N.J., is taking computer-based training to the back door by introducing interactive modules for instruction in direct store delivery procedures.

Through software running on multimedia personal computers and linked to in-store processors, receivers and store management are learning DSD tasks in a real-time, simulated environment.

The chain is rolling out the program to 10 stores each week and already has seen a dramatic reduction in training time, according to Dan Grady, director of project implementation, store automation, for A&P.

"This application will be rolled out to 600 stores in 18 months, and requires training of over 2,400 managers, co-managers and receivers within our stores," he said at the Retail Information Systems Conference here, sponsored by the National Retail Federation, Washington.

A&P's receivers use radio-frequency handheld devices linked to in-store processors to check in merchandise. Grady said that DSD training through simulation is highly effective and staffers spend four of their five training hours on the PCs with RF units in hand.

The application provides instruction for numerous types of invoices, which are broken into eight categories and vary in degree of complexity. Trainees practice on six invoices within each category and the progressive design structure builds on the learning of each prior task.

"The employees must keep processing each invoice to become familiar with the application and to ensure they will become familiar with the handheld" scanning unit, he said. "Now the employee knows the key strokes and the [ISP] response time of these particular transactions."

A&P's original plan called for a converter box between the handheld RF devices and serial boards within the ISPs. However, a direct cable connection, which was developed over three months' time, is expected to save the company about $300 per store, Grady said.

At first A&P was concerned how current receivers would handle the transition to processing DSD electronically.

"We needed to ensure that everyone using the system felt comfortable with the technology, got a chance to practice, and got experience with the process before the system went live. Since we have a CBT in each store, we are accomplishing all three of these goals," he said.

A&P's previous DSD training consisted of primary and backup receivers each spending 16 hours in a classroom; primary receivers spent an additional eight hours in a store environment -- totaling 40 hours of training for two people.

"Now with CBT we can train primary and backup receivers, a store manager and co-manager for five hours each, and include a full day of practice for a primary receiver in a live store," Grady said.

"We spend 12 hours less, train four people instead of two, and the store management team gets trained on how the system is supposed to work and what we are supposed to get out of it," he added.

Funding for the training project was a joint venture between A&P and two vendors. "Originally we had no program, so we started from scratch -- a six-figure [potential investment] for us," he explained.