Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, Pine Canyon is a golf course and residential community known for their amazing amenities, as well as their dining and wellness services. During their normal season, the community employs 70 to 90 people for their dining services alone — over 60 of whom the organization onboards all at once. 

Last year, the Pine Canyon team faced the challenge of efficiently onboarding all of their seasonal employees for their food and beverage operations. With five dining outlets and a six-month peak season, the club needed a solution to streamline their hiring process and maintain consistent training across various departments. They recognized the need for a more efficient onboarding system that could reduce orientation time while improving information retention. 

Now, the team at Pine Canyon uses Trainual to onboard seasonal staff, conduct ongoing training, and ensure consistent service quality across their diverse range of food and beverage offerings.

An employee onboarding platform that cuts orientation time in half

Before implementing Trainual, Pine Canyon relied on a lengthy in-person orientation process that was both time-consuming and ineffective. "Before Trainual, we had a four to five hour in-person orientation for all of our team members," explained Ashlee Colborn, the food and beverage manager. "From a management side, that was taking a lot of time out of my personal day, but then team members also weren’t retaining as much when they had to sit through four or five hours of lecture-based notes."

When they built their onboarding materials into Trainual, they had the ideal solution for streamlining the process. By allowing new hires to access orientation materials before their start date, the platform enables them to learn at their own pace and better retain information. This approach has significantly reduced the time required for in-person orientation sessions.

"Trainual allows the team members to learn the information ahead of time and gives them an opportunity to take it slow and learn and study. That helps the team members, but then also on [the management] side, it cuts the orientation time in half."
<blockquoteauthor>Ashlee Colborn, food and beverage manager at Pine Canyon<blockquoteauthor>

This efficiency is particularly crucial for Pine Canyon, given their seasonal hiring needs. With so many employees being onboarded at once for their six-month peak season, the time saved through Trainual translates to significant operational benefits. The platform's flexibility also allows for continued training during the off-season, ensuring that all staff members, whether new or returning, are consistently up-to-date with the club's standards and procedures.

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A knowledge base for consistent operations and employee reference

Even beyond initial onboarding, Trainual serves as a comprehensive knowledge base for Pine Canyon's food and beverage operations. The platform's accessibility allows employees to revisit important information whenever needed, addressing a common challenge in the hospitality industry.

"There's a lot of little details and in the hospitality industry, little details are everything," Ashlee said. "So if they have the ability to revisit certain topics, then it'll help them take away more information."

This feature proves particularly valuable for ongoing training needs, such as menu rotations and beverage knowledge. "We have menu rotations every few months at the club,” Ashlee explained, “so we'll use Trainual to refresh the team. We'll have menu tests on there. We'll have wine training and wine tests, same with bar knowledge."

By centralizing this information in Trainual, Pine Canyon can ensure consistency across their operations and provide employees with a reliable resource for continuous learning. The platform's customizability also allows different departments within the club to tailor their training content, making it a versatile tool for the entire organization.

A training management tool with reporting for easy accountability

Plus, Trainual's reporting features have significantly improved accountability in Pine Canyon's training processes. The ability to track employee progress through the platform has streamlined follow-up procedures and ensured the completion of required training modules.

"You can track how much progress an employee has made. So in terms of follow-up and following through and making sure it's completed, that's been so helpful," Ashlee shared. "Sometimes it's hard with a paper trail to make sure they're reading it and staying up-to-date. So accountability is really easy with Trainual."

This feature not only saves time for management but also ensures that all team members are on the same page regarding training and standards. The platform's testing capabilities further reinforce this accountability, allowing Pine Canyon to verify that employees have not only accessed but also understood the training materials.

"Consistency is met when using Trainual. That way you can make sure every team member is on the same page. You don't have to follow up or keep track. It kind of does that for you."

By providing clear metrics on training completion and comprehension, Trainual helps Pine Canyon maintain high standards across their seasonal workforce.

Trainual has proven to be a game-changer for Pine Canyon, providing a comprehensive solution for their seasonal hiring and ongoing training needs. From cutting orientation time in half to ensuring consistent knowledge across departments, the platform has streamlined operations and improved accountability. 

As they navigate the challenges of seasonal staffing in the hospitality industry, Pine Canyon can continue to maintain high-quality service across their food and beverage outlets with Trainual's flexibility and user-friendly platform. With Trainual, Pine Canyon has found a partner capable of supporting their unique training needs and enhancing the overall efficiency of their operations.