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One of the reasons why Jenny Craig’s weight loss program has always been at the forefront of the industry is because is has always been at the forefront of new research and training. From its initial inception, Craig wanted to make sure that her company had not only the most highly skilled staff on board, but that their program was informed by the most current weight loss trends. To that end, employee training became a crucial component of Jenny Craig.

Craig knew that no matter how qualified her nutritionists and dieticians were in their trade, their people skills were also going to be a crucial determinant of the company’s success. After all, they were the ones that would be interacting with Jenny Craig clients on a daily basis. Their actions would reflect on the company as a whole, and Craig knew that poor customer service could have a devastating and lasting impact.

To that end, Craig insisted that all of her field employees go through an extensive training and orientation program. While they did not need to be registered dieticians, they did need to know how to successfully deliver the program. That meant both knowing the technical information behind weight loss and having the soft skills to deal with clients.

Every field position had its own unique orientation program. An individual client counselor, for instance, will go through a five-day orientation program, where they learn about nutrition as well as how to communicate with, motivate, and support clients. Helping clients visualize their future and achieve their goals is, in fact, one of the hardest parts of the job.

If field employees are promoted, they will go through a second training program to become a program director. For three days, they will learn how to better sell the program and improve their consulting skills. Managerial promotions require a four-day training session that covers business operations and managerial soft skills.

Craig did not want her employee training to stop after orientation. She wanted her company to be continually improving and learning. To that end, Craig’s headquarters holds a minimum of two staff meetings per month to update everyone on the company’s products and services, as well as new information and research regarding weight loss trends. They also hold quarterly continuing education courses to keep staff members’ nutrition knowledge and communication skills as current as possible. Following completion of a course, each employee receives a certification.

But certification is not the only way Craig ensures her staff are staying current. The company also has a Mystery Shopper program, as well as a Mystery Caller program for all of its call centres, to measure the success of its training programs. Random polls are also sent out via mail and email to clients to track their satisfaction.

Craig laid the foundation for a strong culture of corporate training throughout her company in order to keep it current and keep its customers satisfied. Today, Jenny Craig Inc. continues that tradition through other such means as e-learning.

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