Huntington Bank Frees Up Corporate Resources, Cuts Costs in Half with Experienced Training Solutions Provider

Imagine spending anywhere from 12 to 15 hours assembling printed materials for a single training class.  Now picture everyone from the VP of Recruitment and Development, to the department administrative assistant, spending valuable time ensuring training materials are properly assembled and shipped for timely delivery.  Rather than focusing on their core competencies, a group of Huntington Bank associates in the Recruitment and Development department were forced to play the roles of printer, collator and shipper – roles better left to a skilled training and education partner. 

	Standard Register is saving us at least half the costs incurred from our previous print provider – and that’s not even including the administrative time.
	- Carol Scardino Business Line Training Manager Huntington National Bank

A Persistent Problem
As the Business Line Training Manager for Huntington Bank, Carol Scardino oversees the development and execution of key organizational skill development training programs, including Frontline Leadership and Frontline Team Leadership.  From an administrative standpoint, the printing, assembly and shipment of these course training materials was a nightmare.  

From the onset, this multi-day project was fraught with inefficiencies that wasted valuable corporate resources – training material components were each sourced through separate suppliers; tabs were manually unwrapped, collated, and printed in-house for proper sequencing in binders; and the customer was being charged a phenomenal fee by their external printer for a job they could do better themselves. 

Once all materials were printed and transported back to the Huntington Bank offices, the 4-6 hour assembly process would begin. The job was not complete until the materials were boxed and shipped to the individual training sites, only then allowing the Recruitment and Development staff to return to their daily activities. 

Assessing Document Processes
Initially attracted to their previous print provider’s online ordering system, Carol Scardino quickly discovered that she was still making multiple trips to their retail locations, including proof review before printing, and then to pick up finished materials. 

“With our previous vendor, I would submit the order online, then receive multiple phone calls requesting that I come to their office to view a proof.  I’d ask myself, ‘What’s the point of an online order system if I still have to physically come to the office?,’” stated Scardino. 

Adding to the process inefficiencies, the quality of finished materials was not up to Huntington Bank’s standards.  As a result, Carol Scardino turned to Standard Register to assess Huntington Bank’s Frontline Leadership and Frontline Team Leadership training document processes and needs.

Eliminate Cumbersome, Manually-Intensive Processes
Leveraging Standard Register’s SMARTworks® technology and fulfillment capabilities, Huntington Bank partnered with Standard Register to streamline processes and improve productivity within the Recruitment and Development Team.  Now, all training materials are housed in an online digital repository, making training materials available on demand and eliminating costly logistical roadblocks. 
The time it takes to place and fulfill an order for their Frontline Leadership and Frontline Team Leadership training materials has been reduced from nearly 20 hours to only 10 minutes. 

Substantial Cost Savings
Considering all of the various components required to produce a final training materials package for Huntington’s Frontline Leadership programs – binders, tabs, covers, binder contents, job aid reference cards, and more – it’s no surprise that the bank had a difficult time obtaining a clear view of the associated costs. 

“Standard Register is saving us at least half the costs incurred from our previous print provider – and that’s not even including the administrative time,” stated Scardino. 

By simply consolidating suppliers, Huntington Bank benefits from economies of scale and no longer spends valuable time sourcing, producing and assembling training materials.

Outfitting Employees for Better Business Performance
The learning function is more relevant than ever before.  As indicated by ASTD (American Society for Training & Development), “Investment in learning remains important for organizations across a variety of industries, company sizes, and countries.  This continued dedication of resources to the learning function confirms the reliance on its expertise in leveraging human capital.”

As a result, financial services providers such as Huntington Bank are investing steadily in employee learning, because business leaders recognize their employees provide the most sustainable competitive edge they have.

While managing costs more effectively can produce substantial savings, it’s important to remember that cost savings are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to effectively managing a training and education program. Having offloaded burdensome administrative tasks, Huntington Bank has been able to free up its staff to focus on their core competencies.

“Since partnering with Standard Register, our facilitators in the field have found it much easier to obtain accurate materials in a timely fashion,” said Scardino.  “We’ve taken out the middle man, placing materials directly into the facilitator’s hands after production.”

The real rewards are the significant improvements to productivity and performance of the bank’s Recruitment and Development team.  If you’d like information on how you can implement a training solution tailored to your organization’s objectives, contact Standard Register today.