From the Editor - September 2020

Training and other events may look different for the near future, but you can find a growing array of resources online

You’ve heard “never stop learning” many times over your career. Your teachers probably said it in high school. Similar encouragement pops up in business-related articles all the time. I know I’ve written it in this column before.

Developing relationships with people who have been through problems similar to those you face or who have already achieved goals you share will help you learn and grow. Whether they are competitors, mentors or friends, conversations with these people help push you to explore new ways of doing things, try new equipment you’re unfamiliar with, or reconsider a marketing or brand strategy. 

The pandemic we’ve been dealing with in 2020 has changed the way we interact. You probably deal with customers much the same way, with some extra precautions in place. But other interactions — such as interviews, local business association meetings or state association meetings — needed to move online. Any conference or training you were scheduled to attend this year probably went digital as well. Luckily, we have the technology.

Online learning has been a reality for a long time. But we’ve never relied on it quite so much as this year. Obviously there’s no true substitute for in-person conversation and interaction, but online options, whether Zoom calls, interactive webinars or prerecorded videos, are a great replacement when you can’t get the real thing.

In this month’s Tech Perspective, we discuss some ways directional drilling companies have incorporated virtual and online training. A lot of the training can be done online. Some needs to be done in-person, but often these courses are hosted by regional dealers, which makes traveling for training more feasible. And even in the classroom, simulations are a huge component of this training. For instance, all of the Ditch Witch dealers in North America have virtual reality simulators that allow the operator to experience a variety of different digging sites and applications.

Here at COLE Publishing, it’s always been our goal to be a good resource for our readers. We know that accessing content that can help expand your industry knowledge is as important now as it’s ever been, so we are working to bring you more online resources.

We created a series of Virtual Training sessions across our brands — Cleaner included — to further serve our readers amid social distancing recommendations. These prerecorded training videos are available at Cleaner.com and our other sites for viewing at any time, allowing you to listen and view at your own pace when it best fits your schedule.

Topics already posted to the Cleaner website range from safety, business adaptations in the wake of COVID-19, and selling services in the digital age to trademark law and artificial intelligence in CCTV sewer condition assessment. New training topics will be continually added. You can watch these videos anytime by visiting www.cleaner.com/video/webinar.

I hope you check them out and keep learning.

Enjoy this month’s issue. 



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