Utilizing new technology to enhance customer experience is always on the mind of any forward-thinking manager. But unless employees are trained to master these new tools, they can end up becoming a hindrance and frustration for customers, rather than a way to facilitate sales and improve their relationship with a company. One organization that understands this, Newk’s Eatery, invests tremendously in their employees and back-end processes, so their customer-facing services will be the best they can be. The organization invests about $2,000 per employee on training, from the brand’s culture and standards to its core processes and procedures. Mark Reedy, the company’s director of performance development and culture, says this figure may seem like a lot, but the overall investment is worth it. "As a direct result, our food operations are more consistent and efficient, our turnover is down nearly 15 percent and our training time has been reduced from two weeks to an average of four to five days," he says.