Get P-Card Training Out of Hibernation
Has your training program faltered the past 12 months, overshadowed by everything else going on? Maybe your organization skipped its annual P-Card refresher training or maybe this training is in need of updates that no one has had time to do. Some organizations are still trying to pivot from in-person training to a virtual option to accommodate remote workers. Whatever situation your organization has been facing, chances are everyone could benefit from some training (or retraining) about now. Jennifer Hart Barb, lead SPCC program administrator, James Madison University, has observed that, when people are panicked—like when the pandemic first hit—they forget everything you taught them. I envision lots of heads nodding in agreement. To help you resurrect refresher training, this post shares ideas of what to include, as well as a tip for reinforcing the training to help improve compliance.
What to Include
Refresher training needs to be relevant and it needs to align with program policies and procedures (P&P). It is entirely possible that the P&P are outdated, too, given the chaos of last year. Ensure both pieces are updated before launching training.
Start by making a list of what has changed within your card program during the past year. In particular, 2020 might have driven changes concerning what cards can and cannot be used for, and new guidance on purchase-to-pay processes related to home office expenses.
Add to your list what caused the most errors or problems last year. Be sure to address these areas within the training. Common topics include: approved vendors for P-Card purchases, what constitutes a suitable receipt, and the deadlines for reconciling and approving transactions.
Fraud prevention and detection is another important topic. Consult with your issuer about current fraud trends. I continue to hear about organizations falling for the gift card scam. It typically starts with a business email compromise (BEC) and the fraudster posing as an executive. They ask an employee to purchase numerous gift cards for employee recognition purposes. They instruct the employee to uncover the cards’ security codes, and then reply to the email by sending photos of the fronts and backs of the cards. See a related blog post from a few years ago.
It would also be a good idea to retrain cardholders and their managers on business continuity plans and “emergency” purchases. This could even be a separate training session or module. I have heard from a couple people that, in their organizations, emergency purchases were supposed to be handled by the procurement department. However, when the pandemic hit, cardholders throughout the organization were trying to buy personal protective equipment (PPE), so things got pretty chaotic.
How to Reinforce the Training
In short, you need consistency. This begins with the card program manager/administrator sharing the correct information, matching what the policies and procedures relay. Jennifer Hart Barb notes, “If you want people to view you as the subject matter expert (SME), you need to provide consistent answers.”
Further, Jennifer has seen firsthand that some cardholders try “fishing” for the answer they are looking for. For example, if you tell a cardholder they cannot do something, the cardholder might try asking someone else, like a procurement employee, the same question in the hope of getting a green light. To help prevent this, it is beneficial to provide specific P-Card training to internal program support roles like procurement and accounts payable.
Final Thoughts
If you are still struggling with how to switch from in-person training to a virtual option without investing in a fancy training solution, consider the recording tools within Microsoft PowerPoint (the slide show tab). The file can be exported in a video format.
No matter your approach, getting your training out of hibernation and updating it for the current times is one of the best things you can do to strengthen your card program.
Related Resources
Photo by Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash
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About the Author
Blog post author Lynn Larson, CPCP, launched Recharged Education in 2014. With 20 years of Commercial Card experience, her mission is to make industry education readily accessible to all. Learn more…