WYSR has enhanced its online job-training platform and is enlarging its course catalogue as it bolsters communication throughout a casino’s workforce.
“We hear all the time that communication is the No. 1 issue team members have,” said Desiree Vincent, vice president of product development at the 3-year-old company based in Henderson, Nev. The streamlined platform provides an easy way for everyone to fulfill job-training requirements and keep up with companywide or departmental announcements, all but eliminating instances of employees being left unaware of policy changes or other developments.
WYSR’s cloud-based platform simplifies a variety of personnel tasks, from recruiting and onboarding employees to training for specific positions and coaching for career development. The platform enables each client site to be branded individually, with the content customized to incorporate differing jurisdictional rules, property procedures, and the like.
At many properties, “the main form of communication is a poster on the wall in the break room,” WYSR President Kevin Brewer said. “Our platform solves for enterprise-wide announcements, departmental announcements or even an individual. It can be overarching or granular.”
The company currently offers more than 250 training courses providing work standards and job details for staffers in hospitality services, alcohol service, Title 31 compliance, security, and other resort operations. The expansion includes courses on core table games such as blackjack, craps, and roulette as well as selected proprietary games. Table games expert and gaming consultant Bill Zender is partnering with WYSR to incorporate methods to increase dealer efficiency, reduce errors, and spot methods used by cheats or advantage players.
Vincent said the company’s upgraded platform increases the ability to tailor information for each client. “It’s much more modernized and intuitive,” she said. “There’s an ease of use for our clients and their team members utilizing their employee portal.” A client also can add surveys, assessments, questionnaires, and policy acknowledgements to courses.
Vincent said client feedback played a key role in upgrading the platform. For example, several clients use WYSR to help reduce high turnover rates and ease the onboarding process for new hires.
Brewer added that WYSR is able to customize virtually any course for a specific property or company. “We can create custom content, like we’re doing with the table games training. If someone comes to us with a challenge to design something, we’re able to deliver that as well, which is pretty unusual in this space. Being a startup, we do things a bit differently.”
He expressed confidence that the platform upgrade and additional courses will trigger significant company growth in the second half of the year.
Cofounder and Chief Technology Officer Robert Willis said the new platform soon will add a “Meet Your Team” capability that allows staffers to submit a brief bio. That will provide a quick introduction to each departmental co-worker. “It’s a cool little feature that does have a social aspect,” he said. “The workforce is inching a little younger, and it’s important to understand what that generation is looking for in the way they approach work.”
Vincent said the platform presents courses and other material with the client’s logos and other customizable elements. For example, if a property has a specific internal control or procedure for a Title 31 task, that can be incorporated into the training module. “We can take their guest standards or safety protocols and customize a course that will match what they want their team members to understand and know,” she said.
Willis, the platform architect, explained that WYSR engineered its offerings to operate on an easily accessible website unique for each client. A variety of additional personnel tools are available, including real-time messaging and feedback; customizable newsfeeds for individuals or teams; management of performance reviews and certification needs; and live or hybrid training events, with automatic documentation for participants.
