We are all strapped for time in this business. It used to be easy to keep up with all the changes. Now, unless you make it part of your process, you will end up with a radically different skill set at your agency. And those who feel they know more will get frustrated by having to do more work than those who don't, but get paid the same amount. And then they'll quit.
Look, there is no better way to figure out which of your employees actually "gets it," and which ones are slinging BS and skating by. Some are very gifted at firing off acronyms in order to disguise their own ignorance. But you need to single those people out because they are toxic to your long-term business goals.
Better yet, after the course, have a 30-minute session for employees once a week to talk about new developments in the industry. They don't all have to attend the course on the same day, either. Break them into groups based on their test scores so that once a week the "evangelist" you hire can tailor the message to the appropriate group.
And please, if you are forced to send newbies to clients, tell them to shut the hell up for the first month they're dealing with the client. They are so impressed by what they do know that they think the meeting went great if they were talking a lot and spewing their limited trickle of knowledge. All the client was thinking at the time was that they were missing the point and not listening to them at all. Then the newbie goes back to the agency and says the meeting went great, while the client is wondering if they should be with someone else. That is the disconnect.
This situation has to get better or agencies are just going to slowly damage client relationships beyond repair. This industry is not about the agency, or the technology. It's about the relationships your people have with their clients and their vendors.
The clients have slowly gotten up to speed and poached some of the veterans to lead their efforts. Why are you as an agency still treating your staffing requirements like you did 10 years ago? The client has grown up. Have you?
Sean X Cummings is director of marketing for Ask.com.