When you invest in advanced surveying equipment, construction setout tools, or machine control systems, you’re making a calculated decision to improve productivity and project outcomes. But here’s the uncomfortable truth many project managers face: that technology investment only delivers a fraction of its potential value without proper training.
The equation is simple. Untrained operators fumble through workflows, make avoidable errors, and spend valuable site time troubleshooting issues that trained professionals navigate instinctively. The result? Projects that drag beyond quoted timelines, support calls that eat into everyone’s day, and equipment that never reaches its performance potential.
Consider what happens when a team member tries to learn complex survey software or equipment operation on the job. Every hesitation, every incorrect workflow, every call to technical support represents lost productivity. In fixed price contracts where time literally equals money, these inefficiencies don’t just slow projects down – they erode profit margins.
“We see this pattern regularly with our customers,” says Andrew Agius, Business Development Manager at Aptella. “Due to staff turnover and the reality that people aren’t using equipment every single day, there’s often a knowledge gap. Many operators are working at surface level – maybe 50% of what their equipment can actually deliver. That’s why we’ve made training a core focus. We genuinely care about our customers getting the full value from their investment, and we see it as our responsibility to ensure they succeed.”
The hidden costs compound quickly:
Productivity drain: Operators who lack confidence work slower, double check unnecessarily, and avoid using advanced features that could save hours.
Support dependency: The 6am panic calls. The frantic emails during high-pressure projects. Untrained teams generate a constant stream of calls for issues that are covered in fundamental training – simple tasks like system configuration and data uploading that become emergencies on site.
Rework and errors: When you don’t know the correct workflow, you make mistakes. Those mistakes cost time and money to fix, and in worst case scenarios, compromise project quality.
Employee frustration: No one enjoys feeling incompetent. Staff who’ve learned through trial and error work with constant uncertainty, leading to higher stress and lower job satisfaction.
Here’s the shift in thinking that leading firms have already made: training isn’t a cost centre – it’s profit protection.
When you send a team member to Aptella Academy for a day, you’re not losing a day of productivity. You’re investing in eliminating weeks of inefficiency. You’re ensuring that the technology you’ve already paid for delivers its full return. You’re building a team that works with confidence rather than hesitation.
“We see it time and time again,” explains Agius. “Customers approach projects with hesitation in the back of their minds because they’re thinking, ‘Everything has to go perfectly for this to work. If there’s even a small issue, we’ll need to call support, we’ll need external help to solve it.’ Compare that to having a team of trained champions who know the system inside and out, who can confidently tackle challenges as they arise on site. That confidence is what wins projects and keeps them on track.”
That hesitation is expensive. It affects your ability to confidently bid on projects. It creates dependency on external support during critical project phases. It turns minor issues into major disruptions because your team doesn’t have the foundational knowledge to troubleshoot independently.
Here’s what happens regularly without proper training: customers find themselves on site during high pressure project phases, something doesn’t work as expected, and panic sets in. “When something goes wrong during critical moments, we get urgent calls – customers who need immediate help because they’re not sure how to resolve what are often quite simple issues,” says Agius. “It creates strain on support resources, but more importantly, it creates stress for our customers that we want to help them avoid entirely.”
The most common urgent calls? System configuration. Data uploading. Tasks so fundamental they’re covered thoroughly in basic training. These aren’t complex technical problems – they’re knowledge gaps that structured training eliminates entirely.
“Our ultimate goal at Aptella is to empower our customers to be completely self sufficient,” Agius states. “We want them to have the confidence and competence to handle challenges independently. That’s what proper training delivers, and it’s a core part of how we look after our customers beyond the initial sale.”
Aptella Academy training isn’t just about skills – it’s about proof. Every participant receives a certificate of completion, providing tangible evidence of competency. For project managers, this means confidence that your team can handle what you’re bidding on. For employees, it means validation of their professional development and clear evidence they’ve moved beyond surface level operation.
In industries where safety and precision are non-negotiable, certification matters. It demonstrates to clients that your team isn’t just equipped, they’re qualified. It gives leadership the assurance that training investment resulted in measurable capability improvement, not just a day away from site.
Perhaps the most overlooked benefit of structured training is the shift from reactive to proactive working. Untrained teams call support when they hit problems. Trained teams anticipate challenges and navigate around them before they become problems.
The feedback Aptella receives from customers who complete training is consistently positive. “The response is always enthusiastic – ‘Wow, I didn’t know that,’ or ‘I can actually use my product to its full potential now,'” notes Agius. “Customers tell us, ‘This is exactly what we needed to use our equipment properly.’ That feedback drives everything we do at Aptella Academy. We’re here to ensure our customers succeed.”
This isn’t just about reducing support calls (though that’s a real benefit). It’s about creating a team culture where people work with certainty rather than hesitation. Where employees tackle complex tasks confidently because they’ve been shown the best practice approach in a structured environment.Â
Even customers who believe they already know their equipment well often have breakthrough moments during training. “We see this frequently with experienced operators who’ve developed their own methods over time,” Agius explains. “Once they experience our structured approach, they recognise more efficient workflows and best practices they weren’t aware of. They’re usually the first to acknowledge the value, saying things like, ‘That was genuinely helpful. I’ve been doing things the hard way.’ That honesty tells us the training is making a real difference.”
The most successful firms in surveying, construction, and infrastructure have already made this shift: training isn’t something you do if you have time. It’s the foundation of equipment investment. It’s how you protect project timelines, maintain quality standards, and build teams that work with confidence.
“We’ve made training a non-negotiable part of our customer conversations at Aptella,” says Agius. “We emphasise its value as part of every equipment discussion because we genuinely care about our customers accessing the full capability of their technology. It’s always optional, of course, but our vision is to help every customer understand why training is essential. We don’t just want to sell equipment, we want to ensure our customers achieve genuine success with it. That’s what true partnership looks like, and it’s a responsibility we take seriously.”
Aptella has offered comprehensive training for many years, yet many customers still express surprise when they discover the depth of support available. That awareness gap represents opportunity – both for customers who haven’t yet accessed this value added service, and for organisations looking to differentiate themselves through verified team competency.
The objection Agius hears most often? “We’re too busy for training.” His response addresses the reality while demonstrating Aptella’s customer first approach:
“I completely understand that concern, and I’ve had many conversations about it. What I tell customers is this: let’s work together to find a time that suits you. We run weekend sessions, after hours training, whatever fits your schedule. We’re incredibly flexible because we know how valuable it is to have a trained champion within your team who can use the system confidently and get the job done right. We will find a way to make it work – that’s our commitment to you. We know the productivity and efficiency gains you’ll experience make it worthwhile, and we want to support you in achieving that.”
An interesting trend has emerged, particularly during tougher market conditions: customers who pause new equipment purchases are actively investing in upskilling their existing teams. “We’ve seen scenarios where customers have postponed equipment upgrades but have happily invested five to ten thousand dollars in developing their people,” Agius notes. “It’s happening more frequently. Organisations recognise that in uncertain times, developing your team’s capability is one of the smartest investments you can make. We’re proud to support that priority.”
The truth is your technology investment will only deliver a certain level of productivity without proper training. The gap between what your equipment can do and what your team actually achieves with it represents lost opportunity every single day.
Aptella Academy exists to completely close that gap – delivering practical, hands-on training that builds genuine competence. We’ve made this our priority because we care deeply about the customer experience and your success. It’s a privilege to work alongside businesses in surveying, construction, and infrastructure, and we take that privilege seriously.
We don’t see training as an add-on service, we see it as fundamental to how we look after our customers and ensure they achieve the productivity gains they deserve. Real skill development that translates to measurable performance improvements from day one.
Because in an industry where time is money and margins are tight, untrained teams aren’t just inefficient – they’re expensive. And we’re committed to helping you avoid that cost.
