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Online Learning
Case study: Dupont Nylon Flooring Division
Brian Gracon from Dupont outlined the organisation's
use of e-learning as a customer education tool. Since learners
are customers (re-seller retailers across the country) there
is really no compulsion to start, let alone complete, any
learning. Therefore, it must be clear that there are immediate
benefits to the individual learner if they are to be kept
engaged.
The three areas to focus on are marketing, application and
design. Research showed that the target audience wanted instant
training, access to up to date content, feedback on their
performance and - most importantly - sales success.
So the learning programme was marketed using the slogan,
'the more you know, the more you sell'. This appealed explicitly
to the goals of the target audience. It was an approach that
was followed through into the learning design of the e-learning
programme. At each stage, learning objectives were based around
the customer's needs.
The design itself was simple in look and feel, using intuitive
navigation but with a variety in interaction styles. A 'page-turner'
solution was actively avoided, instead favouring context-based,
'real' scenarios in which the learner could practice in safety.
A core element of the programme was answering customer questions
and objections, providing the retailers with a best practice
script that was ready to use.
The e-learning employed simple cartoon graphics to convey
sometimes complex technical features of the products. Illustrative
metaphors were used to ensure that learners understood key
concepts; metaphors that they could use themselves with their
own customers. Meaningful and memorable was the guiding
principle.
This e-learning programme was step one in a three-phase rollout.
Initially 200 retailers are trialing the e-learning in conjunction
with classroom-based learning. Shortly, access will be extended
to reach 2,000 retailers who do not have other forms of training
or contact with Dupont. The end goal is to reach 15,000 retailers
with e-learning, both in online and CD-ROM formats.
So far, the results indicate a 65% improvement in sales profitability
where staff have completed the training.
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Integration, performance,
collaboration
General trends
John Seely Brown
Gloria Gery
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