Pivoting to Virtual Training Quickly, At Scale
A global technology organization had to pivot from in-person training to virtual training due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. This change was taking place across 85 retail stores around the world.
At the same time, as a result of the pandemic, this company saw a new opportunity to build relationships with both prospective and existing customers by reimagining their training programs in light of this global shift toward home-based learning and work.
This company has depended on Prime 8 Consulting for many years to help them build solutions to challenges when it comes to research, curriculum design, eLearning, and more.
Unique challenges from Covid-19
The company’s main goal was to quickly shift their in-person workshops and training courses to digital versions for three primary audiences: small businesses, educators and students. As a result of new stay-at-home restrictions, the company had permanently closed many physical retail locations and needed a new way to educate and engage the public about their technology solutions.
They also wanted to position themselves as experts to the education community, as well, an industry that had been completely disrupted by the pandemic (and could benefit from the company’s solutions and expertise as they navigated the transition).
In order to meet these challenges posed by the pandemic, this brand relied on Prime 8 Consulting’s expertise.
Developing digital training solutions
The Prime 8 team knew from experience that it was essential to ask a lot of questions, and the right questions, upfront. Drawing on time honored learning and development principles while considering the new virtual-only reality for the company and their customers, they assessed:
What is the current purpose of these courses? The client ultimately wanted to build relationships with businesses and educational districts through these public-facing courses, so they needed to be relevant, engaging, and delivered in a format that would be easy for anyone to use.
What did the audience, or end user, need most now? For example, educators were looking for new ways to communicate with students remotely. Meanwhile, small and mid-sized businesses were shifting to a digital-first approach, and similarly needed training on digital conferencing and other tools.
When you’re shifting to a virtual training environment, what are the key changes that need to be made?
How do we measure and ensure successful learning outcomes? What are the end goals of these courses and which metrics do they map back to?
Prime 8 catalogued existing training that the team built which would still be viable in a virtual format. Next, the team developed a strategy to select the most beneficial courses for learners and built virtual best practices guides for trainers to empower them to shift their courses to digital versions. This included:
A mix of virtual instructor-led training (VILT) and eLearning
A range of tools, including video conferencing, chat, and other digital interactions
An optimized blend of synchronous and asynchronous learning
Finally, Prime 8 began updating a full suite of training (nearly 20 courses) on a rolling basis. “We created these materials with a strong sense of what engagement means on a virtual learning platform,” explains the principal program manager. “We focused our attention on how we could present concepts to large groups and provide them opportunities to ask questions and participate in activities in a safe and engaging way. We followed the motto ‘less talking, more doing’ and studied best-in-class trainers to guide our success.”
Striving to be a first-class provider
Within 10 days, Prime 8 optimized and rebuilt 16 hours of customer-facing training — and this was just the first sprint in a long series of similar sprints to come. Because of Prime 8’s experience in instructional design and application of agile methodology, they were able to deliver a completely digitized refresh on existing training content that met the client’s rigorous compliance standards. They did this all while managing the stakeholders’ expectations and delivering clear guidance to instructors on how to implement the new courses.
This ultimately accelerated the development cycle by 60 percent.
What really stood out to the client was how Prime 8 was dedicated to continually raise the bar. “We wanted to make sure the content we were creating had the best ROI,” stated the program manager. “We’re always striving to be a first-class provider, which I think is the secret to our long-standing partnership with this client.”
For example, even after the new courses were launched, Prime 8 continued to collaborate with the client to study:
How many customers were participating in the workshops
How many end users were using the products and software that were highlighted in the trainings
What was being revealed through feedback mechanisms
How the competition was providing training
“We’re never a team that goes, ‘okay, we’re done, we delivered it,” adds the program manager. “Instead, we’re always asking: how can we improve on the last course we developed?”
Aside from the client’s delight at the ongoing support provided by Prime 8, there was another surprising benefit to this engagement: other teams at the client organization who faced a similar problem took Prime 8’s templates and used them to develop their own digital training courses, enabling other areas of the business to benefit as well as coming to Prime 8 for training support and expertise.
Project Snapshot
Industry: Leading multinational technology company
Location: US
Company Size: Over 100k employees
Critical Business Issues: Creating a virtual training environment in light of Covid-19.
Solution: Prime 8 optimized and rebuilt 16 hours of customer-facing training in just 10 days.
The Method: With a focus on learner outcomes, Prime 8 created an optimized learner journey by selecting the most relevant, impactful content for these unique circumstances.
The Outcome: The client accelerated its development cycle by 60 percent.
