Know Your Learner

A new procedural change that needed to be taught to experienced associates and new associates, each requiring a unique approach.

My company was updating a well-established procedure. The training approach needed to tailored to meet the needs of the two different groups of agents that would need to learn about the change.

To avoid sharing proprietary information, I have omitted confidential information in this case study.

Tenured Agents – Relearning What They Know

The first learning product would be targeted toward tenured agents who already know the current process and would need to understand the updates. In order to ensure a consistent message was delivered and that training could take place when there was availability, an eLearning course was developed to teach the procedural changes. A follow-up supervisor session supported the eLearning and helped agents practice discussing the changes with their customers.

A woman wearing sunglasses and a patterned shirt, smiling and waving at the camera in a parking lot with cars and autumn trees in the background.
Slide from a presentation titled 'Components' showing a box labeled 'Storage Plan 1,' a New York license plate reading 'ABC 2345,' and bullet points about service agents and tag requirements. 
The eLearning component began with a video introducing the change. It then went into the components, describing them in detail and providing illustrations where applicable.
A slide from a training presentation showing instructions to drop components into a box labeled 'Storage Plan 1.' The slide has a list of eight components on the left and a cube on the right representing the storage box.
A woman with blonde hair wearing a headset and green shirt sits at a computer, while a man with gray hair, glasses, and a gray shirt speaks on the phone, saying he wants to start winter storage early because he's unsure when he'll be able to drive his car again. 
The eLearning course included interactive sessions to help agents remember the changes that were being implemented. eLearning introduced conversation examples that would lead into the supervisor session where they would practice.
A document titled 'New Storage Plans Power Session' with instructions for a team meeting, including a note to conduct the session by 12/15/2016, and a picture of a red car parked outside a garage building. 
The supervisor session reviewed the components learned during the eLearning course. The session also provided scenarios to allow agents to apply what they had learned within the context of the call, where they would need to explain changes to the customer. Agents were also given a guide, outlining the changes that they could reference on future calls.

New Procedure for New Associates

The second audience would be the new hire agents who would be learning the new process for the first time.

For this group the instructor led course was updated with the changes and this ensured that the new agents would have a solid understanding of the process.

Screenshot of a document titled 'Transition Module - Storage Plans'. The section shown is '2. Storage Plan 1 (35 min)', discussing procedures for turning in vehicle tags and managing storage with bullet points and associated images of speech bubbles and a person. 
For new hire agents, this procedural change is typically taught near the end of training. An instructor led approach was applied in order to teach the foundational skills of the procedure. Training included modeling, checks for understanding, as well as opportunities for agents to practice the conversation. These agents were also given a reference guide.