Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2014 - (Page 49)

so that the time spent in the classroom is used efficiently," Helton said. "With a U.S. sales force that is spread across the country, mobile learning enables the company to more efficiently deliver company and product updates the sales team. It also allows them to receive a series of follow-up training that augments the learning that took place in the classroom." eliminate challenges to ensure learners can easily access the training system. MEASURING RESULTS "This is a perfect example to be careful what you ask for because you just might get it," Helton said. "Overall, the feedback for the course was great. People were pleased with the mobile learning concept, allowing them to access consumable content on their phone and get back to work." Combined Insurance has been using mobile learning to ensure that training is efficiently communicated to sales agents for the past five years. The integration of the tablet will help further progress in the mobile learning arena. Although it's only been a relatively short period of time, the insurance provider has noticed favorable results for the learner, as well as the business. The cost savings for the business has been tremendous. The marketing and training teams are able to build content and quickly get information to employees. Sales efficiency is a little more difficult to quantify since there are several different groups that support the sales team at Combined Insurance. But, through targeted training and analysis, the team is able to see specific results that point to positive returns. Completion rates for programs have soared over the past few years. The rates for the first year were relatively low, but then continued to double year after year. While it was a little slow out of the gate, the momentum has quickly picked up with a series of courses now boasting a 100 percent completion rate. Helton attributes this rise in completion rates to the increased marketing effort for the mobile programs, as well as the efficiency of the team to identify and Additionally, after a recent HR compliance course, an evaluation was sent to participants in order to gauge what they thought about the mobile learning experience. The response was outstanding, with nearly 3,000 responses. MOVING FORWARD " OUR SALESPEOPLE LOVE THE IDEA OF MOBILE LEARNING BECAUSE IT FITS INTO THEIR SCHEDULES. THEY WANT BITE-SIZED, CONSUMABLE CONTENT, NOT HUGE BLOCKS OF TRAINING. Technology has transformed the way organizations train employees. A mobile sales force can now be connected to other workers and receive information instantly, regardless of location. Paper sales training manuals are becoming a thing of the past, and justin-time information is the current reality for sales training at Combined Insurance. - MICHAEL HELTON, COMBINED INSURANCE Its marketing and training teams are continuously refining and enhancing the sales training strategy by listening to the needs of learners and responding accordingly. The key mission is to continue identifying learning challenges and designing effective solutions to meet those challenges. "Mobile learning has empowered our sales team to be more involved in the learning process," Helton said. "It allows them to consume bite-sized pieces of learning and then get back to their jobs; which is selling." Michelle Eggleston is editorial director for Training Industry Magazine. Email Michelle. LIGHTS, CAMERA, TAKE ACTION - DEVELOPING IN-HOUSE SALES TRAINING VIDEOS Video as an information source is quickly gaining momentum in the corporate marketplace. Understanding that its sales force requires a bite-sized learning strategy, Combined Insurance now develops short training videos to enhance learning. Using a production company to make a video can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 a minute and take several weeks or months to complete. By internally creating videos, organizations can save both time and money. A few years ago, Combined Insurance spent a good sum on training videos, so Michael Helton took it upon himself to learn how to do it. Since then, they have created more than 300 video in-house at about one-tenth of the time and cost. For only $500, anyone can produce excellent training videos and deploy them online. HERE ARE A FEW SIMPLE POINTS TO GET STARTED: Plan properly: Know what you want to do ahead of time, review it with your talent and then let the cameras roll. Do not obsess over the technology; the content is what matters most. Harness Thunder and Lightning: After recording some video and audio, there is quite a bit you can do to change it in the editing studio. But if you record nothing, there are not many options. Try to avoid background noise or bright lights. Be bold and give it a try: The cost is minimal, the risk is null and the rewards are high. In the era of YouTube, learners are more interested in having what they need, when they need it, rather than waiting for something to be perfect. http://www.combinedinsurance.com/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2014

Tracking Trends
Table of Contents
Guest Editor: Meeting Today's Learning Consumers Where They Are
Facilitating Change
How Smart Leaders Squash Employee Entitlement
The Reskilling of Design
Responsive Design and Learning Solutions
Women, Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
Key Trends for 2014: Shifting to Business-Centric Learning
The Promise of Badges for Learning and Development
The Business Leader's Bottom Line: Aligning Learning with Organizational Needs
Raising the Bar: The Impact of Sales Training on Effective Customer Engagement
The Language of Measurement: When to Assess, Evalutate and Test
Casebook: Combined Insurance: Ensuring Efficient Sales Training via Mobile Learning
The Challenge of Workplace Re-entry After Training
The Learning Shift: From Event to Process
What's Online
Company News

Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2014