Scaling E-Learning to Reach and Train Employees Remotely | Insurance

10/28/2020 RRD

Three-point e-learning solution drives adoption and effectiveness of digital training 

CHALLENGE

In 2018, a North Carolina-based group company, which offers insurance solutions that help businesses maximize performance through leadership training and consultation, adopted a partially virtual system to commence a remote learning initiative. 

The company’s dedicated learning team had already created 64 small courses with several online tools. However, most of the training was conducted in-person with physical documentation for coursework and trainers traveled for nearly 15 months at a stretch to train 2,500 users in 85 locations across the U.S.

In 2019, the company’s overall goal was to provide employees with flexible training options — not to mention reduce overhead costs — by shifting them from the traditional classroom model to a complete e-learning one so they may learn at their own speed and adapt with minimum effort. 

Due to a lack of expertise, concerns surfaced around leveraging internal resources to create and implement the e-learning curriculum. Online training for their major systems seemed like the best idea, so the client approached the RRD GO Creative™ team — already providing insurance support services (since 2006) — to lead the most transformative e-learning project to date.  

SOLUTION

The client provided RRD GO Creative™ with training documents, recordings of actual classroom training sessions, and access to the software covered in its training modules. In turn, RRD assembled an expert team comprising four full-time resources and a non-dedicated project manager was assigned.

RRD recommended a customized, three-point e-learning solution:

• Instructional design – Rewrote/restructured the training content to make it suitable for a self-learning course.
• Design and development – Developed the layout and illustrations for each of the modules. Assessments, quizzes, and other interactive elements were added.
• Project delivery – Delivered the final e-learning modules for uploading on the client’s LMS platform after the client’s feedback and approval.

The creation process was intense; it involved continuous knowledge transfer and feedback exchange between the two teams, and from the trainers as well. 

Two of the longest system tracks included eight self-learning courses, which required converting more than 1,000 pages of training materials. The entire project took 2,500 hours across 10 months to finish, from September 2019 to June 2020.

RESULTS

In addition to a reduction in overhead costs, the main objective to facilitate a better and balanced learning experience was met. The company can now train as many people as needed and as fast as required across the U.S. 

Within two months of the launch, the current user adoption rate for the major system courses is over 60%. In terms of the operational cost related to travel and accommodation, our client estimates 70% of cost savings between June to August 2020 (in comparison to the same period of the previous year). 

The company is now committed to take the online training program to its full maturity with communication campaigns to educate and promote e-learning internally for its employees. 

Lastly, one unexpected outcome of launching this program during the global pandemic was the immediate safety. The e-learning successfully eliminates the need to head into the office to receive training as well as the need to travel extensively to conduct training.