Background information
Royal & SunAlliance is a multinational insurance group that has a strong commitment to provide excellent customer service. This focus on excellent service is one of the cornerstones of their direct to consumer business, MORE TH>N, which was launched in June 2001.
The goal of the company is to understand exactly what it is that their customers want and then to tailor their products, or develop new ones, accordingly. In order to do this, a new emphasis on building relationships with customers was developed which involved building the skills of front-line staff in this area. This would be a major undertaking. As a forward-thinking organisation, Royal & SunAlliance decided to look at alternative methods of delivering this training. E-learning clearly offered an opportunity to deliver a consistent programme of learning across their 'virtual centre' network across the country.
With an audience size approaching 2000 spread across diverse geographical locations and with unique business requirements to support the launch of an innovative brand, we were able to deliver a complete solution that was tailored specifically to meet the needs of Royal & SunAlliance. Here is a précis of the e-learning suite that we developed for them, under the MORE TH>N brand:
The e-learning suite
An 8 hour e-learning course delivered in 9 modules, as part of a blended solution stretching over 2.5 days. This is essentially a communication skills programme, designed to help their people recognise how the language customers use can tell them how they think, thereby helping them to 'tune' into customer needs. It looks at buying signals and closing calls, providing front-line staff with the skills required that enable customers to be better understood and to ensure that they get the best from MORE TH>N.
The course was designed to develop communication skills and to change behaviours in relation to customer care. The instructional design element was therefore key, introducing theories and concepts, giving real-life examples, and providing opportunities for practise and review. Basic principles of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) were covered in the course, with appropriate use of audio and animation providing engaging and effective training material.
A 90 minute e-learning course, delivered in 8 modules, and designed specifically to introduce MORE TH>N's overall purpose and customer vision. It outlines how all parts of the business come together in delivering customer expectations and brand promises, and underlines how everyone has a vital role to play in making MORE TH>N a 'famous' success. The course needed to help learners make a link between the organisation’s strategy and their role in achieving this. Highly interactive, with engaging exercises, animation, and appropriate use of audio, the e-learning introduced the MORE TH>N brand and asked learners to reflect on what it meant for them and their role. This course provided the bridge between the Communication course and the Single View course.
A 14 hour e-learning course, delivered in 15 modules, delivered across 3 days as part of a blended solution. This course was developed to support the launch of a new Customer Relationship Management system, designed and structured in such a way that the user is able to learn using an accurate simulation of the Vectus system. This delivered huge benefits in allowing staff to gain confidence using this new technology in a 'safe' environment, before moving on to the 'live' system.
Truly innovative, this course was designed to replicate the real life interaction between customer and staff member. Complex simulations of the Vectus system were built, integrating customer letters, voice-over and legal and regulatory information, to provide learners with a full experience of the new system. This course was designed to consolidate the learning of the previous two courses, to bring the MORE TH>N brand to life for learners and in turn customers.
Learner support
Due to the scale of the learning, numerous appropriate support mechanisms were integrated throughout the courses, so that the learner always had help available. Some examples of the support available were:
-
Links to supporting information, for instance on the Intranet
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A Glossary of common reference terms for MORE TH>N
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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E-mail support to an RSA Trainer
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Flashing guidance within simulations, if more than 3 attempts were made against an incorrect option.
Guidance and support for RSA to help ensure success of their e-learning
We designed and delivered a series of Train the Trainer workshops to support the RSA training team with implementation of the e-learning.
Results
In order to try and measure or quantify the impact of the suite we delivered, Royal & SunAlliance provided us with some year on year figures showing their half-year sales results comparing Jan-June (before the e-learning was delivered) and Jan-June (post e-learning).
Immediate Telephone Sales
|
Total Home Sales |
Total Motor
Sales |
Total Pet
Sales |
Jan - Jun (pre e-learning) |
25,331 |
37,415 |
8,545 |
Jan - Jun (post e-learning) |
33,021 |
47,540 |
15,007 |
Variance |
7,690 |
10,125 |
6,462 |
% Growth |
+ 30.36% |
+ 27.06% |
+ 75.62% |
Royal & SunAlliance have regular 'Mystery Shopper' campaigns which are carried out externally. In their recent report they have concluded that: "MORE TH>N Customer Managers are especially good at listening, building customer relationships and conveying information clearly."
A small sample of quotes from a range of people - new employees, existing staff and learning facilitators:
"It was very interactive, visually appealing and professional - yet easy to use. They really brought the material to life"
Chris Keye
(Existing staff member - Birmingham Centre)
"We found the courses interactive, stimulating and interesting and actually felt in control of our own learning. It was certainly much better than our past experiences with other companies!"
Harbans Singh
(new starter)
"I particularly liked the different types of interactions - there seemed to be something for everyone (helping to cater to the different learning styles)"
Leanne Kirwan
(MORE TH>N Communication Facilitator)
"This has been the best course since I started 3 years ago"
Peterborough Centre
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