IT Training Magazine - Autumn 2009
How do you reach 7,500 employees spread across the whole of the UK within a very tight timeline, not only to train them on new technology, but also so they buy into the new vision of your business? This was the challenge independent mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse (CPW) faced last year. Jutta Mackwell reports.
With the increasing popularity of wireless laptops and netbooks, supported by the rise of mobile broadband, CPW saw the potential of broadening its range into the arena. Last year, it started offering netbooks and laptops on the same basis as mobile phones, i.e. operators subsidise the initial purchase cost and users pay mobile data tariffs.
This move into a slightly different market turned out to be one of the biggest shifts CPW had undertaken in a long time. It included not only changing systems, redesigning stores and hours of negotiations with network suppliers, but also, and most importantly, a shift in people.
The 'big bang' launch of the new products was planned for 3 June 2008. To help deal with the sheer scale of the training project and the very challenging lead time, CPW brought on board Verridian, a Bristol -based training provider. The aim was to train 7,500 staff from high street stores, direct telephone sales and contact centres on the new products and services.
With only four weeks to plan and prepare a laptop training programme. CPW and Verridian needed to make sure that they 'were holding hands through the whole process: as Marcus Dacombe, Sales and Marketing Director at Verridian, puts it. This also meant that CPW had to make sure that whoever they worked with understood and shared CPW values, and were, above aU, flexible.
The training aligned the company and staff to the new vision. What stood out for me was the impact it had on the employees and the customers
Darren Gardner, CPW
One of the most important things for the project was to work together as a team. Throughout the project, a Verridian project manager and training designer effectively worked full-time with CPW, and there were regular review meetings with key stakeholders.
'We said right from the start, it's just one team, we're in this together. If we'd treated ourselves as two different companies it would have doubled the effort; explains Darren Gardner, Head of New Business and Multichannel at CPW.
One week before the start of the training programme, Verridian and CPW ran a pilot with about 180 hand-selected people representing all sections of the business, from top branch managers to key support centre staff, in order to test-run the training and see if any changes were needed. The same group was then asked for feedback on the amended version.
The training phases
The training programme, which was known as 'Wireless Camp', was split into two phases. The first phase, which started off seven weeks prior to the sales launch, was aimed at getting all staff up to speed in terms of technical knowledge of the new products and enabling them to put that knowledge into practice. The second phase, which took place after the laptop launch, was follow-up, in -store training.
In phase I, from May to June, a team of Verridian and CPW trainers, plus members of CPW's 'Geek Squad' set off on a 'roadshow: running camps at 63 venues all over the UK. The team often stayed in one location for several days in order to allow each member of staff in that area to attend.
Even though attending the Wireless Camp was compulsory for each member of staff, there was an incentive to take part: every employee who passed the camp successfully received a free laptop at the end. A 'pass' meant that they had to attend the one-day training course, complete a number of online training tests and eventually sell a laptop to a customer.
Even though most of CPW's staff are by no means computer-illiterate, many didn't feel comfortable with the thought of having to sell one to customers. 'It was amazing how many 18-30 year olds are scared of laptops: says Gardner.
The day began at 10 am and finished around 6 pm. Delegate numbers varied between 100-200 people, depending on the size of the venue. After a welcome plenary session, where the new CPW vision was introduced and a senior manager gave a keynote speech, delegates were split into groups of 10-15 people, all 'equipped' with one Verridian, one CPW and one Geek Squad trainer.
A technical 'mini' test to determine already existing knowledge then started off the training. Staff who scored 100 per cent became 'go to and ask persons', allowing the experts from store to be part of the training team. 'What was great was having a blend of people [in the groups]. It was about learning from each other,' says Dacombe.
The key aim of the breakout sessions was to give staff more confidence when talking about the new range and technology with customers, and also helping them to move beyond the technical jargon. This was achieved through a blend of instructor-led classroom teaching and a lot of inter-team role play on real-life scenarios.
Throughout the day, delegates were able to post questions in an 'I wish I knew' box. These questions were then answered in a 'University Challenge' game at the end of the day. The day finished with a second test, where all delegates were given a handset, which was linked to their registration details, and allowed them to compare their new results with the ones from the first test.
'This was probably one of the biggest wow-factors,' Gardner says. 'We got an overwhelming response from people. They were all motivated to get out there and deliver.'
What was great was having a blend of people. It was about learning from each other
Marcus Dacombe, Verridian
The second phase
In phase 2, CPW and Verridian arranged for follow-up, in-store coaching sessions. The aim was to see how staff were putting their newly acquired knowledge into practice and to provide some more support and training.
The sessions took place after CPW's laptop launch, from early June to early November, and saw trainers visiting over 800 CPW stores all over the UK. The days usually started off with a feedback session, and then moved into 'practical knowledge testing', which consisted of selling a laptop to a customer, either live or as a role play. 'What was really good was that the pass rate was very high - 93 per cent,' says Gardner.
After the assessment, the trainer would set up a personal development plan with each staff member, which would then be passed on to the store manager.
Looking back
So was Wireless Camp a success? Both Gardner and Dacombe agree that it absolutely delivered what it promised. CPW saw an uplift in sales of 300 per cent after the project, and Verridian won the External Training Project of the Year award at the Institute of IT Training Awards in 2009 for Wireless Camp.
'The training aligned the company and staff to the new vision,' Gardner explains. 'What stood out for me ultimately was the impact it had on the employees and the customers.'
'The training was never just about a product, it always had people at its centre,' adds Dacombe. 'Seeing a room full of 100 people get excited and passionate about what they were doing was one of the things that made the camp a success.'
And is there anything they would have done differently? 'I don't think we'd do a lot of things differently,' Gardner says. 'What 1 might change if I had to do a project like this again is give it a slightly longer timeframe and ask people to do some preparation beforehand. But overall, the huge amount of positive feedback and the very successful launch of the new extended range speak for themselves.'
Parts of the Wireless Camp training have now been included as a one day session in the regular induction training, and online material has been made available on the internal CPW system. CPW is also planning 'refresher courses', possibly in the form of six-monthly roadshows.