The traditional approach to customer classroom based training is being challenged by the need of global companies to train both internal personnel and customers in a variety of countries, in multiple languages, all with different customs, mores and requirements relating to training needs, approaches and concepts. The problem of training a global audience is further compounded by the demand of corporations to demonstrate a profitable rate of return on their investment in training operations.
A more recent approach to resolving this problem (with the advent of internet) has been the adoption of technologies that allow skilled training developers to create customized training programs and then standardize the curriculum to multiple audiences around the world through effective language translation. Today's technology enables training experts to use methodologies, include Synchronous and Asynchronous training methods, the Systems Approach to Training methodology and platforms and portals such as Blackboard and Moodle to deliver effective and dynamic training programs. Using technology that enables the creation and delivery of training programs to a global audience creates the need for course curriculum and ancillary training documentation to be created in one language (usually English) and then translated into several different languages. Inexperienced trainers and developers as well as many companies that fail to realize the need to deliver such content to a global audience will fail in their attempt to effectively train customers, reducing revenues and customer allegiance.
I recently had a client (a manufacturing company) that was spending over one-hundred thousand dollars a year on translating curriculum and training manuals into twenty languages; on their less than effective and poorly designed training curriculum for their internal personnel and international customer facing training program. This client was using their internal engineers to conduct their training classes and poorly trained technical writers to develop their curriculum. The result was a training program that had no methodology, no objectives or focus, no understanding of training concepts or of their audience's needs---in essence, the program was a disaster. The end result was poorly trained internal personnel and less than happy customers. Additionally, this company was hemorrhaging money with their existing training program and incurring losses on their training offerings. This company's support and field service calls were up by eighty-percent for the focus group of customers who had gone through their training program, complaints from customers were also at an all time high and customer allegiance was diminishing at a steady rate.
When this manufacturing firm approached my company, me and one of my team traveled to their headquarters and performed an initial training needs assessment and reviewed their overall training program and operations in detail. We were amazed that a company that was producing such a high quality product was so unaware of how to effectively deliver training to both internal personnel and more importantly to their international customers. After reviewing their curriculum (they had no training plans or evaluation metrics) and interviewing their trainers (engineers who had no interest in performing training) and their technical writers, who also had no experience with curriculum development; we soon were prepared to make our recommendation to this company.
The challenge for this company went far beyond just not having skilled training personnel to develop and deliver their training; they also did not understand the requirements for training a global audience. One problem was that they were not localizing their Spanish language training for their various customers in Latin America, Mexico and Spain. The same was true for their Portuguese training modules for Brazil and Portugal. This company was using a 'one size fits all approach;' that obviously resulted in failure.
Additionally this company was using a translation service that was overcharging them and did not itself understand the audience or using a proper translation memory or nomenclature library called TRADOS.
Our Recommendations
The following are the recommendations we provided the company discussed in this piece, once we were awarded the contract to develop an effective global training program for them. We first developed a thorough training analysis and procedural training plan based on their objectives, customer expectations, budget, internal resources, number of languages their training should be translated into, and deliverable dates. This plan also included standardizing their entire training program and modules as well as incorporating their technical documentation into the training, since it was an integral part of the maintenance and installation portion of the training program.
E-Learning Implemented
In addition to developing entirely new curriculum for this client we also brought in two of our trainers in order to implement a train-the-trainer program that provided the dedicated trainers the client would be using going forward with the necessary skill set to be effective as classroom trainers. We implemented the Systems Approach to Training (SAT) methodology to accomplish this objective. We then implemented an E-Learning system both a Synchronous and Asynchronous program.
Synchronous learning takes place when two or more people are communicating in real time. Sitting in a classroom, talking on the telephone and chatting via instant messaging are examples of synchronous communication and training. So if you're sitting in a classroom in Johannesburg and the instructor facilitating the training class is in Boston where the instructor is speaking via teleconferencing, this is Synchronous learning; considered live. A training course conducted via WebEx or Live Meeting is also an example of Synchronous learning.
Asynchronous learning, on the other hand is more flexible. The teaching takes place at one time (and is preserved through streaming video WebEx, or other E-Learning application) for the learner to participate in the course modules whenever the time is most convenient for him or her. Technology related to training applications such as Captivate, Flash, e-courses, online forums, audio and video recordings make this possible. Even snail mail would be considered asynchronous, though the antiquated correspondence course conducted through mail is now a dinosaur compared to effective E-Learning programs.
Plan for Developing Global Course Offerings
We implemented the following four strategies for developing this company's multilingual course offerings; using a standardized approach for their internal audience and one for their customer audience.
1. We implemented the necessary tools and applications and infrastructure for the development of the initial training content along with an easy way for the client to revise and keep the curriculum current.
2. We developed the course curriculum and ancillary training and technical documentation in English and then using our own translation service translated the course material into each language required, specific to each particular country.
3. We implemented a Blackboard system for the distance learning program; we also used WebEx to record live classroom training to make it available to customers in other countries as recitation classes to be incorporated with the primary training modules.
4. We implemented a combination of classroom instruction, computer-based training, and E-Learning solutions to train globally dispersed employees, customers, and partners. We created initial training needs assessments for each audience, exams and post training evaluation assessments, in order to receive feedback in order to tweak the training, on an as needed basis.
Results Achieved Within Six Months
After the implementation of the new training program for our client; they began seeing positive results with their new global training program within the first two months, but there were significant results by the sixth month of the implementation. The new training program was eventually seamlessly implemented across twenty countries for internal employees, new hires and customer training. Within the first two months of launching the pilot program this company experienced a significant drop in support calls, from eighty percent before the new training program to sixty percent after the program was rolled out to eight of the markets where they were experiencing the worst problems. After the training program was launched in all of the twenty countries where they operated, within six months their incoming support calls were down to twenty percent. This was huge. Additionally, customers were extremely satisfied with the new training program, internal employee production increased and the cost of translation services was cut to less than half of what they were originally paying. The cost of their translation services was reduced even further once ITI established their TRADOS and the quality of the translated documentation also improved dramatically.
The evaluation tools we implemented for this client proved through the dashboard metrics we incorporated that the highest results were in the areas of skills development, cost containment, course completion, reduced support and field service calls and customer satisfaction. Our Training and E-Learning localization services reduce their overall training and documentation costs, speed time to market, and ensured the creation of consistent, high quality instructional content for their global training program. We have repeatedly produced the same successful results for our clients across multiple industries.
Solutions Include:
- Computer and web based training
- Classroom based instructional curriculum development
- Multimedia training applications
- Learning Management Systems
- Multilingual content development
- Self paced certification, evaluation and assessment training programs
- Systems Approach to Training Methodology
- Synchronous and Asynchronous Distance Learning Based Programs
- Technical Documentation Development
- Training and technical documentation project management services
Philip Tufano is the Director of Global Training and Technical Communications for InterActive Training, Inc., (ITI). http://www.ITI-com.biz.
ITI is a management consulting company that develops and manages global training strategies and implementation development services to companies around the world. ITI is located in New York City, with offices in New England.
Philip Tufano is an executive director and partner at ITI. Prior to ITI Philip was the President of Systems Documentation Concepts (SDC) that produced technical documentation and training curriculum. Philip sold SDC to Nuvo Strategies in 2003.
Philip was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where he attended the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College of the City University of New York (CUNY), obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business and Management in 1990.
Philip obtained a Master's degree in International Journalism & Corporate Communications in 1994 from Northeastern University in Boston, MA.
Philip worked on Wall Street for five years, first as a Stock Broker and then as a trading manager for an equity-trading desk for Fleet Financial Corporation.
Philip began writing as a journalist in New York City in 1988. Philip worked as a foreign correspondent in South Africa during the fall of Apartheid, covering South Africa\'s first all-race elections in 1994 for the Boston Herald.
Philip also worked for seven years for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for the Directorate of Operations in the Clandestine Service, both in the United States and in South Africa.
After leaving the CIA Philip worked as a contract writer for two years for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), writing a high level Country Program Strategy Paper (CPSP) on business development aid and programs to South Africa for 1995 to 2000.
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