2. THE DOUBLE X FACTOR
Achieving Excellence in Execution
Jim Riley
Chairman & CEO
Learn.com
3. THE DOUBLE X FACTOR
As Chairman and CEO of Learn.com for more than 10 years, I
have been focused on new ways to use technology to help people
become more productive and effective and to help businesses
become more efficient and successful. With global spending on
information technology now exceeding $1 trillion every year, I find
it incredible that many businesses are still struggling to achieve
tangible bottom-line results from their intangible assets. In fact,
a recent survey of CEOs around the world says the majority
rank excellence in execution as their key challenge.1 Why am I
so amazed?
The solution is so clear to me now, that’s why.
Having co-founded several very successful high-tech and consumer
products companies over the past 25 years, I’ve been where they
are. They want a certain result, but never seem to get there. Worse,
they can’t seem to figure out why things don’t happen as they
should, and when they should.
The best-laid plans fall apart at the seams. People point at each
other, instead of at themselves, for failing to achieve company
objectives. No one is accountable, the issues are insurmountable,
and profits pay the penalty year after year.
1
The Conference Board, Inc., Report 1440-08-RR
1
4. Sound familiar?
It did to me, too, until I finally understood what was missing—the
secret ingredient that could transform a mediocre company into WHY IS EXECUTION
a mega-successful powerhouse. It’s the thing that many of the TIED TO TRAINING?
world’s most successful companies figured out years ago, but will
never tell you about. “All else being equal, those companies that spend more on training…do
Why won’t they tell you? better in the stock market in the subsequent year than those companies that
spend less.”2
It’s their competitive advantage. It sets them apart from all the other
– Bassi and McMurrer, Harvard Business Review, March 2007
corporate wannabes out there. It’s what they figured out the hard
way, from years of expensive research, analysis and just plain trial
“Companies with high-quality development plans have twice the revenue
and error. So, it’s not something they’ll ever promote, much less
per employee.”3
give away for free.
– Bersin & Associates, 2009 Talent Management Factbook
They think of it as their own private secret weapon.
Well, no more. I’m going to tell you the same secrets that we Surprising? Not really.
have taught to a leading fast food chain, one of the world’s largest There’s overwhelming evidence to support the time-trusted adage
banks, a brand name consumer software company and other that people are a company’s most valuable asset.
organizations of all sizes. It’s time to level the playing field, to give
Over and over again during the past decade, researchers have
your company the same advantage as the Fortune 500 Goliaths.
identified training as a strong predictor of stock market returns and
It’s time to welcome a winning season for your team once and for
per capita revenue. And while there’s still investigation as to all the
all with the one thing your employees need right now to achieve
reasons this is true, it’s unequivocal that companies investing in
what I call the Double X Factor—excellence in execution.
employee training are far more successful.
I’m talking about giving your employees the knowledge, skills
Respected researchers Bassi and McMurrer point out financial
and competencies they need, at the exact time they need them,
measures such as stock performance, income per employee, gross
to help them perform their jobs better, do more with less, and
profit margin and market value per employee are significantly
achieve operational excellence. I’ll even show you how the Double
X Factor ties to retention, revenue per employee, stock price and
much more. 2
“How’s your Return on People?” (Bassi and McMurrer, Harvard Business Review, March 2007)
I’m talking about organizational training and development. 3
“2009 Talent Management Factbook: Executive Summary” (Bersin & Associates, May 2009)
3
5. WHY IS TRAINING THE MOST
IMpORTANT pART OF EFFECTIvE
TALENT MANAGEMENT?
higher for companies spending more on training per employee. And So-called ‘talent management leaders’ are well-run organizations
according to Bersin & Associates—a research and consulting firm that are just better equipped to withstand challenging economic
focused solely on enterprise learning and talent management—“A times.5
mature, integrated talent management strategy indisputably yields And what exactly is talent management? It’s the coordination of
better business results.” Their studies show top-quality employee several business-driven talent strategies including:
development plans reduce turnover, decrease downsizing and
boost revenue per employee. n
Integrated Leadership Development
n
Succession Management
So, what’s the take-away here? It’s simple: excellence in execution
n
Talent Mobility
begins with a strong focus on training. How do you get started?
n
Performance Management
The very same way you would plan a trip across country—with
n
A Focus on Organizational-Wide Learning
a roadmap.
n
Employee Development Processes (Coaching,
“Becoming a high-impact learning organization is a journey—one that Assessment, Fit and Engagement)
never ends and for which the targets are always moving. Organizations that
“In tough economic times, when the organization needs to reinvent
succeed develop a long-term roadmap, which they communicate throughout
itself, these types of programs pay for themselves hundreds of
the organization. They then use this roadmap to implement specific year-by-
times over,”6 says Josh Bersin. But according to research by Bersin
year initiatives that take them further toward greater business impact.”4
& Associates and HR Executive Magazine, talent management
– David Mallon, Bersin & Associates development among companies varies greatly.7 More than half of
companies surveyed have little or no talent management in place
at all.
5
“The Amazing Impact of Superior Talent Management” (Bersin & Associates Blog, 2009)
4
“High-Impact Learning Practices” (Bersin & Associates, July 2009) 6
lbid
7
lbid
5
6. TALENT MANAGEMENT
TALENT MANAGEMENT SURvEY
8
DECISION TIME
5% Advanced Profiting from a senior leader in place, multiple The questions you have to ask yourself about your personal talent
years of experience and a second or third generation of well- management situation are pretty clear:
deployed processes.
1. Where is my company today? Are we part of the elite few
41% Intermediate Developing and implementing well-defined at the top of the pyramid, or are we in the 95%+ who could
strategies with some mature processes already in place. benefit from enhanced talent management practices?
40% Novice Starting to design and implement a few programs. 2. Where will my company be in a year? Will we continue
15% Nothing Still thinking about the benefits of down the same path, wondering why excellence in execution
talent management. is so elusive, or will we take steps now to create a roadmap to
success with effective new talent management strategies?
Kind of a wake-up call, right? Especially when you understand all 3. Will my company endure? Will we grow stronger or will we
the benefits of intermediate and advanced talent management: fail to thrive?
n
17% Lower Voluntary Turnover Rates IS yOUR COMPANy AN ENDURING ORGANIzATION?
n
41% Lower Turnover Rates Among High Performers
n
28% Less Likely to Have a Major Layoff in 2009 “Enduring organizations, those which survive dramatic business changes and
n
109% More Capable of Retaining High Performers shifts in market demand, all benefit greatly from an integrated and strategic
n
87% More Capable of Hiring the Best People approach to talent management...Companies like GE, Caterpillar, Aetna,
n
92% Better at Responding to Economic Conditions Rogers Communications, Chevron, Cisco, Accenture, and others use these
n
144% Better at Planning for Future Talent Needs strategies to thrive, even today.”
n
26% Higher Median Revenue Per Employee – Josh Bersin, Bersin & Associates
8
“The Amazing Impact of Superior Talent Management” (Bersin & Associates Blog, 2009)
7
7. YOU CAN DO IT! TALENT MANAGEMENT TODAY
It used to be different. It used to be you had to have deep The business of talent management today has evolved.
pockets to find the dollars needed to set up a wide-reaching Organizations must no longer look at their employees as assets
talent management system, not to mention an organizational to be managed—like inventory in a warehouse. It’s time for
training program. That was a time when the rich got richer, and organizations to put systems in place that manage the entire
everyone else…well, everyone else just wished they could offer institutional knowledge flow.
their employees the same opportunities. But where do you begin? How do you create an enterprise
But that time is no more—the rules have changed. knowledge platform that aligns your collaborative, social and talent-
Today, all companies—large, mid-size, small, new, established, driven training needs with your strategic organizational objectives
centralized, dispersed or somewhere in between—have the and business results?
exact same access to the benefits of talent management and yOU NEED A BUSINESS-CRITICAL APPLICATION
organizational learning as members of the select Fortune 500.
you need an economical platform that can be customized easily to
What’s made the difference?
give your company everything it needs as quickly as possible. And
TECHNOLOGy you need it now.
Technology has democratized organizational learning and you want a suite of talent management systems to lower costs,
development by making effective and affordable training available improve quality, encourage innovation, increase efficiencies, reduce
to anyone, anywhere, whenever they need it, on demand, 24 turnover, raise profitability and—why not—guarantee a return on
hours a day, seven days a week. your investment, too.
It’s a brand new day in the world of corporate talent management, And that’s just not possible. Unless of course, you’re talking about
and finally a time when excellence in execution is within anyone’s Learn.com.
reach. Today, everyone can finally compete on a level playing field. What can Learn.com do for your organization? Read on…
you can do it!
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8. 1 client case
Well-known Restaurant Chain with 85,000 Employees
and Revenues of $1.6 Billion…
OVERVIEW:
This casual dining company faced significant geographic
challenges in delivering training to its various stores. It also
faced an inconsistency in brand image and high costs due to
employee turnover.
BUSINESS CHALLENGES:
n
Widely dispersed management organization, coupled
with an inability to track and audit training records
n
Inconsistency in training delivery
n
Extremely high new product training cost
n
Too long of a ‘time to competence’ for new employees
BUSINESS SUCCESS WITH LEARN.COM:
n
Provided consistent branding via a central location for training
with easy web access for everyone, anywhere, 24/7…
n
Promoted easy delivery of training objectives…
n
Introduced a detailed reporting system to assist the
company in tracking and auditing training records,
thereby increasing employee accountability…
n
Made marked reductions in new product training
roll out costs, time to new hire competence
and workman’s compensation cases…
n
Reduced employee turnover from 98% to 48%!
11
9. 2 client case 3 client case
$2.3 Billion Manufacturing and Retail Distributor with $820 Million Non-Profit Health System with 10,000
Over 13,000 Employees… Staff and 2,500 Physicians…
OVERVIEW: OVERVIEW:
This store-based industrial supplier required employees to have Before switching to Learn.com, this health delivery system was
specialized knowledge of a wide variety of products in as short a using an entirely manual process to conduct training, creating
time as possible. Relying on an in-person training regimen for years, many extra labor hours for HR and management. There was no
the company needed a better, faster and more cost-effective way self-registration or cancellation for training courses, and a high ‘no
to roll out new training initiatives. show’ rate as a result. They needed a new solution quickly.
BUSINESS CHALLENGES: BUSINESS CHALLENGES:
n
Training speed and delivery n
Using an entirely manual system
n
Comprehension/competency n
Very labor intensive
n
High costs n
No self-registration or cancellation ability
n
Cumbersome in-person training method n
High no-show rate
n
No way to monitor class size
IMPROVEMENTS SEEN WITH LEARN.COM:
n
Easier and faster for the user… TRANSFORMATION WITH LEARN.COM:
n
Training conducted through the one centralized, n
Simultaneously self-registered and enrolled thousands of
online location… people for training classes…
n
Employees go online, take the test, get immediate results n
Decreased training enrollment time…
and it’s tracked in the system… n
Cancelled classes automatically when minimum enrollment
n
Improved retention 5%... quotas were not met…
n
Increased sales for 4 out of 5 course participants… n
Reduced no-show rate by 50%…
n
Improved training with a 10:1 ROI over previous n
Minimized time and labor costs—went from seven web-
in-person solution… based modules to 200 training modules with less work…
n
Recommended by 100% of store managers! n
Decreased HR and management costs!
13
10. 4 client case client case 4, continued
$2.26 Billion Wireless Services Provider with n
Worked internally, as well as for customers and vendors…
5,000 Employees… n
Established precise tracking with self-service reporting
and enrollment management…
OVERVIEW: n
Automated training of new hires and specific audiences…
n
Introduced new market training with online testing and
Launching its first Learning Management System (LMS) in 2004,
course evaluations…
this wireless services provider soon discovered the system n
Tracked compliance via completion of courses to
presented several challenges, not the least of which was that it was
employee bonuses.
primarily manual. The new LMS needed to eliminate this issue, plus
allow for frequent product launches and constant training updates.
It also had to enhance the brand, and achieve a consistent customer
experience across all channels.
BUSINESS CHALLENGES:
n
Manual system
n
Limited tracking and reporting
n
Needed to make frequent product launches and
training updates
n
Wanted consistent branding for internal/external audiences
LEARN.COM RESULTS:
n
Presented a consistent brand image across all
customer channels…
n
Centralized all systems and data…
n
Provided easy-to-use platform for frequent
product updates…
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11. 5 client case client case 5, continued
$52 Billion National Bank Holding Company with n
Facilitated completion of government-required training for
12,500 Employees… 99.4% of associates…
n
Reduced the time and number of HR staff required
OVERVIEW: for implementation…
n
Significantly reduced exposure to potential fines and
With nine different lines of business, this regional bank holding
compliance shortcomings.
company’s previous LMS had spotty performance and inconsistent
reporting capability. They obviously needed a new solution
offering an LMS they could depend on for performance and
reporting accuracy.
BUSINESS CHALLENGES:
n
Inconsistent LMS performance
n
Poor reporting capability
n
Inadequate training, especially for new hires
n
Difficulty administering and documenting compliance training
BUSINESS SUCCESS WITH LEARN.COM:
n
Provided nine lines of business with their own knowledge
portals, whereby associates are automatically guided to the
appropriate section upon login…
n
Gave new hires at 600+ retail branches access to training
their first day on the job, making on-boarding and ‘time to
competence’ for new employees easy and consistent across
all business units…
17
12. 6 client case client case 6, continued
#1 Selling Tax Preparation Provider… n
Established a platform for tracking, monitoring and running
reports on mandatory training completions…
OVERVIEW: n
Gave the ability to ‘slice and dice’ the training data to
understand what training is taking place and when…
With only 105 days to make money for the entire year, this highly
n
Provided consistent, positive customer service experience
regulated tax preparation service needed a fast, effective LMS to
for clients…
support and train more than 70,000 tax preparers from November
n
Enhanced customer service with implementation of online
through January. While half of their preparers needed re-training
tax school for retail customers, complete with testing and
and updates on the new tax code, the other 50% were totally new
assessment capabilities.
and required complete training.
BUSINESS CHALLENGES:
n
Needed quick, easy solution for a
number of businesses locations
n
Required a baseline of education to support
and train 40,000 tax preparers each season
n
50% employee turnover each year
n
Highly regulated industry
n
Customer service focus
RESULTS WITH LEARN.COM:
n
Allowed company to quickly roll out training to all franchises
and partners…
n
Ensured consistent, accurate delivery of corporate initiatives
and internal messaging…
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13. 7 client case client case 7, continued
$7.8 Billion Regional Bank with 20,000 Employees… n
Increased employee engagement with easy-to-use
training interface…
OVERVIEW: n
Centralized delivery, tracking and reporting of compliance
training…
After the sub prime mortgage crisis, a robust, new LMS was
n
Reduced overall expenditures for compliance reporting…
desperately needed at this large regional bank to support its
n
Provided a powerful dashboard for diagnostics with maximum
business objectives of improved revenue growth, employee
visibility for the training process.
retention and operational efficiencies.
BUSINESS CHALLENGES:
n
Employee productivity
n
Trained, competent sales force
n
Better cross-selling
n
Poor customer service
n
Employee accountability
n
Employee engagement
n
Operational efficiencies/cost reductions
BUSINESS SUCCESS WITH LEARN.COM:
n
Prescribed learning plans for all 350 positions within the
company to improve productivity…
n
Improved employee retention with a simple, fast and
reliable platform…
n
Improved accountability with precise reporting metrics…
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14. 8 client case client case 8, continued
$383 Million Healthcare Services Provider… n
Centralized/standardized employee and field staff
communication procedures…
OVERVIEW: n
Provided more robust user interface, including the use of rich
media and import of standardized formats…
This healthcare services and equipment provider had a rudimentary
n
Gave company options to create other communication
e-learning system in place, but it lacked key functionalities, including
vehicles via blogs and discussion forums as desired.
the ability to create enhanced presentations and communicate
with all employees. The company was also experiencing massive
growth and needed a system that could scale with changes in job
titles, descriptions and training.
BUSINESS CHALLENGES:
n
Existing LMS lacked key functionalities
n
Flat, unimaginative presentations
n
Need to electronically communicate with all employees
n
Ability to scale for massive growth
n
High costs
RESULTS WITH LEARN.COM:
n
Distributed excellent, customized training solutions for an
expanding customer base representing varying clinical skills…
n
Reduced overall training cost per employee and kept training
department lean…
n
Reduced printing and mailing costs…
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15. 9 client case 10 client case
International Tire Manufacturer with Approx. 80,000 $16.3 Billion Ivy League University with more than
Employees and $23 Billion in Revenues… 2000 Staff and Faculty…
OVERVIEW: OVERVIEW:
This leading tire manufacturer was dealing with an obsolete Utilizing a homegrown system, this prestigious university needed an
learning product that created a host of HR and training-related updated LMS that could be integrated with campus e-mail, as well
issues, threatening to cripple the business. They also needed better as customized to each campus department. They also needed a
reporting for their global headquarters. versatile e-commerce application to sell athletic memberships.
BUSINESS CHALLENGES: BUSINESS PROBLEM:
n
Outdated and complex LMS n
Need a customizable, easy-to-use and user-friendly platform
n
New global business requirements with the ability to accommodate various learning formats
n
Reporting capability n
E-commerce ability with one-stop shopping
n
Integration with Outlook
BUSINESS SUCCESS WITH LEARN.COM:
n
Consolidation of all training resources into one easy-to-use BETTER OUTCOMES WITH LEARN.COM:
system for both domestic and international needs… n
Employed easy, scalable and completely out-of-the-box
n
Simplified training administration… solution for wide-scale enterprise application …
n
Enhanced performance management ability… n
Customized, easy-to-use sub-LearnCenter for
n
Improved, detailed reporting metrics with an easy-to-use e-commerce and other external enrollment initiatives…
dashboard interface. n
Reduced internal staff hours and personnel costs…
n
Increased campus e-learning initiatives…
n
Enhanced customer service by integrating the entire
system with Outlook…
n
Opened the door to participation in various educational
User Groups and forums.
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16. BEST OF ALL...LEARN.COM
pROTECTS YOUR ORGANIzATION
FROM kNOWLEDGE DRAIN
The absolute best part about Learn.com is that everything contained
on the platform is yours, and always will be. This means you will
have the ultimate training succession plan, whether for a newly
promoted staff member or someone you’ve just welcomed to
the company.
Learn.com is always ready and waiting, anywhere, anytime, 24
hours a day, and seven days a week. The beauty of embedded
training is that it can be instantaneous—whether domestic or
international—and without the traditional barriers of distance
and language.
Learn.com gives you peace of mind—people may come and
go, but you will always have the priceless consistency of quality
institutionalized knowledge, customized specifically for your
business and your customers.
What could be better?
“Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly,
or it vanishes.”
– Peter Drucker
27
17. THE IMpORTANCE OF R.O.I
TO Y.O.U.
According to the American Society for Training and Development To learn more about the DOUBLE X FACTOR, call us today
(ASTD), U.S. organizations spend more than $134 billion on at 954-233-4000, or e-mail us at info@learn.com for your FREE
employee learning and development annually, with nearly ROI Analysis.
three quarters of that—more than $80 billion—spent on the you can also find us online at http://www.learn.com.
internal function.9
With this level of investment, we completely understand your
need to be sure that training and talent management dollars are JIM RILEy IS...
spent wisely and effectively. you need to be certain—before you President and CEO of Learn.com.
commit—that you will see a demonstrable return on your investment
Jim founded Learn.com in June of 1998 and
(ROI) in a reasonable time.
is responsible for the long-term growth and
That’s why Learn.com offers all potential clients a free ROI analysis. ultimate vision for the Company.
We are so confident that Learn.com—voted the world’s best
With over 25 years of experience in the high
learning management system three years in a row—will increase
tech and consumer products industries, he
your organization’s ROI that we guarantee a hard dollar return
has co-founded and served on the boards of
on your investment during your first year with us, or your second
directors of several successful companies.
year is free.
Learn.com is the first and only company in the industry to guarantee A former fighter pilot in the U.S. military, Jim received a Bachelor of
an ROI on its products. Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Florida. He
resides with his family in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
9
“ASTD State of the Industry Report.” (ASTD, 2008)
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18. client testimonials Industry Recognition
Training Media Review Rates above average in 21 out of 24
“We have recognized substantial ROI by deploying the LearnCenter platform. categories, considered a ‘must-see.’
Our internal research shows that we save over $130,000 a year in training- Josh Bersin, Bersin & Associates “The company’s extensive,
related labor costs alone, and have decreased employee turnover by 15% easy-to-use tools make it easy to build, deploy and measure
year over year.” e-learning from a single platform.”
– Vice President, Learning and Development
Training Magazine Winner of the annual Achieving Performance
EXTRA SPACE STORAGE
Excellence Award (APX) in three categories: LMS, Authoring
“The Learn.com platform will reduce the administrative costs associated with and Collaboration.
training by more than $120,000 in the first year alone.” E-Learning! Magazine Voted Best LMS last three years in a row.
– Vice President of Performance Management
SENTO CORPORATION
Gartner Group Our customers are impressed with Learn.com’s
support services…
“Learn.com goes far beyond LMS/LCMS technology and allows us to create a
Brandon Hall “There is a reason why they have such a large
tailored learning portal with the look and feel that is 100% configurable by us.
client list: their LMS is flexible, customizable and easy to use.”
We estimated the configurability portion alone saved us almost $50,000…”
– Chief Operating Officer
ADVANCED PRESENTATIONS Just a few of our happy clients!
“Our positive ROI in just the first year will be about $50,000.”
– Health Safety and Environmental Manager
FIBERWEB, INC.
“Using the LearnCenter Platform, Pace Analytical Services saw an annual cost
savings of $218,000 and the system has cut my training tasks in half.”
– Training Director
PACE ANALyTICAL SERVICES
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