See how this large financial services company effectively uses e-learning to train their salesforce and increase revenue for their business. Training sales people on a new product can be overwhelming, especially if the deadline is tight. Making sure everyone has completed their learning on time is one thing, but creating training courses that bring noticeable results can be difficult. In this case study you’ll find out how American Express engaged their sales team in e-learning and successfully prepared them for a new product launch in just two weeks.

1. How American Express uses
training to increase sales
See how this large financial services
company effectively uses e-learning
to train their salesforce

2. THE CLIENT
American Express is one of the world’s
largest card issuers, processing millions of
transactions daily as the premium network
for high-spending card members. It also
operates the world’s largest travel network
serving both consumers and businesses.

3. BUSINESS GOAL
American Express was introducing new
products and services across EMEA and
needed to train more than 300 sales people
on them in a very short period of time. They
designed a skills and knowledge
programme which was targeted at their
sales team and was to enable sales
managers to identify new opportunities and
increase revenues for the business.

4. THEIR CHALLENGE

5. Complex training programme
To create the desired behaviour change among sales people, American
Express needed a skills and knowledge programme that comprised a blend
of classroom training focused on soft skills, and e-learning which would
complement the traditional training sessions.
Low enthusiasm for e-learning
While e-learning had been used by American Express in the past, few sales
people had any enthusiasm for it.
Short timescales
Project timing was critical and the e-learning course had to be completed by
staff in just two weeks in preparation for the final face-to-face workshops.
Tracking and reporting
With such short timescales American Express had to make sure all involved
staff completed their e-learning in time for classroom training.
Not enough in-house e-learning capabilities
The majority of the company’s trainers were face to face, and though the
company had an internal e-learning team, they needed more capabilities to
meet the demands and timescales of the project.

6. THE DISCOVERY
American Express needed a training
partner that would assist them in the
design and development of the e-learning
modules and fulfil their expectations.

7. Commelius has an excellent track record in
the delivery of e-learning and considerable
experience in how e-learning is best delivered
as part of a blended learning approach. We
were confident that they could deliver an
excellent product within a very tight timeframe.
Samantha Hansford, Training & Development Manager, EMEA
“
”

8. THE SOLUTION

9. To combat low expectations, it was vital that the
e-learning had a style and approach that would
bring the subject matter to life and provide an
engaging learning experience to reinforce the
essential knowledge and behaviours.
“
” Samantha Hansford, Training & Development Manager

10. Solution: interactive e-learning that could
also be used in a just in time way
Commelius created three hours of interactive and engaging
e-learning; with one module being designed per product.
Designed in collaboration with key stakeholders across the
business, the modules included all the required facts and
knowledge about each product within an innovative design.
Each module used a familiar structure that was easy to
navigate if the learner returned to use the modules in a just
in time way. They also each contained a useful and practical
product toolkit. Each module ended with a user assessment
so learners could check their knowledge.

11. With such short timescales, the
tracking and reporting capability
was key to the project’s success.

12. Solution: tracking and reporting tool
The e-learning was delivered on ALTO - Commelius’s learning
management platform.
Every morning during the two week completion period, thanks to a
tracking and reporting tool – Pursuit which is a part of ALTO – the
L&D team could download a report on who had successfully finished
the modules.
Samantha and her team were then able to identify who had not yet
completed the course and escalate actions to the relevant
management teams, so they could push their teams through.

13. RESULTS

14. The e-learning course was completed on time and
on budget with a completion rate of 86%.
Over half the learners completed feedback forms with
100% rating the learning as good or excellent,
99% reporting that they were now more familiar with the
capabilities of the products and 90% felt they were more
comfortable discussing products with customers.

15. We’re delighted with the e-learning and
the feedback – the users really enjoyed the
experience and we were able to move into
the workshop phase fully prepared.
“
”
Samantha Hansford, Training & Development Manager

16. Also see…
How Clifford Chance’s e-learning
gets results
…and discover how one of the most reputable
legal firms engages their global staff in learning.
Click here to see it

17. www.commelius.com
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