2018 BP/OTI AWARDS

BEST
PRACTICES
&
OUTSTANDING
TRAINING
INITIATIVES
Training editors and Top 10 Hall of Famers
recognize innovative and successful
learning and development programs
and practices submitted in the 2018
Training Top 125 application.

BEST PRACTICES
ANTHEM INC.: FLIPPED
CLASSROOM STRATEGY
Anthem L&D implemented its Flipped Classroom Strategy
in January 2016. The objective of this strategy was to transition
in-person learning to an online self-paced environment that strate-
gically leverages facilitator engagement. The result was a guided and
engaging learning experience that allows learners to consume at their
own pace and learn from a coach and their community.
An example of this strategy is the Anthem Health Guide (AHG)
Flipped Classroom training. AHG is a specialized consumer prod-
uct that simplifies customers’ understanding and utilization of their
benefits through high-touch, high-tech, concierge-style servicing.
AHG Flipped Classroom sessions are kicked off via a video chat ori-
entation, where a facilitator provides the learners with an overview

86 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 training www.trainingmag.com

of the learning objectives, agenda, and learning technol- strategy to systematically help its clients prepare for the un-
ogy. After orientation, learners have a flexible timeframe to expected with life insurance by 2020. The goal is for every
complete all assigned tasks. The content associated with the financial advisor to address client protection needs, result-
assigned tasks uses various modalities, including: ing in 12 insurance policies annually instead of today’s
s6IDEOS average of fewer than three. The vision includes creating an
s)NTERACTIVESUPPORTTOOLS easier process for submitting and tracking applications, and
s'AMES expanding training support for branch teams to acquire the
s'ROUPACTIVITIESROLE
PLAYS confidence needed to present insurance solutions.
s!VAILABLEINDIVIDUALIZEDCOACHING )NSURANCE 0ARTNERSHIP TRAINING PLAYS A KEY ROLE 4HE IN-
!NOTHERCOMPONENTTHATHASMADE!('ANDOTHER&LIPPED surance partner pays 60 percent. Everyone profits, since
Classroom offerings successful is SmartShare Plus—an distribution partners provide more policies and branches
intranet-based social collaboration site that fosters interaction serve clients more deeply.
between participants and facilitators, and provides a platform Results: A March 2017 analysis looked at 534 branches
for deploying class-specific curricula. trained in 2015, comparing their insurance performance
Results: Since launch, 405 associates have been trained FOR  MONTHS BEFORE THE CLASS TO  MONTHS POST
CLASS )T
ON !(' THROUGH THE mIPPED APPROACH 4HIS REPRESENTS A DEMONSTRATEDTHATTHEYMOVEDCLOSERTO%DWARD*ONES,IFE
20 percent increase vs. what could have been achieved with )NSURANCE6ISIONGOALS
instructor-led training. s 4HEYPLACEDONAVERAGElVEINSURANCEPOLICIESONE
Customer survey responses have been favorable, with the more than prior.
SCORES OF !(' &LIPPED #LASSROOM
TRAINED ASSOCIATES EX- s 4HETOPBRANCHESINCREASEDPERMANENTPOLICIESBY
ceeding established goals and outperforming non-flipped eight.
trained associates. Ninety-day post-training result averages s 4HEAVERAGEINCREASEININSURANCE
RELATEDGROSSREVENUE
include: reflected a more than 600 percent return on investment.
sService Skills: 94.2 percent )NSURANCE 0ARTNERSHIP IS SO EFFECTIVE THAT %DWARD *ONES
sSensitive to My Situation: 97.5 percent CREATEDAVERSIONEXCLUSIVELYFORITSMOSTSUCCESSFUL,EVEL
sTook Responsibility: 99 percent and 10 branch teams, Advanced Branch Team Performance
sPresented Solutions: 97.5 percent !"40 )NSURANCE0ARTNERSHIP!ANALYSISSHOWEDTHAT
/VERALL YEAR
TO
DATE  &LIPPED #LASSROOM 0ROGRAM the first 2015 course produced a 50 percent increase in insur-
results: ance applications, a 55 percent increase in policies, and an 80
sClass Completion Time Reduction: 19.1 percent percent increase in households with insurance protection.
sCourses: 97 7ITH )NSURANCE 0ARTNERSHIP IN ITS ARSENAL %DWARD *ONES
sClasses: 383 HASMADElRMWIDEPROGRESSONITS,IFE)NSURANCE6ISION
sAssociates Trained: 3,344 s )NPERCENTOFBRANCHESENTEREDABUSINESSPLAN
sAssociate Class Hours Saved: 21,928 insurance goal, up from 38 percent in 2016.
sLearning Effectiveness: 
sAbility to Apply to Job:
sInstructor:
sCourseware Component: 
sSocial Collaboration Component:
s /FBRANCHESCOMPLETINGBUSINESSPLANSIN
percent entered an insurance goal, and 78 percent
increased goals from 2016 to 2017.
s &IRMWIDEINSURANCEREVENUESROSEPERCENTBETWEEN
2008 and 2016.

EDWARD JONES: NATIONWIDE MUTUAL

INSURANCE PARTNERSHIP
Offering life insurance represents a significant opportu-
nity to address unmet needs in Edward Jones clients’ legacy
planning. But branch teams had revealed they lack the con-
fidence to discuss, offer, or service insurance products.
7ITH HOME
INSURANCE COMPANY: MY
HEALTH LEARNING INITIATIVE
-Y (EALTH IS A KEY PART OF .ATIONWIDE -UTUAL )NSURANCE
Company’s brand and a successful program that helps as-
sociates achieve better health and improve productivity
OFlCE )NSURANCE 0ARTNERSHIP %DWARD in the workplace. The program helps them become better
Jones removes these barriers by bringing together branch health-care consumers through identifying health risks and
teams—one financial advisor and one branch office admin- solutions.
istrator—and their insurance consultants. Over two days, The My Health journey begins with a self-assessment that ex-
branches learn how to design and present insurance solu- amines behaviors, attitudes, and diagnostic numbers. Based on
tions, plus how to identify clients who need it. Distribution the completed assessment, recommendations for online learn-
partner consultants deliver some of the training. ing programs are made for their individual health-risk profile.
)NTRODUCEDIN)NSURANCE0ARTNERSHIPHASTRAINEDNEAR- Online learning is a key element of the modern-
ly 6,000 branch associates, more than 1,000 in 2016 alone. IZED LEARNING APPROACH PROVIDING SELF
PACED COACHING
)N%DWARD*ONESSHAREDITS,IFE)NSURANCE6ISIONA which supports and reinforces lifestyle changes to help

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 2018 BP/OTI AWARDS

participants understand their risk profile and to take a pro- SUSTAINEDGROWTHBYGAININGANDMAINTAININGMARKETSHARE

active/long-lasting approach to health and wellness. The 4HE3ALES4RAININGTEAMALONGWITHSENIORSALESLEADERSHIP
objective is to identify behaviors that need to be changed IDENTIlED )NTEGRITY 3ELLING AS ITS UNIVERSAL SALES PROCESS TO
and set personalized goals/strategies that focus on the rec- UPSKILLTHEFRONT
LINESALESPROFESSIONALSANDESTABLISHACOM-
ognition and correction of those behaviors. MONSALESLANGUAGEFORTHEBUSINESS
In addition to online learning, other options include: 4HE )NTEGRITY 3ELLING CERTIlCATION PROCESS WAS EXECUTED
s&ACE
TO
FACEWELLNESSCOACHING IN &EBRUARY  FOR THE  SALES REPRESENTATIVES 4O GAIN
s#URATEDINFORMATIONONSELECTEDTOPICSTHROUGH SUPPORTFROMSALESLEADERSANDPROMOTEASTRONGLAUNCHTHE
Nationwide’s interactive learning portal 3ALES4RAININGTEAMCONDUCTEDPRE
ROLLOUTEVENTSWITHMAN-
s3OCIALNETWORKINGWITHCOMMUNITIESSUCHAS AGERSlELDSUPPORTANDMARKETING)NTHESEMEETINGSTHE
-Y(EALTH&ITNESS-OMSAT.ATIONWIDEOR-Y7EIGHT TEAMALIGNEDPARTICIPANTSONTHEMOSTCRITICALNEEDSOFTHE
s0ARTICIPATINGINSPECIALIZEDASSESSMENTSSUCHAS sales force through root cause discussion and identified the
-Y"RAIN3OLUTIONS SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS OF 3MITH  .EPHEWS MOST SUCCESSFUL
s4ARGETEDLEARNINGSUCHASTHECOMPANYSMATERNITY REPS 4HE TEAM ALSO PROVIDED AN OVERVIEW OF THE )NTEGRITY
SUPPORTPROGRAMlNANCIALHEALTHASSESSMENTAND
UPPLANTHATWOULD
counseling
!SSOCIATE FEEDBACK AND CURRENT HEALTH PROMOTION RE-
SEARCHHELPSTODETERMINETHEDESIREDFOCUSOFTHELEARNING
3ELLINGPROCESSANDTHETRAININGFOLLOW
be critical for success.
4HE TRAINING WAS DELIVERED THROUGH DIDACTIC CLASSROOM
sessions and interactive practice. After the learners re-
All offerings are internally designed by Nationwide health
EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS AND CUSTOMIZED FOR ASSOCIATES
PLAYWITHA4RAININGTEAMMEMBERWHO
needs. My Health professionals have designed and deliv-
ered innovative learning focused on Brain Health (2016)
and Mindfulness (2017). Brain Health learning and activi-
CEIVEDEDUCATIONONTHESELLINGPROCESSTHEYWEREREQUIRED
TOCOMPLETEAROLE
USEDANELECTRONICSURVEYONANI0ADTOSCORETHELEARNERS
PERFORMANCE5SINGTHEELECTRONICSURVEYALLOWEDFORQUICK
VIEWING OF RESULTS &OLLOWING THE ROLE
PLAYS THE LEARNERS
ties focus on resilience, stress levels, executive function, and WEREREQUIREDTOCOMPLETEANELECTRONICTEST
EMOTIONAL BIAS -INDFULNESS LEARNING FOCUSES ON HELPING !FTER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF BOTH PARTS THE SALES REP-
ASSOCIATES TO BE NON
JUDGMENTAL AND INVITING AWARENESS RESENTATIVEWASCONSIDEREDCERTIlEDINTHENEWPROCESS&OR
OFTHEPRESENTMOMENTTHROUGHTECHNIQUESSUCHASMIND- THOSEWHODIDNOTSUCCESSFULLYCOMPLETEBOTHPARTSREME-
FULBREATHINGMEDITATIONANDPOSITIVEAFlRMATION4HESE DIATION WAS PROVIDED IN THE FORM OF ADDITIONAL EDUCATION
PROGRAMS ARE DELIVERED THROUGH .ATIONWIDES INTERACTIVE INTHElELD&OREVERYONEWHOCOMPLETEDTHETRAININGSALES
learning portal. MANAGERSCONDUCTEDSIXFOLLOW
UPCALLSONEPERWEEKWITH
Results: After a decade of associate participation: THEIRSALESTEAMSTOREINFORCEKEY)NTEGRITY3ELLINGCONCEPTS
s!SSOCIATESHAVEMOVEDFROMPERCENTATLOWRISK 4HESECALLSWERETRACKEDBYTHE3ALES4RAININGTEAM
STRIVINGTOMAINTAINHEALTH TOPERCENTATTHISLEVEL
INFROMPERCENTATMODERATERISKTOPERCENT
INANDFROMPERCENTATHIGHRISKSTRIVINGTO
IMPROVEHEALTH TOPERCENTIN
s4HEAVERAGEMEDICALCOSTTRENDISPERCENTLOWER
THANTHElNANCIALINDUSTRYBENCHMARK
2ESULTSFROM"RAIN(EALTHLEARNINGINCLUDE
s4HEHIGHLYSTRESSEDCOHORTIMPROVEDTHEIRAVERAGEBRAIN
health score by 9 points.
s!SSOCIATESWHOWEREIDENTIlEDTOHAVELOWPRODUCTIVITY
SIGNIlCANTLYIMPROVEDTHEIROVERALLPRODUCTIVITYBY
Results:4OMEASURETHEIMPACTONSALESREVENUEANANALY-
SISWASCOMPLETEDUSINGTHESALESDATAFROMSIXMONTHSPRIOR
TO THE TRAINING AND SIX MONTHS AFTER THE TRAINING 4HE RE-
SULTS SHOWED THAT IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE SKILLS INCREASED
REVENUEBYPERCENTVERSUSTHEPERCENTAVERAGEGROWTH
FORTHEMARKET
WELLSPAN HEALTH:
NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION
-ANYORIENTATIONPROGRAMSFOCUSONGETTINGTASKSDONEAND
PUSHINGOUTALOTOFINFORMATIONTHATWILLNOTBERETAINED
PERCENTANDDECREASEDTHEIRRELATIVEABSENTEEISMBY )N CONTRAST 7ELL3PAN (EALTHS .EW %MPLOYEE /RIENTATION
PERCENTGAININGHOURSPERWEEKOFPREVIOUSLY PROGRAMFOCUSESONTHEhEXPERIENCEvOFTHENEWEMPLOYEE
MISSINGTIME EMPHASIZINGAPROGRAMMISSIONTOWELCOMENEWHIRESAND
ENGAGE AND INSPIRE THEM WHILE MEETING IMPORTANT REGULA-
SMITH & NEPHEW: INTEGRITY SELLING tory process needs.
0RIOR TO  THE 3MITH  .EPHEW 3PORTS -EDICINE DIVI- ! SENIOR LEADER WELCOMES EMPLOYEES AND BEGINS THE PRO-
SION WITH APPROXIMATELY  SALES REPRESENTATIVES DID NOT GRAMWITHACONVERSATIONAROUND7ELL3PANSMISSIONVALUES
HAVEAFORMALSELLINGPROCESS4HECOMBINATIONOFACOMPLEX AND VISION ,EARNING AND $EVELOPMENT FACILITATORS FOCUS ON
ORTHOPEDICSALESENVIRONMENTANDALARGERAPIDLYGROWING VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE 3UBJECT MATTER
portfolio can cripple the productivity of a widely inexperi- experts facilitate throughout the day, each having an inter-
enced sales force. ACTIVEELEMENTTOTHEIRPRESENTATIONFORACONSISTENTLEARNING
$URING AN IN
DEPTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT 3MITH  .EPHEW EXPERIENCE%MPLOYEESRECEIVEAh0ASSPORTvBOOKLETTOGUIDE
DETERMINED THAT A FORMALIZED SALES PROCESS IS PIVOTAL FOR THEM ON THEIR JOURNEY AS A NEW EMPLOYEE WITH A CRITICAL

88 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 training www.trainingmag.com

 2018 BP/OTI AWARDS
mission and contact information. An electronic “New Em-
ployee Magazine” is utilized throughout the program during
presentations and is available for on-the-job use on the in-
tranet.
Over the last year, WellSpan added some enhancements
and innovation to the program. To improve the flow and re-
duce waste, all computer functions were condensed within
a single timeframe. This adjustment saved 5 minutes per
learner in program time during the first half of 2017.
Organizational growth required expanding attendee capac-
ity by 56 percent while maintaining core program objectives.
After exploring many options and weighing engagement and
costs, WellSpan opted to use an interactive, live video-stream
option and live moderator in the video-streamed room. This
avoided the need to hold a second orientation day each week
while still maintaining the personal touch.
Results: Over the last 18 months since program inception,
training hours have decreased by 33 percent, while capac-
ity has increased by 56 percent to accommodate a growing
organization. Participant feedback has been consistent (4.6
out of 5). The 2017 employee engagement survey results in-
dicate 97.7 percent of employees feel they understand how
their daily work contributes to the organization’s mission.
The organization’s Wildly Important Goal to increase the
percentage of staff who report being engaged was exceeded
by 3 percent, with 42.2 percent indicating they are engaged.
OUTSTANDING
TRAINING
INITIATIVES
BEST BUY: IN-HOME ADVISOR
In today’s environment of complex, continually advancing
technology products and services, consumers need a trusted
advisor to make sense of it all—to help them decide what
to purchase, manage setup and installation, and advise on
future technology needs. In response, Best Buy introduced
a new role called the In-Home Advisor (IHA) to sell and ad-
vise on anything and everything in the Best Buy assortment
from the comfort of the customer’s home.
training, 21 job aids, 11 e-learnings, and six videos).
Depending on role, more than 300 employees completed
the training over two to five weeks. This included job shad-
ows with in-store product experts; ride-alongs with Geek
Squad Installers; written essays; and more than 16,000
e-learning completions. Some 280 IHAs capped off training
with a certification exercise—a simulation in a space made
to look like a customer’s home through projections of room
images onto the walls. With an IHA leader role-playing a
customer, IHAs had to demonstrate expected IHA behav-
iors taught in the curriculum. The IHA leader entered their
scores into the Best Buy Coaching Portal; successful scores
triggered the learning management system (LMS) to issue
IHA certification. IHA leaders prepared for their role via
blended learning, including spending one to two days with a
peer in a successful pilot market.
Since IHA success relies on store employees successfully
recommending the IHA program and submitting appoint-
ment requests, Best Buy also developed bite-sized learning
for retail associates and call center agents.
Results:
s4HEAVERAGE)(!TRANSACTIONISTHREETIMESHIGHERTHAN
in-store transactions.
s!TTACHMENTOF'EEK3QUADSERVICESPERCENT ISTWICE
the company average.
s)(!SPERCENTAGEOFREVENUEFROMSERVICESISBASIS
points (bps) higher than retail stores.
s3TORESWITH)(!SREPORTBETTERPERFORMANCECOMPARED
to stores without: 200 bps higher revenue performance
and 800 bps lower return and exchange rate.
HAGERTY INSURANCE: AUTOMOTIVE
ENTHUSIAST CERTIFICATION
Seeking to become the “Most Loved Automobile Brand,”
Hagerty Insurance launched its Automotive Enthusiast
Certification (AEC) program in 2017. This program supports
employees in their pursuit of automotive knowledge and expe-
riences. The program provides training and experiences that
uniquely position employees as authentic in the eyes of Hagerty
clients while discovering their individual automotive passions
and career interests. The certification criteria includes:
s!UTOMOTIVE(ISTORY
s!UTOMOTIVE)NDUSTRY4RENDSAND6ALUES
Best Buy took an innovative rapid development approach
to creating IHA training. First, it gathered early intelligence
on best practices from pilot market IHAs, leaders, and sup-
porting roles for its needs analysis and got their input on
content development. Then, working with Training manag-
ers for areas such as appliances, the team repurposed activity
forms and training plan templates. A unique vendor rela-
tionship yielded 25 customized videos and job aids on the
IHA customer management system.
Best Buy completed the training plans in only eight weeks.
This included creating individualized plans for four roles
and developing all materials (three learning guidebooks
averaging 75 pages, 40-plus hours of classroom or virtual
90 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 training
s%NGINE-ECHANICS0ERFORMANCEAND5NIQUENESS
s!UTOMOBILE-AKESAND-ODELS
The certification levels of mastery include:
s.UTSAND"OLTS
sST'EAR
sND'EAR
sRD'EAR
The Nuts and Bolts certification was rolled out in April
2017. The certification involves approximately 12 hours of
required trainings and unlimited hours of recommended
hands-on experiences. Courses, experiences, and proctored
exams are offered on a quarterly basis.
Experiences include Employee Car Club events where
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 2018 BP/OTI AWARDS
employees have the chance to see and drive employee-owned
classic vehicles of various makes and models. The club meets
weekly and often helps restore employee vehicles, as well.
Hagerty also hosts an event for employees and local resi-
dents called “Cars and Caffeine” every Friday morning
during the summer months on its Traverse City campus. Em-
ployees and the public are encouraged to bring their vehicles;
enjoy a cup of coffee; and share the history, significance, and
restoration information about their vehicles. As many as 50
vehicles have attended this Friday morning event.
Hagerty’s CEO held a recognition ceremony last summer
for all employees who have passed the exam and personally
awarded them a certification pin. He acknowledged the im-
One key training component was an action plan to ensure
each team finished strong by the end of 2017. Participants de-
veloped stretch goals and used new skills and resources from
the training to increase their team’s participation rate and
revenue generation toward program targets.
Results: By the end of 2016, the DGRP saw positive results:
sMILLIONINBUSINESSREVENUE
sSALESLEADS
sPERCENTDRIVERPARTICIPATIONRATE
Through September 16, 2017, the company saw a:
sPERCENTINCREASEINDRIVERPARTICIPATION
sPERCENTINCREASEINREVENUEGENERATION
sPERCENTINCREASEINPAIDCOMMISSIONS
portance of their car knowledge differentiating Hagerty in
the marketplace and supporting the company’s car culture.
He also applauded their initiative to learn and grow.
Results:
sParticipation: Q2 goal of 50 employees passing Nuts and
Bolts exam was exceeded, with 65 employees from 12
different departments passing
sExam passing rate on first attempt: 90 percent
sEmployee retention: 93 percent in 2016; 94.8 percent in 2017
sNew business count: Q3 goal of 125,400 exceeded with
128,400
sPolicy retention: Q3 goal achieved at 89.7 percent
IRON MOUNTAIN: DRIVER
GROWTH AND REVENUE PROGRAM
Iron Mountain employs more than 3,000 drivers in North
America to transport its customers’ important informa-
tion and assets. These employees have the highest in-person
touchpoints with Iron Mountain’s customers, often develop-
ing a strong knowledge of their information management
needs through their route interactions. The company sought
to figure out a way to leverage these relationships and knowl-
edge to generate business growth and revenue, increase
driver earning power, and solve customer needs on the spot.
In partnership with business owners, field leadership, senior
executives, and high-performing drivers, the Learning team
developed a basic training framework to introduce and launch
the Driver Growth and Revenue Program (DGRP). Utilizing
bite-sized learning during morning huddles, supervisors be-
gan training their teams in September 2016 to sell supplies and
secure shredding services to new and existing customers in the
small to medium-sized business landscape, as well as generate
sales leads for opportunities outside the program’s scope.
With initial success through 2016, the business owners
tripled the participation and revenue targets for 2017 and com-
missioned the Learning team to develop a full-scale training.
The team designed an eight-hour interactive classroom ex-
perience for supervisors and managers to develop their sales
coaching and management skills, so they can direct their
teams throughout a sales process, from initial identification
to contractual close. With only a two-month training window
and 400 people to train, the team leveraged trained field lead-
ers to deliver 50 sessions across North America.
92 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 training
sPERCENTINCREASEINLEADSGENERATEDAND
percent increase in leads converted
PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC: BECKER
VALVE OPERATOR 3-D SIMULATOR
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) manages more than 48,000 miles
of natural gas pipelines in northern California. These pipelines
move gas across the state and provide a safe, clean source of en-
ergy to approximately 4.3 million customers. Valves are critical
components to ensure the safe flow of gas across the system.
Many valves are controlled by “valve operators”—a piece of
equipment that can automatically open, close, or monitor valve
position to maintain a certain pipeline pressure or gas flow rate.
These are critical pipeline components, and performing sched-
uled maintenance helps ensure the valves operate correctly and
prevent over-pressure or under-pressure events, which could
cause ruptures in the pipelines.
In 2016, PG&E identified a need to increase the efficiency
and effectiveness of the training for a specific type of valve
operator: Becker operators. The existing training was pri-
marily instructor-led utilizing props in the classroom. The
amount of time for this initial training was somewhat limited
and did not allow for enough hands-on practice. It also was
discovered that once students returned to the field, they did
not have daily exposure to the Becker operators, and, there-
fore, their knowledge and skills diminished after training.
In response, PG&E developed a 3-D simulation that simulates
live operation on the valve, including assembly, disassembly,
and cleaning. It allows the technician to see what actually oc-
curs within the valve when external adjustments are made to the
Becker operator. Additionally, the simulation allows employees
to dismantle and service the valve from start to finish.
Learners can perform the work in “Tutorial Mode,” where
they are guided through the process, and then in “Test
Mode,” where they need to show they can perform the tasks
correctly. The simulation has been incorporated into the
initial instructor-led training and deployed on students’
iPads for easy retrieval in the field at the time of need. This
has transformed the course from a four-hour lecture into
a one-hour interactive learning experience that allows the
employee to complete two services from start to finish.
Results: There are 300 Becker valve operators throughout the
system, and technicians will maintain each Becker operator
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at least once per quarter. With a previous average job time of
two hours, the simulation has proven to reduce the job time
and decrease costs by 62 percent when completing mainte-
nance on a Becker valve operator. In addition, employees are
able to complete the job safely the first time, translating to the
amount of rework decreasing by 37 percent.
WEQUASSETT RESORT
AND GOLF CLUB: STAR COACH
Last season, Wequassett Resort and Golf Club introduced
“Star Coach” to a small group of employees. Star Coach is a
learning app that analyzes employee voices to help them make
a better connection with guests. The app shows a video of a
hotel guest with a complaint, compliment, or casual question.
The employee is required to respond to the guest in the video.
The app records the statement and analyzes the employee’s
tone, speed, and emotions within his or her words.
This highly specialized analysis then provides a calculation of
how genuine the employee’s response was. It provides a score
showing confidence level, effort to connect, and emotional in-
volvement. It also delivers instant feedback and tips to improve
skills. This app was designed to be used in private, allowing
employees to practice on their own without co-workers or man-
agers watching them. Each employee was given a checklist of
scenarios that needed to be completed by a certain date.
As the app gave feedback with each practice round, employee
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scores started to improve. As the scores started to improve,
employee confidence levels rose. Although a bit frustrating in
the beginning, the app became fun and rewarding as employ-
ees began achieving different levels within it. This started an
internal competition that was organically built between the
employees sharing their scores and achievements.
Results: In Wequassett’s Employee Survey, the front-office
employees selected to utilize the app increased the score
for “The job-specific training provided to me was thorough,
allowing me to perform my job effectively” from 88 percent
satisfaction to 94 percent excellence.
The hard work put in by front-office employees started to
be reflected in the scores they received on Forbes inspections.
For the standard “Employee shows a genuine sense of interest
and concern for the guest,” the front-office team scored 96
percent, attaining the point for 29 out of 30 opportunities.
This was an increase from the previous year’s score of 88 per-
cent (31 points achieved for 35 opportunities).
Arrival and departure audits for the front office also im-
proved. Arrival scored 93.33 percent in both April and May
and 96.55 percent in June—all five-star scores. Departure
scored 91.67 percent in April and improved to five-star scores
with 100 percent in May and 95.83 percent in June. These
high scores contributed to Wequassett Resort and Golf Club
receiving a Forbes five-star ranking for the second year in
a row. Qt
Save the Date :
Certificates: February 22 – 24
Conference: February 25 – 27
Expo: February 25 – 26
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Walt Disney World® Resort, Florida
Photos ©Disney
training JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 | 93