The
pace of corporate training has reached an unprecedented
rate. Training departments that once had the time and
money to print courseware and fly attendees to multi-day
sessions are nearly obsolete. Now, it’s online or bust.
With rapid changes in technology, increased expectations
for productivity and decreased tolerance for
non-essential travel, companies are rethinking old
training policies and practices.
Unlike the many companies struggling to keep pace,
Williams Scotsman (WS) has been ahead of the curve in
building a new model for corporate training. Throughout
the company’s 50-year history, WS trainers have
delivered traditional live classroom training. The
organization began to reach a breaking point, however,
when its training staff of only five people became
responsible for educating nearly 900 employees as a
result of rapid growth. The company realized a clear and
immediate need for a distance-learning solution to
support its diverse workforce across more than 100
locations in North America and Europe.
“At that time with so much change and expansion, we knew
we’d need to double or
triple our training staff or come up with an entirely
new solution,” notes Ross Thornton, the company’s
training manager. “After assessing the options, iLinc
proved to be the best solution for providing frequent,
content-rich training.”
INCREASING TRAINING EFFICIENCY
WS implemented its first iLinc software in 2000,
originally endeavoring to reduce sales team challenges
associated with traditional training (like travel time
and costs, productivity losses and retention). With
iLinc, trainers could deliver more frequent sessions in
shorter durations, which subsequently proved to increase
comprehension and retention levels. WS quickly reduced
rollout time for new sales functions and tools while
increasing overall training offerings.
Shortly after the sales rollout, the company expanded
its use of iLinc across its entire workforce, producing
training on everything from software skills and
regulatory compliance to new-hire orientation and HR
programs. Today, Williams Scotsman’s live instructors
utilize iLinc to lead and control classes of
geographically distributed students with all of the
interaction and flexibility of a traditional classroom.
Instructors choose from varied forms of synchronized
content within the iLinc interface, including PowerPoint
slides, multimedia authored courseware, Web-based
material, streaming video, white boarding, chatting and
shared software applications.
WS adopted iLinc as the ideal medium for introductory
and enhanced function training on its proprietary Sales
Force Automation (SFA) software, as well as for more
personalized on-the-job training. In its initial rollout
of two proprietary software tools, Williams Scotsman
delivered 795 hours of training in just nine weeks with
no travel disruptions or expenses.
CONTINUING TO LEVERAGE
Today, several departments rely on iLincWeb and audio
conferencing for meetings and online collaboration. And
the training department has developed a comprehensive
learning program, Williams Scotsman University (WSU),
which delivers both online and traditional classroom
courses. WSU staff takes advantage of the ability to
record training sessions and make them available for
self-paced study. The result is a full-service
experience for learners — synchronous, asynchronous and
in-person options — and continuing success for trainers.
“Our blended learning model is embraced by our staff
because it doesn’t force any one method,” points
out Williams Scotsman senior training specialist Ronald
Hoogerwerf. “The vast majority of courses are taken
online via iLinc, but the perception is that individuals
can choose to supplement these classes in a way that
works for them. It gives our learners more flexibility
and enables them to learn more, faster than ever
before.”
MEASURING
THE BENEFITS
WS touts increased efficiency as the most significant
benefit of iLinc. The training staff cites its ability,
for example, to roll out a new application to up to 400
employees across 100 locations in a period of two to
three weeks — a dramatic reduction from the old days of
traditional training.
“We’re able to focus our time and energy on content
because we don’t have to worry about the iLinc tool,”
says Hoogerwerf. “Even in compressed timeframes, we’re
able to focus on curriculum, rather than hassling over
the technology.”
Williams Scotsman’s long term success with iLinc stands
out as an example of how to achieve technology-driven
efficiencies. In 2003, a staff of nine trainers
delivered 4935 hours of training (including a small
percentage of self-paced study). By 2006, a staff of
only six delivered 13,852 hours — a productivity
increase of 321 percent per trainer. During that same
span, Williams Scotsman reduced training costs by more
than 30 percent and increased online training
participation by 195 percent.
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learn more about iLink solutions, visit:
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