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10 Nov 2008 New white paper - 'Time and Territory Management'
Business Performance
Expert blended learning can accelerate your business performance.
Why Imparta
When founder Richard Barkey started Imparta in 1997, the goal was to provide an antidote to an industry that was – and remains – focused on delivering events rather than results.
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Imparta CEO, Richard Barkey, raises questions all business leaders should ask.
Business Impact
What clients say about our impact on their business.
Imparta brings Award-winning Innovation to Retail Training
Communications company O2 and its training partner Imparta have picked up the prize for ‘Best Use of Technology for Employee Training or Communication’ at the 2008 European Retail Solutions Awards.
This focused on the latest generation of Imparta’s computer simulations, which O2 is using as its primary technology to train retail staff about the Customer Journey of those entering its outlets. In tough retailing conditions, the business need for consistent, just-in-time training that can be delivered at low variable costs is vital due to high staff numbers and churn rates in the retail sector.
O2’s management recognised that, as competition increased, the relationship between customer and salesperson was key to creating a differentiated customer experience, and as such they needed a sales process that would drive a more customer-centric approach. There was scope to improve both the sales staff’s advisory skills and their product knowledge, and to raise the amount of revenue earned from stores by helping sales people identify higher-value customers, cross-sell products and tariffs, and increase capacity at busy times through more efficient selling.
As there had been little training occurring beyond induction, and managers had not been given coaching skills, there was the chance to introduce an innovative programme able to meet the cost-effectiveness and the training content issues.
The retail simulation Imparta built for O2 met the business needs as it goes beyond traditional sales training, which is usually instructor-led or one-way e-learning with simple knowledge-testing. In contrast, the computer-based provides a rich learning experience which involves and engages the employee, and suits the learning style of the predominantly ‘Generation Y’ staff audience.
Using the Retail computer-simulation, staff can first build their knowledge via animated tutorials, then apply the knowledge by interacting with ‘virtual’ customers in training modules replicating typical in-store scenarios. Over the eight different stages of the retail buying experience that O2 identified, staff can practice the company’s sales approach in a safe environment and gain feedback from a virtual ‘mentor’(video requires Flash 9) within the programme, who gives real-time advice on how well they’ve handled an encounter. Product and tariff information is embedded in a PDA-Like device (video requires Flash 9) enabling analytical skills to be practiced as well as customer-facing skills. ‘Successful retailers were the first to see the importance of the in-store ‘experience’ to today’s customers,’ says Richard Barkey, Imparta’s CEO. The interactions customers have with a company is a make or break factor when it comes to making a specific sale, and building loyalty. We’re helping staff experience themselves what a difference they can make to those customer encounters – and, as a result, the company’s profits.’
For more Information on this release contact:
Jayne Heaford or Russell Turner
Marketing Department
Tel: +44 (0) 207 610 8823
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