Case Studies

Used for skill checks, compliance training, and knowledge imparting

What is the nature of your company's business?

We manage store staff for a major telecommunications carrier.

［Mr. Sugimura.]
We are commissioned by two major telecommunications carriers to manage store staff throughout the western Japan area, together with about 40 partner companies. We manage and train staff to propose mobile handsets, internet lines, plans, and various services.

How are you using learningBOX in this context?

We provide skill checks, training, and knowledge imparting.

［Mr. Sugimura.]
We use learningBOX mainly for the purpose of checking staff skills, compliance training, and imparting product knowledge. Based on this training, each staff member makes proposals for cell phones and fiber optic lines at each store. Including the staff at each store, as well as the sales representatives and managers who manage those staff, we have signed up 400 people for NTT DoCoMo plans and 500 people for SoftBank plans.
We had not implemented e-learning in our company before, and we decided to introduce it because our general manager was acquainted with a board member of your company. I think it was around 2020 when we introduced the system.

━LearningBOX offers a choice of 13 different types of questions, but please tell us how it is actually operated.

Tests, quizzes, and surveys are also available.

［Muramatsu-sama.]
I am in charge of Softbank, and I mainly use PDF files for tests and quizzes, and for compliance and various campaign announcements. The quiz consists mainly of right/wrong (X/Y) questions, and about 20 questions are created per month.

［Mr. Yagi.]
I am in charge of NTT DOCOMO. I mainly create tests using multiple choice, multiple choice, pull-down, and correct/incorrect (XX) questions. We have also recently started using linked content (a feature that allows us to set performance criteria for specific material and display different material only to those students who meet those criteria). In addition, we conduct a survey once every three months to gather feedback from the field.

What changes have occurred before and after the introduction of the LearningBOX?

Individual management of staff has also been facilitated.

［Mr. Yagi.]
Before introducing learningBOX, confirmation was mainly done by e-mail or telephone, and the level of staff understanding was largely based on the experience of the person in charge. Of course, we used Excel to manage progress, but there was a time lag in communication with the field, and it was also very analog.

［Mr. Kurashima.]
We mainly have all staff members take compliance tests and other important awareness tests, and then feed back the individual results to each subcontractor. We are able to check how much of the information is being viewed on the LearningBOX, which makes it easier to manage the progress of the program. Data aggregation has also become easier, allowing us to spend more time analyzing various trends. We feel that we are now able to provide specific follow-up to each staff member by using the analyzed and quantified data to prepare instructions to each subcontractor and to check the progress afterwards.

［Muramatsu-sama.]
We use the email setup feature to send out announcements all at once, and we use several different templates depending on the level of importance. The staff in the field also checks the important contents right away, and we feel that the speed of notification has increased dramatically.

Have you noticed any specific effects or results since the introduction of the LearningBOX?

The longer I continue to do this, the more I realize the benefits.

［Mr. Yagi.]
We create and distribute about seven questions a week about the products used by staff in the field. We also send out a variety of other content on a daily basis to prevent the knowledge from fading away. The longer we continue to use the system, the more effective it is. However, even if the program is used for a long time, it depends on the motivation of each staff member, so we need to devise ways to motivate them.

What are some of the challenges you have encountered with the LearningBOX?

It would be nice to have more detailed settings based on the level of understanding.

［Mr. Yagi.]
I once made a video explaining a problem in a test operation. We used the videos for questions where many people repeatedly made mistakes, and people who watched the videos remembered the questions better than those who watched only the text. However, it takes time to make a video, so we have not been able to make use of it due to staffing issues.

［Mr. Kurashima.]
I feel that it would be great if it were possible to make more detailed settings for linked content (a function that allows students to set performance conditions for specific material and display different material only to those who meet those conditions). For example, it would be useful if it were possible to display educational materials for each person who answered a question correctly or incorrectly.

［Mr. Sugimura.]
For example, in a correct/incorrect question (○× question), it would be good if, when a student makes a mistake, he or she could explain the reason for the mistake and follow up to avoid making the mistake next time before moving on to the next question.

Do you have any requests for more features in ━learningBOX?

A handwritten signature feature on the pledge would be helpful.

［Dear Abe.]
It would depend on the environment on the user side, but it would be very convenient to have the pledge form handwritten and signed, and to be able to consolidate them.

［Mr. Yagi.]
When we upload PDF materials, we would like to have a system that not only confirms that the material has been viewed, but also allows us to indicate that we have understood the material. I would like to emphasize "understood" rather than just "viewed.

What are the advantages of conducting training in-house rather than outsourcing?

The greatest advantage is the ability to keep up with the latest information.

［Mr. Yagi.]
Speed is critical in this industry; we must acquire and prepare a variety of information before commercials come out. The content of this information varies from region to region and store to store, but we always try to purchase the most up-to-date information to meet the needs of our customers and prepare materials in-house to provide it to them. I believe that we are able to respond with a sense of speed in the sense that we are always providing new information on compliance, news and other current events, product announcements, and so on.

［Mr. Sugimura.]
Although it is difficult to communicate directly with all staff members, the learningBOX allows us to send messages directly to them and to manage logs and other information, so it is easy to check whether our messages are being received. It is also easy to confirm that our messages are being received, which is very helpful. It is important to internalize training in order to send out messages in a timely manner.

Please tell us about your future plans, such as what you would like to do with the LearningBOX.

We would like to further improve the quality of training, including sharing training videos.

［Mr. Yoshinobu]
We want to improve the quality of our staff even more than before, so we are looking for ways to utilize not only the current compliance testing and current events, but also other areas to expand the range of what our staff can handle.

［Mr. Sugimura.]
We are talking about the possibility of exchanging training videos on the learningBOX. We are conducting role-playing training in which staff members propose actual plans, etc. to each other and to the person playing the role of a customer. We are filming the training and watching the videos, and we think that if we can share the videos among the branches, the quality of the training will be further enhanced.

Afterword

How was the case study interview with NTT Marketing Act ProCX Corporation?
We believe that learningBOX can also be used by companies that want to bring their training in-house.

Thank you very much for taking time out of your schedule to meet with us.
We appreciate this opportunity.