Top insights on training democratization from an American automaker
Executive Summary: This article discusses the factors that led to the success of an automation rollout at a major American automaker during the Covid pandemic. Democratizing the rollout proved essential in garnering employee support, but training could have been improved to further community-building and democratization during this time of uncertainty at the company. Alternative training solutions can aid administrators in community-building and personalized training to further ensure that no employee is left behind during a new technology rollout.
This article is based on an interview with an executive at a large American automotive company who wished to stay anonymous.
The automotive industry faces an existential crisis on many fronts due to an aging business model. These include the shift to electric vehicles and changing consumer preferences in the automotive market. However, the most urgent one is the rapid pace of change in the skill sets needed to work in the industry. Automation and other technologies collectively known as Industry 4.0 are revolutionizing every part of the automotive industry from automotive from engineering to sales. The introduction of these technologies has created a skills gap across the industry that executives are scrambling to address.
One American automotive company began its transition to Industry 4.0 technologies just before the Covid pandemic began. This automaker faced many challenges that were made worse by the pandemic. But the RPA implementation still saw fantastic results despite the challenges it faced.
The purpose of the RPA at this automaker was to identify and automate repetitive jobs that were performed by humans. The goal of automating repetitive jobs was to free workers to work on more core, high-value jobs. Many employees feared that they would lose their jobs once they became automated, so the automaker had to address and resolve these fears successfully. But these fears proved to be unfounded, and the implementation of RPA proved to have many other benefits as well. It threw the company’s dependence on time management out the window. It also allowed the company to go paperless, which allowed all documents and communications to be accessed from anywhere.
People forget nearly 90% of what they have learnt within just 7 days, unless the concepts are reinforced. That’s why employees swamped with documents, presentations, and classroom sessions are not likely to learn much.
However, time constraints make it difficult to reinforce vast concepts.
What can you do instead? Arm your employees with one concept at a time. Studies show the human attention span is only 8.25 seconds, so keep your training concise.
RapL is your software for that.
How did the automaker ensure a smooth rollout of RPA?
There were four steps the automaker took to ensure a successful implementation and transition:
- Testing: Many employees were fearful of the way RPA would change the way they worked. This automaker implemented extensive pilot testing to observe the way this would change workflows. Data from pilot testing was also used to adapt other processes to complement this change. Extensive pilot testing also ensured that any kinks were smoothed out before company-wide rollout.
- Training: The company adopted a combined regimen of videos and live training to train employees on RPA. Videos were to be more engaging than standard training material and live training taught hands-on skills. Employees were tested throughout and after training with assessments to make sure they knew what they had to know. Training was conducted uniformly across the entire company to minimize miscommunication.
- Support: The automaker implemented many support systems to ease employees into the transition of working with RPA. As part of this, the RPA was designed to be low/no code to eliminate dependence on SAP. This allowed employees to easily automate processes themselves without prior coding experience. The low/no code platform also ensured every employee understood the code that was being used.
- Rollout: The rollout of RPA was conducted uniformly throughout the company, so that every division and every location received the same training. The introduction of RPA was conducted with the feedback and support of employees at a grassroots level.
Democratizing implementation and training for RPA
The most important step the company took to allay employees’ fears about losing their jobs was democratizing the entire implementation of RPA. There were three administrative bodies involved in overseeing the implementation: the executive committee, a group of functional leaders, and groups of employees on the ground.
The executive committee was the administrative body in charge of overseeing and planning the implementation of RPA across the entire company. Functional leaders were individuals chosen by each team to act as a leader and as an ambassador to the executive committee. Before implementing each progressive step of RPA, the executive committee conducted a “vibe check” with the functional leaders to hear employee concerns. In this “vibe check,” functional leaders took note of employee sentiments, concerns, and feelings regarding the implementation and next steps. The executive committee changed implementation plans accordingly.
Lastly, functional leaders held a weekly town hall meeting with their teams to hear concerns and inputs from their colleagues. These town hall meetings ensured full, community-wide participation in the RPA implementation. These town hall meetings also helped foster a sense of community in an uncertain time and helped allay fears of layoffs.
By ensuring full community participation in the RPA implementation process and by making it as transparent as possible, this automaker helped allay anxieties and fears of employees. Employees found that they had more time to devote to core tasks now that the repetitive ones were being automated and performed by robots. Instead of being laid off, they were free to focus on core tasks that provided more value to the automaker.
How can microlearning help democratize your training process?
The automaker described above used a combination of live training and videos to train its employees on RPA. What if we told you there was a better way? One that would foster community and engagement and would make training itself more democratic?
Microlearning is a new method of training that lends itself to promoting engagement, community building, and healthy competition amongst your employees. Microlearning breaks up large chunks of information into small pieces so that employees can spend just a few minutes every day learning an actionable topic. Microlearning software incorporates the latest research on memory, learning, attention span, and human psychology to make training more effective and enjoyable. Focused microlearning modules can be accessed anytime and anywhere, so that workers can learn at their own pace.
Why is microlearning so suited to community-building and employee engagement?
Most microlearning softwares incorporate basic features that help employees connect with each other and facilitate team building:
- Gamification: Most microlearning platforms have gamified leaderboards, badges, points, and achievements that help employees engage with the content and with each other. The healthy competition introduced by gamification can aid community-building within teams as they set up friendly contests with each other during the training process.
- AI-based content personalization: RapL’s microlearning platform detects the strengths and weaknesses of each learner. RapL’s algorithm targets daily questions to help close the skills gaps of each individual employee. This unique level of personalization will help employees feel more comfortable with what they learn and will alleviate some of the fears and stress surrounding the implementation of automation.
- Individual learning paths: Learners can learn at their own pace with any microlearning platform. This allows everyone to learn at the pace they feel comfortable with. It also creates a culture of continuous learning so that employees can learn theoretically through training while gaining hands-on experience on the job. Microlearning is conducive to a slow transition to automation similar to what the automaker in this case study did.
- Media compatibility: Microlearning as a tool can complement all kinds of media. Microlearning platforms support the usage of videos like the American automaker did. They can also support more traditional training programs that make use of PDFs and images. Most importantly, microlearning platforms can be used to support and solidify live training. They can be a helpful tool to support learning what was taught in a live session. They can also provide assessments to assess each learner’s skill level with the content to complement live training.
- Social learning: Microlearning lends itself to a continuous learning culture. This culture promotes social learning so that employees can learn from each other during the rollout process, contributing to community-building.
Gamification and other features make microlearning an excellent way to support a transparent and communal transition and implementation process that made the American automaker’s RPA implementation so successful.
How can microlearning support the administrative side of an RPA rollout?
Microlearning platforms also possess administrative-side features that facilitate other factors essential to success like training uniformity and metric tracking. In the case study, the automaker collected three key performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of training: attendance, self-reported training feedback, and the feedback of line managers. Most microlearning platforms will also collect and report more specific and granular data on advanced metrics ranging from activation rate to average time spent on modules. This granular metric tracking provides an administrative experience that can help managers and functional leaders target training where it’s needed most:
- Centralization: Microlearning platforms allow you to manage all your employees and learning modules using the same software, which helps keep training uniform and consistent across teams and locations. Employees, learning materials, and courses can all be found in one place.
- Organizational hierarchies: Some platforms allow you to replicate organizational hierarchies based on groups and roles (attributes which can be assigned to employees to indicate roles and locations, or anything else). These groups and roles allow managers to assign courses only to the employees who need them while keeping the learning centralized.
- Analytics and metrics: All good platforms report granular data on advanced metrics from activation rate to average time to complete modules. This data can be viewed company-wide or broken down by group or role. Access to this level of data can help evaluate the success of training. The data can also point to things that could be improved about training.
- Scalability: Most microlearning platforms are infinitely scalable. As many employees as needed can be added to a company’s microlearning platform. This makes it a perfect fit for large automotive companies that need to deliver consistent training company-wide.
Microlearning can be a powerful tool for furthering a gradual rollout process that is uniform and centralized. It also promotes employee engagement and healthy competition. These all allay employee fears and ensure that the rollout goes smoothly and employees feel secure and respected. To schedule a demo of RapL’s microlearning platform, please reach out to us at hello@getrapl.com.
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The Ultimate Guide to Frontline Employee Training
Who Are Frontline Employees? Frontline employees are the face of your business. They are the customer service representatives, field agents, retail staff, warehouse operators, and service technicians who interact directly with customers, products, and operational processes. Their impact on business success is immediate and measurable, as they: ✅ Drive customer satisfaction through direct interactions.✅ Influence revenue generation in sales and service roles.✅ Ensure operational efficiency in logistics and supply chains.✅ Handle safety and compliance, reducing workplace risks. Without proper frontline employee training, organizations risk high turnover, inconsistent service quality, and reduced productivity—leading to costly operational inefficiencies. How Are Frontline Employees Categorized in an Organization? Organizations typically structure frontline employees based on their roles and responsibilities. For instance: Customer-Facing Teams: Retail associates, call center representatives, and sales agents who provide direct customer interactions. Field Teams: Field sales reps, service technicians, and delivery staff working outside the office. Operations and Support: Logistics workers, facility managers, and warehouse operators who ensure seamless internal processes. Different Types of Frontline Employees and Their Activities Customer Service Representatives: Handling customer inquiries and complaints. Providing product recommendations and support. Field Sales and Agents: Engaging customers in their environment. Promoting products and closing deals. Warehouse & Logistics Workers: Managing inventory and supply chain logistics. Ensuring timely deliveries and reducing operational errors. Facility and Maintenance Teams: Maintaining safety and compliance standards. Conducting routine audits and reporting issues. Why Should Frontline Employees Matter to an Organization? Frontline employees are a direct link between the company and its customers. When empowered, they: Enhance customer experiences with improved service and response times. Increase sales conversions by confidently communicating product value. Ensure operational efficiency through optimized workflows. Strengthen brand loyalty by delivering consistent service quality. Why Is Training Needed for Frontline Employees? Many frontline workers operate in high-pressure, fast-paced environments with little time for formal training. Without effective learning opportunities, they: Struggle to keep up with changing processes and new technologies. Lack confidence in customer interactions, leading to lost business. Miss important safety and compliance protocols, increasing risk. Feel disengaged, resulting in higher turnover rates. Why Frontline Employees Hesitate to Engage with Training Despite its benefits, many frontline employees see training as a burden. Common barriers include: ❌ Training sessions feel too long and disrupt daily work schedules.❌ Content is generic and doesn’t address real challenges.❌ Lack of clear incentives or immediate impact on their performance.❌ Limited access to training platforms, especially in field-based roles. The Role of Engaging Content in Frontline employee training Let’s be honest—boring training content gets ignored. RapL Craft makes content creation effortless and engaging: 🎥 AI-powered tool to create interactive, high-quality learning materials in minutes 📚 Create quizzes, tests, assignments, surveys with just simple prompts 🎮 Integrate learning content creation into your workflows, save time and improve efficiency With RapL Craft, businesses can quickly develop impactful training content that resonates with employees and keeps them engaged. Explore Craft today! Best Practices for Frontline Employee Training: Making Learning Stick The best frontline employee training programs blend different learning methods for maximum engagement and retention. Here’s how: 🎯 On-the-Job Learning: Employees learn best by doing! Pairing hands-on experience with structured training creates a stronger learning experience. 📱 Mobile & Microlearning: Short, engaging modules fit into busy schedules and ensure knowledge is absorbed in bite-sized pieces. 🏆 Gamification & Rewards: Who doesn’t love a little competition? Adding leaderboards, challenges, and rewards makes training fun and engaging. 📊 KPI-Based Learning: Training must connect to employee performance metrics so workers see its relevance and impact. 🔄 Continuous Learning & Reinforcement: One-time training sessions won’t cut it—regular knowledge reinforcement is key to long-term success. How to Measure Training Effectiveness: Linking Training to KPIs A frontline employee training program should directly impact business metrics. Here’s what to track: 📈 Performance Improvement: Are employees hitting their sales, service, or operational KPIs post-training? ✅ Training Completion & Engagement Rates: Are employees actively participating and completing training modules? 📊 Knowledge Retention: Are employees applying what they’ve learned on the job? 🙌 Customer & Employee Feedback: Are customers and frontline workers noticing the benefits of training? Tracking these indicators ensures training is not just a one-off event but a measurable driver of business success. The Role of Knowledge Mapping & Analytics Data-driven decision-making is essential for frontline employee training success. RapL Analytics helps companies: 🔍 Identify knowledge gaps of the frontline employees through real-time performance tracking and learning engagement 📊 Monitor training impact on key KPIs, correlate training to the individual KPIs of employees and measure the impact in real time 📈 Enable managers to fine-tune training programs based on data and provide regular feedback to nudge frontline employees to perform better By leveraging RapL Analytics, businesses ensure frontline employees receive relevant, impactful training that leads to measurable performance improvements. Key Takeaways: Future-Proofing Your Frontline Employees 🚀 Frontline training isn’t optional—it’s a business game-changer. Well-trained employees mean better customer experiences, improved safety, and higher productivity. 📱 Modern training needs to be digital-first. Mobile learning, microlearning, and interactive methods keep frontline employees engaged. 🏆 Mix it up! The best training programs combine gamification, real-time coaching, and data-driven insights for lasting impact. 📊 Measure everything. Link training to performance KPIs, customer satisfaction, and employee retention for real ROI. 💡 Leverage AI & automation. RapL Analytics, and Craft take the hassle out of training, making it smarter, faster, and more effective. Empower your frontline teams. Strengthen your business. Let’s make frontline training work.
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