Challenge: A leading gas station and convenience store company aimed to introduce a comprehensive loyalty program across thousands of locations nationwide. The rollout presented several unique challenges, including:
- Differentiating training for corporate-owned and franchise locations.
- Managing training for a majority ESL audience with diverse employee demographics.
- Addressing high turnover rates among employees, which required a sustainable training approach.
- Ensuring consistent program understanding and execution across all locations to deliver a seamless customer experience.
Solution: To address these challenges, a multi-faceted training strategy was developed and implemented. The strategy focused on ensuring frontline readiness, employee engagement, and consistent program delivery across all locations.
Key Actions:
- Comprehensive Training Program:
- Teaser/Announcement Bulletins: Created bulletins for various stakeholders (Territory Managers, Dealers/Owners, and all employees) to build anticipation and inform them about the new loyalty program.
- Program Launch Video: Developed a launch video to provide an overview of the program and build excitement among employees.
- Face-to-Face Roadshow: Conducted instructor-led workshops for Territory Managers and Dealers/Owners to provide a deep understanding of the program, its benefits, and leadership training.
- Support Kit: Distributed physical support kits containing detailed information about the program, employee engagement tactics, and job aids to assist in implementation.
- Online Training Modules:
- Developed two 10-15 minute online training sessions specifically designed for frontline employees to cover the program overview, sign-up process, reward redemption, and customer scenarios.
- Created eight 2-3 minute sustainment training modules launched weekly over an 8-week period to reinforce learning and ensure behavior change.
- In-Field Support and Feedback:
- Conducted in-field visits to pilot stores to ensure successful implementation and gather firsthand feedback.
- Implemented monthly employee feedback surveys to identify gaps, measure training effectiveness, and make necessary adjustments.
- Differentiated Training Approach:
- Tailored training programs for different employee tiers (Frontline, Retailers/Dealers, and Territory Managers) to address their specific needs and responsibilities.
- Utilized strong visuals and simplified language to cater to ESL employees, ensuring all training materials were accessible and easy to understand.
Outcomes: The implementation of the nationwide loyalty program was a success, with significant outcomes including:
- High Employee Engagement: Employees across all locations were well-prepared and confident in presenting the loyalty program to customers.
- Increased Program Enrollment: High levels of employee participation and customer sign-ups were achieved through effective training and support.
- Improved Customer Experience: Consistent and knowledgeable interactions with customers led to positive feedback and increased loyalty program adoption.
- Scalable Training Model: The sustainment training approach effectively addressed high employee turnover, ensuring new employees were quickly brought up to speed.
Key Takeaways: This project highlights the importance of a strategic, multi-faceted training approach in order to successfully launch and sustain a complex nationwide loyalty program. By addressing the unique challenges of a large-scale rollout and ensuring consistent program delivery, significant improvements in employee engagement and customer satisfaction were achieved, allowing the program to get a running start. This robust training gave employees the ability to rapidly change and adapt to necessary changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strong understanding and passion they had for the program allowed it to continue to grow and thrive during the pandemic and help customers better adapt to their own changing needs.