A large health insurance organization was changing their IT platform to web-based and, more importantly, moving to a proactive customer service business model away from the traditional transaction model. This effort involved learning new technology and new business processes and attitudes. The traditional classroom model for training call center workers took twelve weeks and it was then still nine months before the reps became fully efficient.
This was not unlike the situation faced by the telecommunications firm in story three but a somewhat different solution was created, one that had a stronger learning component as we will see. For the health insurance company, neither of the above time frames were acceptable to transform the entire work force. A business case was developed based on a reducing classroom time, decreasing the learning curve, and bringing forward the benefits of the major transformation of the business.
To achieve the projected benefits, we decided to turn the traditional learning model on its head. We decided that we were not going to train people at all. Instead, we were going to put all the procedures, information, and knowledge to provide customer service and process claims in a KM system available on the job. We made the workers responsible for their own learning but gave them what they needed to do the job. This was consisitent with the desire to enable the workers to be more self-sufficient and have more control over aspects of their job.
However, we did not just turn them loose on customers. We put them in a two week simulation where they were given claims to process and access to the KM system to support their efforts. Other off-duty employees called in, simulating real customers. A facilitator, not a teacher, was there to answer questions. In order to graduate you needed to use the system to actually do your new job. Those who got through quickly were then asked to help the slow learners, encouraging increased team work, another goal of the transformation.
We also knew that not all the procedures would be documented in the initial efforts and not all those that were would be right. So we created a simple wizard to have employees write their thoughts on procedures they found undocumented, as well as their ideas on how to do those that were covered even better. We gave them examples of how to write good procedures, in a help file, so they could better respond to this task. In the simulation exercises they were required to use this wizard to encourage its use back on the job. An organization was set up to evaluate, process their suggestions, and give the reps feedback on their input.
According to user feedback this proved to be the most popular learning program that most participants had ever experienced. At one point when the new overall work IT system was being introduced sometime prior to release, the employees got much more excited about the KM system that we introduced along with the IT system. It even got a standing ovation after a long day of demos and employees said they wanted it right now, even if the overall IT system was not ready.
Lessons Learned:
What was Done Right:
Gain and Enlist Top Down Support to Overcome Turf Issues
Listen to the Users, Involve Them in the Design
Align Knowledge Strategy to Business Strategy
Align Knowledge Applications to Key Business Goals and Process
Develop a Clear Business Case
Integrate Learning and Knowledge Management
Involve all the Key Stakeholders
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