The Cisco World Wide Sales Processes and Systems (WWSPS) group has revamped its eight-year-old approach to conducting virtual sales training. With an eye toward significant cost savings and productivity benefits as the Cisco continues its global expansion, the group has adopted WebEx Training Center, one of the Cisco WebEx services, as its primary online mechanism for delivering sales tools and processes training to field sales.

Because of their added interactive features, WebEx solutions, such as WebEx Training Center, will replace Cisco MeetingPlace online conferencing. WebEx Training Center provides live interactivities through polling, live videos, and application sharing with screen annotation tools. By giving trainees a richer, more lifelike, online learning experience, Cisco can mitigate the cost of dispatching trainers around the world during its global growth spurt, while scaling its training program to accommodate volumes of new and existing sales employees.

“Putting live interactive video and collaborative training sessions online enables Cisco to extend the training reach of a trainer to many parts of the world from one location,” says Rich Reiner, IT manager for the Cisco WWSPS training team.

Cost savings are one important goal with Synchronous E-learning with WebEx Training Center: the group aims to save at least US$50,000 per year from training travel alone and at least another US$200,000 in cost avoidance by lowering the number of additional contracted trainers needed, says Reiner. Since August 2008, more than 4000 students have attended instructor-led training at remote sites.

New Hires Trained Faster

Other critical objectives involve increased sales efficiency and proficiency. For example, using WebEx Training Center to deliver synchronous e-learning means not having to pull sales force out of the field (and away from customers) to physically attend a remote training session. It also accelerates new-hire training on various sales tools applications so that new hires can start tracking and closing business more quickly. To date, the average sales new hire has received the requisite training three to six months after being hired, because scheduling conflicts and budget constraints frequently impact trips to instructor-led classes.

“We want to train sales new hires within 30 days of their start dates,” says Janie Mah, a Cisco IT project manager and the team lead for the deployment of WWSPS Synchronous E-Learning with WebEx Training Center. “The sales force excels at selling Cisco products and services, but it is equally important that they know how to use our tools effectively and apply the correct processes to drive, manage, or close any Cisco business,” says Reiner.

Mah says that, until now, only about 40 percent, or approximately 800 sales new hires per year, have been able to attend live training in San Jose. A primary reason is that emerging markets represent the fastest growing salesforce, and many find traveling costs and procuring a travel visa in time to come to Cisco San Jose headquarters for a five-day new-hire training program an obstacle. By emulating a live learning experience online, however, employees globally can experience the same training and get it soon after they join Cisco.

Session in Progress

So what happens during these training sessions? The first few minutes are devoted to familiarizing attendees with WebEx Training Center features and benefits. Participants can see the instructor on a video screen, and a list of all attendees. Attendees and the instructor can converse with each other by audio or online chat.

Training content and application sharing is delivered in the WebEx main content window. The instructor can call out and review key points with the annotation tools, such as the pointer, a highlighter, check marks or rectangles. Attendees are invited to use their annotation tools to promote interactions and collaborations. Attendees are also encouraged to ask questions by “raising their hands,” or typing their questions in the chat or Q&A panels.

Instructors can also provide additional supporting materials during class by using file sharing. At the end of the course, attendees may be asked to complete an online assessment or course evaluation. Both produced immediate results and instant feedback are emailed to the attendees, says Mah.

Different Learning Styles

Training is also customized to a particular business segments or job role by including related subject matter experts in the training sessions. While a large majority of the sales processes are consistent worldwide, there are unique differences that need to be considered.

“We use WebEx to introduce as many ways for interaction as possible and address each individual’s learning style,” says Mah. “The synchronous e-learning strategies provide ways to address the various learning diversities of our sales force.”

Each WebEx session can be recorded for playback or “asynchronous e-learning,” for reusability for new or existing learners.

For More Information

IT Deployment in Progress: WebEx Integration with IP Telephony
Web 2.0 in the Enterprise
Cisco on Cisco