Rogers REVV: How a Board Game Replaced Classroom Sales Training (Participant-Driven Proof)

Rogers asked Learn2 in 2006 to design new-employee orientation for retail staff who loved technology more than people. The conventional answer was a classroom program. The participant-driven answer was a board game — one any store manager could run without facilitator training, one that swapped cards when products changed, one that made participants argue their way through customer scenarios instead of watching slides about them.

The outcome: Rogers REVV won the Best Internal Learning Program Award from the Institute for Performance and Learning. Sales training on top of orientation got cut — participants already knew how to talk with customers by the time they finished REVV. Stores played the game regularly after orientation. Turnover dropped. Ramp time shrank.

This is Pillar 4 of the participant-driven category — proof via named clients. Rogers is the “you can replace classroom with a board game when the learning is participant-owned” case. The goal, the design, and what Lise Cote at Rogers said afterward follow below.

LEARN2 DESIGNS AWARD-WINNING NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION BOARD GAME FOR ROGERS. IT CONTINUES TO MAKE A LASTING IMPACT!

THE GOAL

Design an engaging orientation program for the new generation of retail employees – typically male in their late teens and early twenties who love technology more than people. New staff needed to walk away understanding the world of rapidly-changing wireless products and services as well as how to talk with customers about these products.

THE SOLUTION

Learn2’s Needs Impact Identifier uncovered an existing customer segmentation model that formed the basis for learning saving countless hours and investment. Since the program needed to be fun Learn2’s instructional designers chose a board game. This allowed for simple and cost-effective card changes when new products were introduced. The same board could be used across 3 different product lines saving tonnes of money and giving trainers one tool that could be calibrated to different stores in seconds just by changing the cards. Since Rogers Communication’s had retail stores stretching from coast to coast – Learn2’s designers created a game that any store manager or employee could play without needing facilitator training.

THE RESULT

The Roger’s REVV employee orientation board game was an instant hit – and had a big impact on results! The other product lines used the same learning framework – soon cards were available for all product lines. To help staff learn how to interact with customers, Learn2’s instructional designers used existing sales and support models in the game design. Participants learned more about selling from Roger’s REVV employee orientation board game than the first three days of sales training. As a result sales training was cut saving time and money for both new recruits and the training department! Roger’s REVV is so much fun that teams play the game regularly. Store culture improved, as did the ability to connect with customers, and new employees made more sales in a shorter period of time. That means less employee turnover, reduced recruitment costs and higher sales! Roger’s REVV received the Best Internal Learning Program Award from the Society for Training and Development in 2006.

WHAT ROGER’S SAYS ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE:

“Our focus was to transform our customer service department’s culture to be more customer centric. The Learn2 experience allowed our managers to quickly recognize the importance of effective communication. It provided them with the communication tools required to achieve greater results in their staff. Learn2 helped increase their ability to plan, prepare and deliver powerful and inspirational communications. They are now able, and more importantly willing, to communicate the value Rogers represents to their customers rather than focusing on price. Learn2’s communication expertise gave us the opportunity to implement new strategies and procedures that improved customer service. The positive results speak for themselves!” – Lise Cote, Rogers Communications Inc.