How Volvo Revved Up Engagement with Virtual Instructor-Led Training

Volvo has leveraged the power of virtual instructor-led training (VILT) through Class to reimagine and transform their training experience. As a company with over 100,000 employees in more than 90 countries, Volvo is always looking for ways to not only enhance the training experience, but to utilize emerging technologies to reap resource benefits, including recovered time, saved money, and more.

In previous discussions, Zana Abdullai, Learning Designer and Developer at Volvo, has shared, “We tend to use a lot of tools that enhance the learning experience and make sure that we are always one step ahead when we deliver those trainings.” Staying one step ahead is how the company came to partner with Class. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Scott Behe, Senior Manager of Business Operations & Development, People Learning & Development for Volvo Trucks North America. We discussed the impact a virtual instructor-led training platform can have for an organization like Volvo.

A widely dispersed trainee audience

Behe explains what brought Volvo to seek out technology such as what Class offers, noting, “We have two different learning groups. We have Volvo Group University, which trains all the people like me [and other] corporate employees. Then our Group Competence Development. We train all dealer personnel around North America in anything that a dealer does. We also have ten training facilities around North America where we bring people in-person to train. But obviously, when COVID started, we had to find new ways, and we found a really good partnership with Class.”

Learner engagement is the priority

That partnership led Volvo to lean heavily into finding new ways to increase engagement from trainees, realizing the impact this would have long-term on knowledge retention. In a previous conversation, Deitra Dobbins, System Sales Training and Solutions Manager at Volvo, recalled, “Some of the challenges for virtual instructor-led training (VILT) was the engagement. That’s the hardest part, especially with adult learners. The more they’re in it, the more they retain it.”

Behe likens this process to his experience as a baseball coach, explaining, “[It’s] a weird analogy, but I could tell you the best [youth] baseball team and the worst [youth] baseball team by watching practices. It has nothing to do with the talent of the kids. If you show up and there's 15 kids and they're standing in a line and one kid's doing one thing, that team is not going to be good.If the next team has [all 15 players] doing something because that coach has gotten a few other dads to help, [the impact is huge]. If you can keep me actively engaged, I learn more, it's more sticky, and I can take that away. So, now we're trying to drive that to our team.”

ROI through time, money, and more

That engagement has yielded a myriad of benefits for the organization. By incorporating virtual instructor-led training into the company’s process, Volvo has reduced the amount of time individuals have to be in-person for training. Behe points out, “If I can take a five-day class and make it two because I can get through the lectures, I can get through the pre-activities, I can get through all those things before they fly somewhere to tear apart an engine, then when they show up, they know how to tear apart that engine. That means Class has done their job and we've done our job.”

Industry-leading features

Additionally, the analytics-rich insights Class provides from virtual instructor-led training allow for data-driven decisions which continue to improve the overall experience. As Dobbins has previously noted, “The insights we’re gathering from using Class have been invaluable in shaping how we approach training and engagement across the board.” On top of these insights, Class’s integration with Volvo’s L&D platform has allowed for a seamless experience, both for instructors and trainees.

The most impactful tool Behe enjoys using is the unique, purposefully designed breakout rooms Class offers. By providing the instructor view into all breakout rooms at once, Behe and his team can take their overview and involvement to the next level. As Behe puts it, “My favorite feature of Class is…breakout rooms. As the instructor, I can have that 30,000 foot view. If I'm in the middle of [each breakout] room [at the same time], I can see what all those groups are doing. Most platforms that are out there, I can't do that, but Class lets me do that. So, if I see that one of the groups is struggling, I can hop in their room and I can help them improve. And that's where that interactivity [is a difference-maker]. They're like, ‘Oh, [he’s] paying attention as the instructor.’ They know I'm there to help them.”

An ongoing journey

Behe is excited to see where further tool enhancements and feature rollouts will further aid Volvo’s training efforts, from virtual reality and augmented reality to artificial intelligence. At the core of the partnership, however, Behe knows he has available, insightful support. Behe adds, “If I call our [Class] customer support manager, they answer the phone, or call me back, faster than most any other place. And the support is always there to make sure that we're serving our customers.”

Ready to see how a virtual instructor-led training platform can transform your organization’s approach to training? Reach out to a Class team member today, and let’s take your onboarding, upskilling, reskilling, and more to the next level. Want to watch the entire conversation I had with Scott Behe? You can find the full conversation here.