Harlequin: putting the e into e-learning

E-learning case study : Castrol

E-learning to launch the Castrol Service Rewards customer retention programme to the UK and beyond

Castrol is widely acknowledged as the world's leading specialist provider of lubricant solutions. Service Rewards is Castrol's customer retention programme for franchised car dealerships which can reduce after sales customer losses by 33%.

Having worked closely with their dealership customers Castrol identified that customer retention for them can be a significant problem. As a result Castrol developed Service Rewards, a 'turn-key' customer retention and attraction programme targeted at significantly reducing the large number of dealership customers who switch to smaller, independent garages for servicing once their car warranties expire, ending their relationship and commitment to their dealership and most importantly for Castrol, the automatic selection of Castrol lubricants.

Client brief

The client had already launched Service Rewards in the US but found that the take-up rates by dealerships and their customers could have been better.  When launching in the UK, Castrol identified that a comprehensive dealership training programme was required to both enhance the proposition for dealerships and to educate dealership staff in positioning and delivering Service Rewards.  

Harlequin were selected to develop a suite of bespoke e-learning training courses wrapped into a bespoke portal, all to be designed by Harlequin.

The e-learning courses would need to address the needs of all dealership staff, from management to sales to engineering.  All staff would need to understand their role in delivering Service Rewards while also being aware of the overall benefits of the programme to both the customer and the dealership.

The e-learning suite and portal were to be distributed on CD and needed to complete a first-use technology check to ensure that the computer on which it played was capable of delivering the programme and, if not, then diagnosing the issues and assisting in their resolution.

Approach

We proposed three differing approaches to UK marketing manager, Doris Kunschitz, from which Doris selected a programme that would require us to film presenters, trainers and members of the public providing Vox Pops. We would then integrate these video components with on-screen animation and user interaction.

We interviewed key members of staff within Castrol and several dealerships to understand just what would make this programme a success.  We were then able to translate these findings into a lesson plan that would branch dependant upon learner role.  The script and prototype were signed off by the client who then attended auditions; screen tests and the final recording of eight actors and actresses to play the roles of sales staff, mechanics and instructor.  These video sequences were then integrated into animated sequences, allowing the student to navigate the entire e-learning programme.

Result

Learner acceptance and knowledge retention were key drivers for this programme and as such these became the measures of success.  The package was field tested and the results were very positive with high levels of user acceptance, excitement and knowledge retention.  The programme was demonstrated by Castrol UK to operations in other regions, after which we were commissioned to localise the content for Turkey, Brazil, Australia, Canada and back to the origins of the programme, the USA.

Vital statistics

Client feedback

"John did a fantastic job on developing an e-learning training tool for one of our Castrol marketing programmes. His strengths are: delivering on time and best quality, flexible for changes and/or adds on, very creative and professional. I would like to recommend his company to everybody who needs fancy trainings; but only when he is not working on one of my projects ;-))"  Doris Kunschitz, UK Marketing Manager, Castrol.