Technician Sales Training

A Gamified Approach

Context & Objectives:

In an innovative partnership with Orkin Pest Control, I was tasked with developing a sales training course specifically designed for their technicians. The goal was to not only enhance their sales skills but also to directly impact the company's bottom line through increased service offerings. The training was centered around a gamified, scenario-based approach where every decision made by the user could potentially affect their character's earnings, simulating real-life sales situations and encouraging the adoption of best practices in customer interaction and service recommendations.

Design Process & Approach:

1. Strategic Planning with ADDIE and Lean Startup: Utilizing the structured framework of the ADDIE model alongside the iterative, flexible principles of the Lean Startup methodology, I crafted a course outline that was both comprehensive and adaptable. This dual approach ensured a solid foundation while allowing for continuous improvement based on learner feedback and performance.
   
2. Content Development and Gamification: In close collaboration with SMEs, who brought invaluable field insights, I developed content that was not just informative but also engaging and directly applicable to the technicians' daily tasks. The course was gamified through a series of interactive scenarios where technicians would inspect virtual rooms, identify potential pest problems, and make recommendations. Each correct decision boosted their character's earnings, mirroring the potential real-world financial benefits of effective sales strategies.
   
3. Visual and Interactive Design with Adobe Creative Suite and Articulate: Leveraging Adobe Creative Suite, I designed high-quality visuals and scenarios that were realistic and immersive. Articulate was used to bring these elements together into a cohesive, interactive e-learning course. The design was focused on making the learning experience as engaging and intuitive as possible, with clear feedback mechanisms to guide the technicians through their learning journey.
   
4. Learning Objectives and Evaluation: Rooted in Bloom's Taxonomy, the learning objectives were crafted to foster not only knowledge acquisition but also application and analysis skills. Post-training, the Kirkpatrick Model of evaluation was employed to measure the effectiveness of the training, assessing everything from learner reaction to behavior change and results, ensuring the training's impact was both measurable and aligned with business goals.
   

Outcome:

The final product was a dynamic, scenario-based gamified course that not only educated Orkin's technicians on effective sales techniques but also motivated them through direct linkage to potential earnings. This innovative approach to training was met with enthusiasm from both the technicians and the company's leadership, noting a marked improvement in sales performance and customer engagement. The project stood as a testament to the power of combining solid instructional design principles with gamification to drive real-world business outcomes.

The design

My Role and Contribution…

As the lead instructional designer on the Orkin Pest Control Technician Sales Training project, I spearheaded every facet of its development, from conceptualization to execution. My role encompassed collaborating with SMEs to ensure content accuracy and relevance, applying the ADDIE model for structured course development, and creatively integrating gamification using Articulate to simulate real-world scenarios that directly impact earnings. Leveraging Adobe Creative Suite, I crafted immersive visuals to complement the interactive, scenario-based learning, all while aligning the course objectives with Bloom's Taxonomy and evaluating its effectiveness through the Kirkpatrick Model. My comprehensive approach not only enhanced the learning experience but also significantly contributed to driving the desired behavioral changes and sales performance among technicians.