Business case studies – Bristol-Myers Squibb
The global pharmaceutical firm Bristol-Myers Squibb needed a language training program that addressed their needs on a large scale. With the World Speaking solutions, their employees’ motivation and low attendance problems were finally resolved.
The company
Bristol-Myers Squibb is an international bio pharmaceutical firm with offices all over the world. BMS has developed some of the most widely used healthcare products on the globe. Their dedication to their patients helped them engineer medicines to fight serious diseases and improve the quality of peoples’ lives.
The challenge
To Bristol-Myers Squibb, language training is a key to effective communication between departments in different countries. Ensuring a smooth information flow is crucial to virtually all company operations. “With locations all over the globe, is it vital that our employees have a solid working knowledge of English, in order to use it in both internal and external communication?; says Sonia Balbas, Talent Management Lead at BMS.
BMS was looking for a global solution that would enable them to overcome difficulties they encountered with previous training methods. Traditional language courses were unable to adapt to their employees’ complex schedules, locations and language levels. This caused low motivation levels and poor attendance rates. As a consequence of inefficient training, the total amount spent largely surpassed the budget planned.
Bristol-Myers Squibb chose World Speaking’s Blended Learning programs because this unique solution addressed their biggest concerns, such as limited availability, varied language levels, specialized training, and cost optimization.
The partnership
In February of 2010, a pilot test was launched to familiarize trainees with World Speakings’ Blended Learning courses. The method quickly proved to be incredibly effective and fast. It was perfectly suited to each employee’s needs and continued to motivate the learners on a daily basis. At the conclusion of the pilot, Bristol-Myers Squibb decided to deploy the World Speaking Blended Learning courses on a larger scale.
Each department director was responsible for choosing employees who would participate in the program. A detailed assessment of each trainee’s level, professional goals and learning styles was used to develop custom materials. In the first year, 138 participants benefited from World Speaking’s personalized Blended formulas.
The learners had unlimited access to their individual online program and could take their phone lessons anywhere in the world, 24/7. To ensure results, a weekly rhythm of 2 telephone classes and 1.5 hours of CyberTeachers® Corporate was recommended.
World Speaking used a unique reward system that offered additional courses to help motivate participants. This combination of customized content and a manageable rhythm resulted in a truly effective program that solved the issues BMS experienced with previous methods.
“We obtained excellent results with the World Speaking Blended Learning program. The attendance problems in previous training methods have finally been resolved.”
Sonia Balbas, the Head of Training at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
The World Speaking difference
BMS wanted to ensure that their corporate training program corresponded to their employees’ specific professional needs. To do this, World Speaking worked with both the company’s Training Manager and the learner to target the exact areas of improvement. The training material was specialized for the pharmaceutical industry and adapted to each trainee’s individual job position and interests.
Via the e-learning platform – CyberTeachers® Corporate, trainees had the ability to integrate personal documents right into the program. In addition, World Speaking’s advanced monitoring tools constantly adapted the pace for each learning element in order to optimize memorization and progression.
The results
The World Speaking Blended Learning program was an outright success. The average progression rate of the BMS employees was higher than ever before, and the overall satisfaction was 93.40%.
As a result of the first year project, World Speaking was confirmed as a top provider for the group worldwide.
Course appreciation: Overall satisfaction rate 93.4%
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