CoverStory
Kaléo’s training team recognized the need to reassess part of their new hire training program to provide a customized learning experience. The existing program lacked a method for assessing a representative’s knowledge retention, as well as their effectiveness at delivering messaging in the field.
The three-phase training was initially a two-step process consisting of reading materials and videos provided to reps ahead of time as pre-work, followed by a 90-minute virtual training meeting. This meeting focused on product content, marketing resources and messaging to prepare new hires for the field.
Regardless of prior experience, every new rep went through the same training, with little pull-through planned following this meeting. Furthermore, the training team lacked baseline assessments required to:
Efficiently identify competency gaps with minimal disruption.
Deliver personalized training matched to reps’ specific needs.
“Fast track” those reps who demonstrated competency in specific areas.
Assess how well they retained information and conveyed the right messages in the field.
To produce the most confident and competent sales reps, the team needed to revise the program to assess reps’ information retention, as well as their effective delivery of messaging in the field.
The training team replaced its “one-size-fits-all” program with a learning approach using the ACTO artificial intelligence-powered platform. This involved personalized learning capabilities, which facilitate adaptive reinforcement training, including coaching opportunities based on the specific needs of individual field reps.
First and foremost, Kaléo did not want to change the overall training program, given the significant amount of time invested in developing materials, including a practice session within the virtual training.
The team concluded it needed to add in assessments that allowed Kaléo to learn if reps understood the content from the pre-work. This involved:
Adding in baseline assessments prior to the 90-minute virtual meeting — five multiple-choice questions that revealed what knowledge the learner gained from the pre-work content. This helped them discover where to focus their efforts during the virtual meeting.
Delivering additional assessments, which resulted in two different paths:
If the rep answered enough questions correctly, they moved to a self-assessment (confidence survey).
If the rep failed to answer enough questions correctly, they were directed to review additional training material and retake the quiz.
Once reps passed the quiz and completed a confidence questionnaire, they were placed on a learning pathway based on their score (e.g., very confident, confident, somewhat confident, not confident). Each score corresponds to a different pathway with pre-determined training content matched to the confidence level.
Providing each rep with a coaching scenario where they recorded themselves practicing how to deliver the new messaging to a healthcare provider (HCP). The scenario was submitted to a training team member, who assessed their mastery of the message. Those who demonstrated mastery completed training. Those who didn’t were given training materials to review and then another opportunity to complete the coaching scenario.
By implementing assessments in the “readiness” phase (onboarding and certification), and the “mastery” phase (continuous coaching), trainers gathered real-time feedback and made necessary adjustments to the training content and its delivery. This ensured the learning experience met the needs and preferences of the reps.
Each learner concluded at the same endpoint; how they got there was based on their objective knowledge measured through quizzes and their subjective self-assessment measuring their confidence. The learner only saw the specific next step relevant to them. In fact, some reps were able to move right to the coaching practice scenario.
The goal was for each rep to pass the knowledge quizzes (competence), score themselves highly (confidence), and pass the coaching scenario, which together demonstrated the necessary level of confidence and competence to enter the field and be successful.
After implementing this new approach, Kaléo had insights into which reps:
Lacked both competence and confidence. These reps did not demonstrate material comprehension, nor did they indicate sufficient confidence. These reps were given additional training and practice.
Lacked competence but felt confident. These were reps who scored themselves as “very confident,” yet their assessments and practice scenarios revealed a lack of material comprehension. They were sent back to practice verbalizing the content, giving a powerful pitch and/or working on objection handling.
Demonstrated competence but lacked confidence. This group of reps performed well during all of the training — from pre-work to coaching practice scenarios — but lacked confidence. In this case, the team informed the rep’s sales manager, who worked one-on-one with the rep by sharing their test scores as well as offering personalized coaching to bolster confidence.
The training team also gained insight into where to improve training materials. For example, noticing that most of the class kept failing one question during assessments, they flagged it — either it was the content itself, or how it was delivered. Kaléo’s training team revisited that topic area and chose to optimize it for future use.
Several outcomes occurred, including:
Better details and insight into reps’ learning. With a more granular understanding of how individual reps learn, trainers used these valuable insights to optimize and enhance materials to ensure clarity and ease of understanding. Reps also were able to apply this knowledge in realworld scenarios.
Enhanced collaboration between training and sales departments. Reps and managers embraced the new approach, recognizing how it made them better, more effective reps. This approach also enhanced the value and criticality of weaving coaching into training, which provided sales management a baseline for ride-alongs.
The Kaléo team discovered the importance of creating a personalized journey, since not everybody comprehends information and applies that information in the same manner. Utilizing existing training materials saved tremendous amounts of time and resources. Additionally, the insights they gained allowed the team to reassess the existing curriculum and refine specific areas, as opposed to completely overhauling the entire program.
Overall, this approach helped the team’s ability to address competency gaps, provide valuable insights for assessing and improving training effectiveness and enhanced individual and organizational performance due to reps having more confidence and competence when engaging HCPs in the field.
Tanya Stamp is the former sales training leader at Kaléo. Email her at tanyastamp15@gmail.com or connect with her through linkedin.com/in/tanya-stamp.
