Learning as a Service (LaaS): On-Demand Digital Learning Solutions for L&D Teams

Almarai, a leading powerhouse in the Middle East’s food and beverage sector, has always strived for excellence. However, their extensive operations across nine regions revealed a critical challenge: ensuring that training effectively translated into on-the-job performance. William Samuel, Head of Learning & Development at Almarai, recognised that without proper follow-up after classroom sessions, it was unclear whether employees were applying their newfound knowledge in the workplace. This gap directly impacted Almarai’s ability to meet stringent quality standards, particularly in technical and systems-oriented areas. Partnership with Biz Group and Axonify To tackle these challenges, Almarai joined forces with Biz Group to harness the power of Axonify, an AI-driven microlearning platform. Biz Group’s keen insight into Almarai’s specific needs guided the seamless integration of PARADIGM, Almarai’s customised version of the Axonify platform. This partnership allowed for a customised approach that catered to Almarai’s diverse workforce, which operates across different regions and languages. With Biz Group’s guidance, Almarai adopted a new training model where supervisors were trained first, enabling them to train their teams effectively. Impact and Results The introduction of PARADIGM, facilitated by Biz Group, marked a turning point for Almarai. The platform’s bite-sized, mobile learning experiences significantly enhanced knowledge retention, with active users seeing a 23% increase in their knowledge scores, reaching 92% by 2022. Beyond improved knowledge retention, this collaboration sparked a cultural shift across Almarai, resulting in a 47% reduction in lost sales and a 2% improvement in order accuracy. These results highlight the success of the training initiative and its substantial impact on Almarai’s business outcomes. Explore the Full Story This case study showcases how Almarai, in partnership with Biz Group, overcame training challenges and set new benchmarks for success. Almarai Customer Story Curious about how Axonify can transform your organisation? Whether it’s enhancing sales or increasing customer retention, Axonify has a track record of delivering measurable business results. Contact us today for a personalised consultation with our friendly, knowledgeable experts!

EGA's Successful Graduate Programme, LEAP, Embraces a Blended Learning Journey Through a Guided Digital Learning Path, Delivered by the Axonify Platform. At Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), investing in the development of young talent has been a longstanding tradition, with many executives tracing their journey back to their early days at the company. EGA's commitment to nurturing its workforce is exemplified through its National Graduate Training Programme, a rigorous 18-month initiative designed to groom graduates into first-line supervisors. EGA, the largest industrial company in the UAE outside the oil and gas sector, has consistently attracted top-tier graduates to join its ranks. The program, initially focused on engineering graduates, has evolved to include various disciplines such as Finance, Accounting, Human Capital, Marketing, and Supply Chain, aligning with the organisational needs. Upskilling and empowering future leaders This commitment to talent development has not only resulted in long and successful careers within EGA but also garnered recognition externally. In October 2023, EGA's Youth Council received the prestigious "Organisation of the Year for Youth Empowerment" award at the GCC GOV HR Awards 2023. This accolade recognized EGA's efforts in upskilling and empowering future leaders, aligning seamlessly with the National Youth Strategy of the UAE. One of the keys to EGA's success in youth empowerment is the innovative LEAP programme (Learn. Engage. Adapt. Perform), a key part of EGA's graduate development programme that focuses on leadership and management skills that enables graduates to take on key supervisory roles. The program embraces a blended learning journey through a guided digital learning path delivered by the Axonify platform. Ownership and accountability The LEAP program is designed to incorporate pre-reading, experiential learning tasks, virtual evaluations, coaching and in-person workshops. Graduates progress through milestones, earning reward points for completing learning tasks and reinforcement questions. The Axonify platform's reporting dashboards empower coaches and facilitators to track each graduate's progress, identifying missed milestones, coaching needs, and recognizing top performers across different cohorts. This has been a powerful tool to build networks of young talent across the organization empowering them to take ownership and accountability of their learning while supporting one another. The success of LEAP is through the curated design of content that is current to the new generation, enabling them to adapt and learn through multiple learning methods. The platform ensures a dynamic and interactive learning experience, making education engaging and effective for the tech-savvy generation. Delivering tangible results through the Axonify platform In driving the success of the program, Biz Group, as the dedicated vendor for the Axonify platform in the UAE region, stands out as a pivotal partner committed to delivering tangible results. To ensure customer success, we went beyond technical support, actively assisting both EGA and content service providers. Our commitment to our value, "Genuinely care about delivering Results" is evident through continuous monitoring, prompt issue resolution and structuring learning elements. This collaborative effort ensures that the Axonify platform not only functions seamlessly but also contribute to an engaging and effective graduate development initiative. EGA's commitment to empowering its youth is not just a testament to its values but a strategic investment in securing a bright future for EGA's young talent. The Axonify platform, plays a pivotal role in delivering a transformative learning journey that equips graduates with the skills needed to excel in their roles. As we celebrate EGA's success, it's clear that Axonify's micro-learning platform is a catalyst for seamless and impactful learning journeys, setting the stage for a new era of talent development.

Introduction Apparel Group, a renowned global fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate headquartered in the UAE, is committed to providing exceptional retail experiences to millions of customers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Apparel Group has established itself as a leader in the industry, with over 2,000 retail locations across 14 countries and representing more than 80 global brands. However, to continue surpassing the expectations of its diverse clientele, Apparel Group recognized the need to revamp its approach to associate onboarding and training across its retail operations in the GCC. They faced the challenge of understanding and exceeding the expectations of a youthful, diverse, and tech-savvy retail sales workforce while also reducing the time required to onboard new employees. Solution To address these challenges, Apparel Group partnered with Axonify, a leading provider of innovative training solutions. The objective was to implement a strategic approach to onboarding and training that would not only engage the sales associates but also track their knowledge growth and competency improvements, ultimately driving positive business impact. With the help of Axonify, Apparel Group deployed interactive digital onboarding and training programs that were tailored for both general onboarding and specific sales associate roles. The traditional classroom approach was left behind in favour of a more engaging and personalized training experience. Impact The results of this transformation were remarkable. The Skechers brand experienced an 8% increase in sales, while productivity across all brands saw a significant 20% boost. The training initiative also led to observable behaviour changes, with over 2000 behaviour observations completed, out of which 933 were marked as exceptional, scoring a perfect 100%. Additionally, knowledge growth showed a remarkable increase of 13%, with the baseline knowledge level of 67% rising to an impressive 80%. Furthermore, the engagement levels among the sales associates were extraordinary, with a participation rate of 91% and an average of four to five training sessions per week. The commitment to continuous Learning and Development was evident, with an average of 174,000 extra training sessions completed. Apparel Group's partnership with Axonify has not just revolutionised their associated onboarding and training but also delivered tangible business results. By embracing technology-driven, interactive training methods, Apparel Group has positioned itself as a forward-thinking organisation that understands the evolving needs of its workforce and customers alike.

Introduction THE One Total Home Experience is a UAE-grown Lifestyle Brand that offers Seasonal Collections of Affordable Home Fashion founded in 1996. Today THE One has 22 stores and 1 Bistro Restaurant across the Middle East and North Africa, consisting of 3 categories, THE One, FUSION by THE One, and THE One Basics. The growing workforce spread across different geographical locations posed the challenge of training their frontline, keeping them informed, and communicating with them efficiently. THE One was looking for a training solution that would allow them to improve staff knowledge growth for improving sales conversions and helping them deliver exceptional customer service. Solution THE One started a series of training programmes with users. They wanted to focus on certain top-selling products and ensure the staff knew everything about it and could upsell and cross-sell products. According to THE One's internal survey, within the first six months of using Axonify, users reported that the knowledge they gained about suggestive selling and cross-selling, among other topics, helped them to do better on the job. In fact, the top performers on Axonify are usually the top-performing employees. As a result, THE One reported a 10% increase in sales conversion rates by training with Axonify five times a week. Impact THE One saw an employee participation rate of 98%, with 23.4% Training Frequency. Participants trained on Axonify saw a 28% knowledge growth. 97% of participants agreed that Axonify helped them to be more efficient in their jobs and increased their product knowledge. 'It has improved my customer service skills. My Upselling and cross-selling has increased,' said an employee using Axonify. THE One team gained more confidence in handling customer issues and upselling, especially front-of-the-house products. Download the Fact Sheet Download the Case Study

Introduction Etihad is a large international airline based in Abu Dhabi, providing service to more than 400 destinations in 74 countries around the world. Founded in 2003, we have more than 100 aircraft with revenues upward of $6 billion each year. The Abu Dhabi-based international airline wanted to improve Etihad wanted to improve performance by examining all forms of learning across the organisation. One of their biggest emerging problems was customer service and satisfaction. Their Net Promoter Score (NPS) was too low to establish the kind of success and growth they planned for their future. However, they lacked the proper internal development capabilities to move the needle significantly. The company had clear goals that had to be achieved. To begin with, they needed to develop a clear framework for staff improvement and a simple model to demonstrate excellence. Along with this, the company had recognised universal knowledge points but had to find a method to convey them through an always-accessible training format. With content published daily, Etihad needed a cohesive training format and central hosting location. Solution Etihad realised that leadership and management skills do not come automatically to employees but need to be guided to do so. Etihad Airways decided to run a pilot program for their frontline employees. They eventually expanded to cover Mastering the Art of Service training to enhance their customer service skills. Furthermore, they began using Axonify for more than just hosting videos. This revolutionary training solution allowed the company to track individual and group progress. This benefited Etihad Airways as their senior managers could monitor employee training performance and be more strategic about future development modules. Impact Etihad Airways observed a significant increase in employee engagement around training and development. Their NPS had skyrocketed, increasing by 30 points, and they benefitted from the possibility of leading to more customer referrals while increasing customer satisfaction. Andrew Stotter-Brooks, the Vice President of Learning & Development, claimed that Axonify was the model that helped them promote better employee growth. He further summarised the modern learning solution using three concepts – “clarity, simplicity, and making learning fun.”    

Introduction At Home is an American home décor company with more than 200 stores across 40 states in the USA. The company’s Chief People Officer, Valerie Davisson, faced the challenge of aligning more than 3,000 employees around 100 stores. She knew proper employee training was integral to At Home’s successful transformation. At Home faced a few key challenges, reducing safety incidents and tying learning to their business results. Most importantly, they were looking for a user-friendly lean training solution that would be scalable as the company expands. They also wanted to create a consistent onboarding process and engage associates in the ongoing training. An additional challenge faced by Davisson was resolving these challenges effectively without breaking the bank. Solution Davisson claimed that typical LMS doesn’t strategically fit their business model and had to take a fresh approach to align with the company’s modern transformation. She believed Axonify’s revolutionary methodology to be just what At Home needed and initiated a 6-month pilot. Each day, associates logged on to Axonify through kiosks to answer 3-5 questions about safe work practices, while playing a fun game. Based on their answers, Axonify identified areas where each associate needed more training and delivered learning to fill those knowledge gaps. This modern learning solution personalised learning to target and close each frontline employee’s knowledge gaps, giving employees the confidence to perform their role to the best of their ability. Impact The results of the pilot were incredible! Davisson was able to train 2,500 associates in 4 weeks, which previously took 6 months, resulting in a 90% reduction in onboarding time. In addition, 98% of the company’s frontline voluntarily participated on Axonify, with current employee knowledge levels averaging 92%. Observations suggest that more than 3/4th of the company’s workforce completed the annual PCI training within 2 weeks. Moreover, At Home identified a direct relationship between associate knowledge and sales and conversion performance, i.e., stores with a higher associate knowledge showed an increase in these performance drivers. Moreover, Axonify helped improve long-term memory around safety topics and build additional knowledge over time. Davisson was thrilled with the decision to use Axonify and believed that it has allowed their company to deliver an end-to-end solution to their field operations team, as this modern learning solution will evolve and grow and scale with At Home.

Introduction Emirates NBD offers its banking services across the MENAT region and is the largest banking group in this region by assets. The leading banking group in the region wanted to increase the number of product application acceptance rates and improve their overall customer experience. Solution The banking industry is fast-paced, and Emirates NBD’s frontline requires to be on their toes when it comes to being informed about their products and processes, central bank regulations, and being confident in providing these to customers. With Axonify, their employees were able to easily receive any announcements on regulation changes, product updates, and daily reinforcement on key concepts. Axonify's AI-driven microlearning customised according to the individual's needs helped them increase their knowledge and confidence and ultimately improved performance. Impact Using Axonify, EmiratesNBD accelerated the approval rates of applications by 42.75%. Apart from this, 92% of Emirates NBD employees voluntarily participated in making Axonify a part of their work-life and later on claimed to have a 21% knowledge growth. Furthermore, Emirates NBD employees noted a log-in frequency of 4-5 times a week. In terms of the approval rates, credit limit approval had an increase of 57%, with Auto Finance (Early Settlement) & After Sales Transaction (Early Settlement) having the second and third highest growth approval rates, at 60% and 45% respectively. Following this, 89% of learners agreed that Axonify helped them be more efficient in their job and also noted a 9% increase in approval rate for successful account opening.

Introduction Etihad Airways is the second-largest airline in the UAE and commenced its operations in 2003. The second flag carrier airline of the country found it challenging to keep up with the dynamic nature of the aviation industry. It’s also highly demanding for a company to forecast the nature of work after 6-12 months when it piles up. Etihad’s previous history with e-modules was limited in communication, and they were looking for a frontline-focused learning management system that could streamline learning and communication.  Solution The aviation industry is highly dynamic and competitive. Every day looks different for the managers of Etihad Airways, and the nature of their work demands a high-efficiency rate from the workforce. In regards to this, Etihad could keep up with the complex nature of the airline industry by inculcating Axonify to their performance measurement structure. They aimed to develop a sales process designed by salespeople for salespeople. According to Etihad, the concept of daily learning Axonify brings to the table is its real selling point, as their employees found it user-friendly and incredibly simple to understand. Graham Cook, the Manager of Commercial Performance, finds employees using Axonify daily to reaffirm their existing knowledge as “time well spent” and sees it as the best solution to escape the generic and boring training modules. A key feature of Axonify utilised by Etihad is using this tool as a medium to communicate and roll out changes in real-time. This increases the efficiency of Etihad’s departments and informs everyone about the various changes taking place internally and externally. Impact Etihad noticed a massive increase in their engagement rate, as their sales staff completed around 4,500-5,000 extra training sessions on Axonify. This clearly depicts their enthusiasm at work, which is genuinely an ideal quality required by an organisation’s frontline. Furthermore, Etihad observed a 10% improvement in participation rate after using Axonify, with more than 2/3rd of their sales team engaging with this training solution. Moreover, this frontline training tool left Etihad’s salespeople empowered to confidently approach their market and customers. Axonify has allowed the company to deliver a positive message positively, making a real impact on Etihad’s work culture.