Travel-retail and experiential specialist Blackjack Promotions has unveiled a new learning management system tool. The iCademy online tool is aimed at training its ambassadors with tailored learning paths and giving clients complete reassurance of their brand knowledge.
iCademy will enable Blackjack Promotions to monitor and track the progress of each individual student, how they are progressing and where more training is required. Staff logging into the system are presented with a dashboard, from which they can access their individual course library, achievements (completed courses) and a messaging function. The training courses boast a range of key features including video tutorials and interactive presentations, which they must watch before taking a final set of questions to test their knowledge.
From an admin perspective, Blackjack can tailor courses for each individual based on the brand they are representing. It also has the ability to set pass-marks, thresholds and time limits. Clients are offered the option of pre-approving the questions set out in each test.
Staff are also able to self-enroll on courses, giving them an opportunity to develop themselves and take charge of their own learning. This benefit is geared more towards travel-retail, where brands would see the benefit of a wider team being trained on their brands, not just those working on shifts.
The Blackjack iCademy is the latest of several recent efforts by Blackjack Promotions to provide an all-round service for brands. Last year the company launched the Blackjack Make-Up Academy, which specifically trains staff working directly with make-up brands to expand beyond just sales and enable them to carry out make-overs and added value services.
Blackjack managing director Sally Alington said: “The key differentiator with the Blackjack iCademy is that it’s not just an online training tool. It’s a complete learning management system. It offers clients absolute reassurance on how our people absorb knowledge and enables us to monitor and track their progress.”
Alington added: “We still believe that face-to-face is the most important training tool, but what iCademy does is supplement and complement what we do. Within our business, we have such a spread of people around the world—to the US and across Europe, so this is a way for us to ensure consistency of message.”
Blackjack Promotions head of staffing Leanne Nutter commented: “At Blackjack we’re passionate about bringing brands to life. Customer service is key to that and with the new Blackjack iCademy, clients can be sure that our ambassadors are best in class.”
Originally posted DFNIonline 13 January 2015