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Instructional Plan – Phase IV

Misti Skorch

CUR/516

October 27, 2014

Joan Beckner
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New Customer Support System

In this course, employees from ABC Company are introduced to Salesforce customer

support system for future use when reviewing customer accounts. Topics include customer

support terminology, Salesforce screes, unique features of Salesforce and include on-the-job

training.

Phase I

Target Audience

The target audiences will be employees of ABC Company and vary in age with the

minimum being 18. The median age will be between 29 and 35. The median education level will be

a bachelor’s degree. Prior knowledge is essential since the leaners are focusing on where to find

information that is used to complete customer inquiries. The learning styles will vary with each

participant however, the dominant delivery style will be kinesthetic. The learners will be using

customer accounts to complete the training. The learners are expected to have some push back

due to being unwilling to change customer support systems. However, the change in support

systems is critical to continuing to properly support customer inquiries.

Delivery Modality

The delivery modality will be face-to-face. The face-to-face modality will require a training

room with computers for each learner along with projection boards for the front of the room. The

training will last for two eight-hour days and two four-hour days. The two eight-hour days will

fully incorporate the new customer support system and will allow the learners the opportunity to

use the system within the controlled environment. The two four-hour days will allow the learners

to use the new system while servicing customers for part of the day. The focus of the four-hour

training days will be to provide the learner to ask specific questions about where to find
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information for the customer inquiry as well as to continue to practice using the system. The two

four-hour days will be less structured to allow for additional questions and answers.

Phase II

Goals

1. Employees will use Salesforce the new customer support system for future

customer inquiries.

2. Employees will utilize Salesforce customer support terminology.

Objectives

1. By the end of training, learners will utilize Salesforce to accurately resolve

customer inquiries.

2. Without assistance, learners will exhibit knowledge of the new terminology for

Salesforce through observation 95% accuracy.

Strategies

The instructional strategies to be used will be to use kinesthetic learning activities to gain

knowledge of the Salesforce technology. The activities will include practice customer support

problems that will encourage learners to navigate Salesforce to resolve. This will enable the

learners to quickly gain the appropriate knowledge of the steps required to resolve the customer

issue in a safe environment. The activities will encourage critical thinking to resolve issues.

Activities to encourage critical thinking will include assessments that will require learners to find

the information using only Salesforce. There will also be visual and audio training available

through the facilitator instruction and projection presentation.

Technology
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The technology to be used will be the computers provided by the company. Salesforce will

require use of two monitors for each learner. The two monitors are needed to allow learners to

use multiple systems at one time. The Salesforce customer support system will continue to

connect to other systems needed such as email and PeopleSoft. Each system will require the

intranet and internet access to connect to the other systems. Each learner will already have

knowledge of using email and PeopleSoft technology.

Phase III

Training

The total length of training Salesforce is 24 hours. The time is broken down into two-

eight-hour days and two four-hour days.

Days 1 and 2: These days will be broken into three main sections.

1. Technology review

2. Introduction to Salesforce

3. In depth review of Salesforce

a. SME presentation

b. Continued review of Salesforce screens

c. Features unique to Salesforce

d. Employee practice

Days 3 and 4: These days are for four hours at the end of the day for on-the-job training.

Each employee will return to the training room from their desks and work on

accounts that do not require phone calls and any accounts that the employees had

questions about from the earlier day.

Staff Needed

3. Two facilitators will be needed to conduct the training.

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4. A Subject Matter Expert that has been working with Salesforce for at least six

months through the pilot program.

5. Administrator to book the training rooms and schedule the employees that will be

taking the training.

6. Technical support—This person will be needed for the first section of Day 1.

7. Three additional SMEs to help answer questions on Days 3 and 4.

Resources and Materials Needed

1. Training room with tables and chairs

2. Internet Access.

3. Projector

4. Computers with current software

5. Customer information for training purposes

6. Workbooks for each employee

Implementation

This training will be mandatory for every employee to ensure a solid understanding of the

new software. Communication about the required training will be conducted via a webinar

presentation, email, and Outlook calendar invites. Employees will be selected for the training

according to his or her manager. Once selected, they will be placed in pairs that mimic his or her

current working environment. The employees will have at least two-week notification regarding

the mandatory training. Each manager will be responsible for encouraging employees to embrace

the change that is being made.

Assessments

Formative assessments will be conducted at the end of the first three days. Each

assessment is included in the employee workbook and will be reviewed as a group. The facilitator
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will use the review period to go over any information that was missed in the assessment. The

summative assessment will be given at the end of day four and each employee will be required to

pass it with a 95% accuracy rate. The summative assessment will be conducted through

observation of employees using Salesforce to resolve an actual customer inquiry through the

appropriate screens.

Phase IV

Criteria for Determining Goals Met

1. No use of previous software system

2. Accurate resolution of customer inquiries.

3. Learners using new terminology

The criteria for determine the goals were met is that there is no access to the old software

system by the employees that have completed training. A weekly technology report can be run to

determine this is met. A periodic review of customer accounts will determine if accurate resolution

was met and if Salesforce was used accurately. Through manager evaluations, the new

terminology would be used by employees 100% of time.

Evaluation Instruments

1. Surveys

2. Observations

3. Workbook formative assessments

Evaluation Overview

The surveys can be used in the evaluation of training in many ways. The learners would be

provided a survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the training. They would be asked if the

training was enough time to learn Salesforce. Depending on the answer, the training

timeline may be considered for adjustment. Observations would be conducted as the

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summative assessment and is required to complete the training. If one area is observed as

incorrect, then future classes would benefit from reviewing the information additionally.

The main issues that I forsee with the course is the length. There will be many employees

that consider the training class not long enough and some that will consider the class not

enough. Having the middle grounds may be best for each training class.