KFC Mobile
In late 2016, KFC made the decision to revamp their global Team Member training. The Flash-based training we built five years earlier for deployment on desktop computers in back-of-house offices had been successful, but eventually created logistical challenges for a work force that needed more flexible, just in time learning experiences. Candent partnered with KFC to do a complete, top-down reassessment of the current training program – a process which included sending Candent’s co-founders through the existing training program, followed by user-interviews across multiple global markets.
What resulted was a fully realized “integrated” mobile solution. Recognizing that the most effective training was actually taking place on-the-job and through peer-to-peer support, the Candent solution aimed to both supplement and enhance this mode of learning by concentrating on areas which required the trainee to have mastered a heavy burden of new information: product assembly, product packing, general menu knowledge, and other similarly complex or memory-intensive restaurant tasks. Procedures which required a strict adherence to brand-standard protocols (hand-washing, cooking chicken) also provided a primary focus.
POST Radio Technology for Dispatchers
In 2015, the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) engaged Candent to develop an e-learning course for California radio dispatchers. Before this, POST had focused on their online training offerings on field personnel – police, fire, and emts – but there had been a recent push to give the same breadth of training options to dispatchers. Because they knew this first course would set the tone for this audience interest and engagement, POST brought on Candent to help them the create the right solution.
The training focus for this first course proved to be a challenging one – how to improve the problem-solving skills and confidence of radio dispatchers by helping them understand how the technology they use everyday actually works. The challenge was heightened by the fact that: 1) the subject matter was extremely complex and 2) the audience was not only new to online training, they were not particularly motivated to learn about a topic that was seen as overwhelming and not directly relevant to their responsibilities (“I just push buttons” and “If it doesn’t work, I just call tech” were ongoing refrains during initial audience interviews.)
What many dispatchers did not realize is that greater understanding of how the technology works could have a direct impact on their efficacy – in particular in troubleshooting situations in which radio contact is lost, and lives are literally at risk.
Candent worked closely with POST to design and develop a course that broke through dispatcher biases and barriers – using simulations, animations, humorous interludes and game-like challenges to demystify the technology. We created a leveled approach in which users were guided through each aspect of the technology, and periodically given meaningful real-life tasks where they could apply their newfound understanding. With each new success, learners earned a special badge, further motivating them to push forward to the next level, culminating with a special badge posted on their profile in the POST Learning Portal.