Bersin: Learning Leader 2010 Awards

The Bersin Learning Leaders program is designed to identify the very best in organizational learning and talent management. The goal of the program is to recognize organizations which are driving high value solutions based on business strategies. Richardson would like to congratulate our clients for being recognized in 2010.

Cisco (www.cisco.com) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate.

In reaction to the global economic slowdown in late 2008, Cisco, like many companies, put a moratorium on all non-critical business travel and slashed training budgets. One of the training programs affected was Channel Sales Masters Series, which develops a channel account managers’ skills for becoming a business advisor.

This is critical to Cisco’s success since 85% of the company’s business is fulfilled through channel partners. Prior to the economic crisis, Channel Sales Masters Series was a four-and-a-half day, instructor-led training (ILT) program that cost $4,600 per student, plus travel expenses. Learning leaders resolved to create a virtual synchronous training program that would develop the same skills, cost 85% less to deliver, and require no travel for students or instructors. It decided to retool the program using Cisco’s own Web 2.0 collaboration technologies – WebEx Connect and WebEx Training Center.

Learning Organization and Governance Excellence

With 2008 annual revenue of $5.5 billion, Kelly Services (www.kellyservices.com) is a leader in providing workforce solutions. Kelly offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temp-to-hire and permanent placement basis. Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to 650,000 employees annually.

Kelly Services’ learning organization utilizes a strong leadership and governance approach to ensure it is aligned and focused on the most critical business needs of its clients. It has organized the learning function around a global working model that supports collaboration and sharing. A focus on measurement has lead to clear impact metrics. Based on the learning organization’s business alignment, it was a key partner in ensuring positive change management efforts during corporate reduction implementations that took effect due to the recent economic downturn.

Significant revenue has been attributed directly to the skills learned in a classroom workshop called Consultative Selling Skills which was developed by Richardson. During the most recent quarterly conference call, the six selected participants who presented attributed the following results directly to the workshop: $5,250,000 in new business; $1,500,000 in growth from existing customers; and $250,000 in prospective business.