The District Manager of one of the nation's largest pharmaceutical companies approached Distance Learning Providers with the need to deliver just-in-time training of a product to his sales team located across the United States.

The first step for us was to give the district manager a feel of how easy it was to use our delivery medium through a one-to-one demo. All the manager had to do is get a head set, connect to the internet and attend the demo — as simple as that. Fifteen minutes into the demo, he was convinced that this was the right solution to train his sales team. He knew that he could start the training early, all the team members would attend it from their home offices, and the team would be out in the field by 10 a.m. doing what they do best: MAKING SALES! He immediately realized the benefits... no travel costs and no time out of the field.

The next steps were for Distance Learning Providers to help design the course for delivery, register the participants, train the manager (also the speaker) and get them all connected on the day of the class.

The key to an effective session is to create interactivity and participation among the sales team. Many who have tried eLearning have failed to realize that one cannot take a physical classroom and plunk it down in a virtual classroom setting. IT JUST DOES NOT WORK. Course material has to be instructionally designed.

Distance Learning Providers consulted with the manager and worked very closely with the manager to choreograph the content. After several iterations we had the right mix of content, quizzes, surveys, breakout rooms for labs, whiteboard, live video, and off course not to forget one or two jokes sprinkled in here and there.

The manager was then trained on the technology. This included navigation of the virtual classroom interface, responding to students' questions, creating breakout rooms, and setting the right pace. The manager enjoyed learning this new set of tools and was quick to pick up on all the possible uses for them.

Our customer support team coordinated the registration, the email invitations, the mailing of PC headsets, and scheduling "system checks." We even conducted a technology orientation session for each participant. This one-on-one attention made certain that every participant would arrive at the virtual classroom on the day of the class, ready to participate and learn.

Class started on time, with the instructor, participants and a moderator represented by Distance Learning Providers. After the first fifteen minutes of the class, it was evident that the technology through which the subject matter was being delivered was absolutely transparent to all participants. The groundwork had created a comfortable classroom without walls, an effective space where knowledge was being communicated and shared, questions were being asked and answered, approval and encouragement were being exchanged, and new skills and knowledge were being tested. In short: LEARNING WAS TAKING PLACE! The result: A satisfied and knowledgeable eLearned sales team.

Distance Learning Providers was asked to conduct two more classes for different sales regions. These additional regions were similarly satisfied, which is evident from the customer's comments:

"We had a valuable learning experience with Distance Learning Providers. We participated in the Virtual Classroom for new product training. We were able to maximize the time in front of our customers by limiting the 'wasted' time for important training. Distance Learning Providers made the Virtual Classroom a productive and memorable experience. Their customer service was exceptional. They met with me discuss our needs and customized a program to meet our goals. They facilitated our training from the beginning to the end. They trained me as a Virtual Leader and also assisted me in training other Novartis Regional Trainers. He held a 'special' 30 minute session the day before our product training to insure that my representatives could maximize all of the features with Virtual Classroom. The interaction with Distance Learning Providers was a unique, exciting, and rewarding experience."

Gary Lo
District Manager
Novartis Pharmaceutical