The content of this article is adapted from the customer speaker session at Adobe Learning World 2024. The insights and opinions expressed are those of the speakers, reflecting their experiences and perspectives shared during the event. Watch the full recording.
In the competitive automotive industry, effective virtual training is crucial for dealerships to deliver exceptional customer experiences and drive sales success.
A global leader in the automotive industry, Audi of America is dedicated to delivering exceptional customer experiences through comprehensive training programs for its dealer network. To achieve this, Audi recognizes the importance of adapting its training initiatives to meet the evolving needs of the marketplace and the challenges posed by an increasingly virtual environment.
The transition to a virtual training model became particularly crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the company sought to maintain its high standards of dealer education while also scaling its efforts. With over 3,650 dealer employees to train, Audi faced the daunting task of transforming its in-person training programs into effective online courses.
As Audi’s training programs evolved, the need for engaging and interactive content became paramount. The company recognized that traditional training methods would no longer suffice in a virtual setting.
“How do we create an environment that’s conducive to sharing without losing interest? We needed to adapt quickly to ensure our training was impactful and engaging.”
Scott McArthur, National Training Facilitator at Audi of America.
To facilitate this transformation, Audi partnered with Adobe Connect, a platform that would enable them to deliver high-quality, interactive training experiences.
“Adobe Connect has been huge in our daily training for each and every one of our trainers,” Scott noted, emphasizing the platform’s role in their success. As Audi continued to refine its virtual training offerings, the insights gained from this transition would inform their ongoing strategy to enhance learner engagement and measure training effectiveness.
He emphasized that the training team is particularly focused on moving away from traditional, lengthy, in-person sessions to more dynamic, engaging online courses tailored to the needs of dealership employees.
“This approach allows us to create a more personalized learning experience for our trainers and dealers,” Scott explained. “It also helps participants stay engaged and focused, as we can deliver content that is relevant to their
roles and responsibilities. Engagement is at the core of what we do with our training design and delivery.”
Audi has been leveraging the extensive features of Adobe Connect to maximize their training impact. “We’ve just started using tools like breakout rooms and engagement pods to facilitate interaction and collaboration among participants, which is crucial in a virtual environment,” he remarked.
To provide more insight into the evolution of Audi’s virtual training approach, Scott invited Glen Harriman, Director of Training and Development at Audi of America, to share his perspective.
There were several challenges during the transition and Adobe Connect helped Audi scale its training efforts amid unprecedented demand. Its robust features and flexibility allowed Audi to seamlessly transition its existing training content and deliver engaging virtual sessions.
Overcoming Technical Hurdles: Audi faced technical challenges in transitioning to a virtual environment. The user-friendly interface and reliable performance of Adobe Connect helped address these issues.
Ensuring Engagement: Keeping learners engaged in a virtual seing can be difficult. Audi utilized the interactive features, such as breakout rooms, polls, and quizzes in Adobe Connect, to create dynamic and engaging sessions.
Scaling Training Programs: With a large number of employees to train, Audi needed a scalable solution. The platform’s ability to handle large audiences and easily manage multiple virtual classrooms was crucial.
Measuring Success: Audi leveraged analytics tools in Adobe Connect to track learner engagement, identify areas for improvement, and measure the effectiveness of their training programs.
Glen also elaborated on how the platform’s ability to handle large audiences and offer interactive features has made it an invaluable tool in Audi’s training portfolio.
| Challenge | Outcome |
| Rapid transition from instructor-led training to a predominantly virtual training without compromising quality. | 250% increase in live virtual training sessions within a year. |
| Legacy conferencing tool limiting scalability. | Scaled to train 3600 employees by eight trainers across the United States. |
| Reduce duration and travel costs for in-person training. | Increased course impact with launch of virtual training that lasts for one to two hours maximum. |
“I love that flexibility about Adobe Connect because other platforms we’ve tried lack that capability. It allows us to set up templates for our training sessions, making it easier for facilitators to customize content for their specific dealer groups. Using Adobe Connect, we were hosting almost a thousand sessions, a 250% increase from the year before and a 500% increase from 2019″
Glen Harriman, Curriculum Designer, Audi of America
As Audi of America continues to refine its virtual training strategy, both Scott and Glen acknowledged the importance of using reporting and metrics tools to measure engagement and training effectiveness. “This has been a big win for us because over the last three years, Audi of America was rated in the top three of all manufacturers for non-technical
training,” Glen stated.
