Engen, South Africa’s leading fuel retailer, has found a way to overcome one of its toughest challenges: providing affordable training to more than 17 000 forecourt staff, employed at more than 1 200 dealer franchises countrywide.

The solution, an iPad training app developed by training solution provider Fuel Online and delivered on Engen-sponsored iPads from Apple reseller Digicape, surpassed all expectations, says Ann Bennetts, Engen Customer Experience Manager.

The need
What training?
Nathalie Houtzamer, the project manager on the initiative, says in 2011, Engen identified a need to improve retail site staff’s job skills and competencies (including customer service); corporate awareness (including health and safety standards, brand, company values and teamwork); and life skills (HIV/AIDS and debt-free awareness).

Corporate identity
“Another factor that shaped our course design included the fact that existing training content and presentation were not consistent or uniform across regions and product catalogues.”

Individual and site needs
In addition, she says training content had to link to key performance indicators of staff and site-specific needs.

Cost
Finding location-based training [LBT] too expensive, the company leaned towards e-learning.

Illiteracy
But low levels of literacy among petrol attendants presented a problem.

The solution
I-training
“We came upon a solution developed by Fuel Online that combined training videos with on-site and instructor-led footage,” she says.

“The modules were developed into an iPad app, which would allow candidates who have low levels of literacy to engage with course content via touch-screen icons on the iPad. This solved every problem we have. We could pump high numbers of highly customisable training courses out to remote sites with highly variable needs, with a consistent look and feel and at much reduced cost.”

Protection
Dubbed Engen Learn (E-Learn), course content was remotely delivered to the iPads via broadband connectivity. The screens were securely bolted into forecourt areas at service stations to prevent theft and environmental damage, and to ensure productivity does not diminish when staff takes self-paced courses.

Productivity
“Courses are designed to take only eight to ten minutes, allowing minimum work disruption,” Houtzamer says. “Site management can log in to monitor training and help where needed.”

The result
Well received
Thus the training courses were ‘Engenised” and a pilot seeded into Engen’s retail network in 2012. “It was hugely successful, and very enthusiastically taken up, leading to its wider rollout across the network,” says Bennetts.

Currently live at 630 Engen-owned sites, Engen Learn boasts a total of 69 training modules. Within two years, more than 13 000 site-based app logins have been registered, and over 150 000 modules successfully completed.

Cost savings
So cost-effective is this training model that Engen is able to charge it out to retail service stations at at highly cost-effective rates.

“It is enormously expensive to produce training of this nature, but the method of delivery allows us to recoup costs in the long run,” says Bennetts. “Dealers are getting a fantastic deal. For a low monthly rental they get an iPad, the fixtures to secure it, cabling and router connectivity, all electrical work to support the installation, after-sales service, weekly reports and course content.”

She says the service is heavily subsidised, due to the cost of original course content. “We support the cost of the scripts, presenters, on-site filming, editing, course assessments, app coding and so forth. It is a time-consuming and expensive process – 15 to 20 modules takes 12 weeks and costs a significant amount.”

Competency
The training intervention has done wonders for skills and competency levels. “We have set a pass mark of 80%, so course candidates are comprehensively tested before they can advance to the next module,” she says.

A programme survey reveals that almost over 90% of participants say the programme helped them do a better job.

In addition, Engen Area managers get weekly site-based and individual reports to monitor the course performance of sites and staff and manage it accordingly – an industry first, says Bennetts.

Recognition
To acknowledge staff effort under the programme, Engen issues certificates of completion, and is working with W&R SETA on accreditation that would beef up the CVs of attendants, cashiers and site management.

Communication
Besides being a crackerjack training tool, the iPad platform also allows Engen to issue company communiques on matters like health, safety, environment and quality issues, promotions, awards and other company interventions, Bennetts says.

“It is just as big a challenge to communicate effectively and with consistency over a huge geographic spread.”

Customer service
Random customer satisfaction surveys show that Engen service stations with the Engen Learn app score on average 7% higher than those who don’t have it.

Compliance
Bennetts says the programme realised its objectives, with heightened awareness of and compliance with HSEQ principles among forecourt staff.

The future
The tool will be actively promoted to the balance of its network, made up of dealer-owned sites, this year, she says.

“This has been a watershed development in our retail network and corporate retail environment. We expect customer satisfaction to go through the roof where Engen Learn has taken effect.“


For more information please contact Bulelwa Payi on Tel: +(2721) 4034422 or via email Bulelwa.Payi@engenoil.com