Just a few short weeks ago, life at Insights was very different.
We were finishing a very successful financial year. Solid international growth. Strong market penetration. Great customer happiness results. Improvement in our global colleague engagement scores.
And then there was a global pandemic, unlike anything we’ve experienced in the past century.
Countries around the world went into lockdown as the Coronavirus spread like wildfire with significant human and economic costs.
Insights’ work is all about helping people develop their ‘human skills’ – understanding themselves and others, enhancing communication and enabling them to make a positive impact and thrive in a digitally connected world. The virus really made us think about what our contribution could be, given our purpose and desire to help.
Traditionally, our interventions have predominantly been delivered in a classroom setting. We’ve always believed the magical ‘aha’ moments that people experience when they work with Insights are best achieved through an in-person experience in a business community or team setting.
And the results speak for themselves. Our growth last year, in terms of revenue, was more than double the industry standard growth rate of around 11% YoY. Meanwhile, our Customer Happiness Score, which is calculated from our Net Promoter and Customer Effort results, is also industry leading at +68.
But the deadliest virus in living memory, followed by an almost global lockdown, meant we needed to pivot – and pivot fast.
So, my team of brilliant and committed colleagues went to work, to see how our products and solutions could be delivered virtually. How we could develop and deliver world leading virtual solutions that remain intensely human and create connection, community and togetherness at such a turbulent time.
One of the first things we did was innovate our Insights Discovery Accreditation. What was previously delivered in-person over four days was developed into more than 25 hours of pre-work, live learning sessions, and ‘homework’.
Our Product team, including our specialist in-house UX/UI designer, created interactive, virtually based activities to deliver a first-class learning experience for our customers.
Our in-house Creative team worked tirelessly to produce new creative and digital content, and supporting materials that our Production team ensured were shipped to our virtual learners – or made available as interactive digital materials where shipping wasn’t an option – around the world.
Our Facilitation and Support teams absorbed the new content, upskilled in virtual delivery methods across a range of platforms – including Adobe Connect, Skype and Zoom – and were on hand to guide learners through this new experience. We also invested in training Producers to support every learning experience and bring the learning alive with interactive elements like polls and break-out rooms.
Our Pricing and Commercial Team ensured the new offering was priced appropriately and our Sales teams got up to speed on what was new, what was different, and what was constant.
Elsewhere, customer facing information was updated by our Marketing and Communications teams.
And you, our customers – you believed in us. You took a leap of faith and tried the virtual alternative. And, this is what you said…
Because of the incredibly positive customer response to our virtual learning experiences, Insights is committed to ensuring greater customer choice in delivery method as we emerge from COVID-19, transition to the ‘new normal’ and beyond.
It was herculean effort internally, that saw Insights teams work with incredible dedication and passion to ensure we could continue to deliver for our customers, keep learning alive, and maintain connection during the greatest period of disruption ever experienced.
And it was an incredible test of loyalty and trust from our customers in the 19 countries where we have offices, and the almost 90 countries where we have a presence.
And this is why I love my job, and I love this company. And why, every day, I feel privileged to lead it.
Until next time – stay safe and stay connected.
From Fiona
