Growing business through quality training.

IES Communications provides mission-critical services based on training delivered through the Adobe Learning Manager.

Established

1984

Employees: 1,300

Tempe, Arizona

www.iescomm.com

<1 Hour

To publish eLearning modules to any device

Products:

Adobe Learning Manager ›

Adobe Captivate ›

Objectives

Deliver more training to meet growing number of employees

Train employees in remote areas without the cost of flying people to training centers

Create interactive training programs to improve learning and absorption of material

Results

Easily create interactive modules without developers

Publish eLearning modules to any device in 1 hour or less

Mobile-friendly training to reach technicians anywhere

View learner success from a central dashboard

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Training excellence

Reliable communications is a cornerstone of modern life. Telephone, cable, power, and Ethernet connect our homes, offices, and businesses to keep our personal and professional lives running smoothly. For many companies, there is no better company to rely on for these lifelines than IES Commercial, Inc. ― Communications Division (“IES Communications” or the “Company”), a division of IES Holdings Inc. (“IES Holdings”).

Originally established in 1984, the Communications Division of IES Holdings is a nationwide systems integrator for design, installation, and maintenance of structured cabling, audio visual, life safety, security, Wi-Fi/DAS, and data center integration products and services. The Company serves major market sectors ranging from commercial data centers and manufacturing facilities to buildings associated with education, healthcare, and government activities.

Highly trained technicians are key to IES Communications’ reputation for value and service. That’s why the Company promotes a culture of continuous improvement to always provide high-quality services. “Our people in the field are invaluable, and we do everything we can to provide training and support to help them succeed,” says Shelly Olmstead, Director of Quality and Development at IES Communications. “We create our own standards and manuals for everything from terminating a jack to laying out cable so that no matter where a customer is, they get the same quality service.”

This high standard of service has helped IES Communications grow dramatically in the past four years, more than doubling its workforce from 600 nationwide employees to 1,300. As the number of employees increased, it became harder to keep up employee training that is the foundation of the Company’s success. Flying all new hires to the training center in Arizona was costly. Webinars lacked the interactivity that keeps learners engaged with materials, and there was no way to track how well learners were absorbing information.

The IES leadership team decided that the Company needed to start using a professional learning management system (LMS) to better reach employees. “We started with a small LMS that had basic features like web-based access, but lacked advanced features like videos and reporting. We decided that we needed something more substantial,” says Olmstead. “We found everything we were looking for in Adobe Captivate and Adobe Learning Manager. Adobe Captivate lets us easily create engaging eLearning modules, all managed and delivered through the Adobe Learning Manager LMS.”

“Delivering eLearning modules through the Adobe Learning Manager LMS allows employees to view training on any computer, tablet, or even mobile phone without needing to download special programs or deal with pop-ups.”

Shelly Olmstead

Director of Quality and Development, IES Communications

Mobile, just-in-time learning

Using Adobe Captivate and Adobe Learning Manager, Olmstead and her team are building eLearning modules ranging from new hire standards and workplace policies to IT training overviews. Some modules are used as standalone lessons, while others take the place of prerequisites or refresher courses to supplement in-person training.

Working with Adobe Captivate makes it easy for the quality and development team to build modules without needing dedicated developers. “We can easily add video and interactive elements to the modules, and deliver them over multiple devices using Adobe Learning Manager without technical assistance. The Adobe team was terrific and coordinated training so that we could get started quickly,” says Olmstead.

“Because we operate in all 50 states, some employees work far from an office,” adds Olmstead. “Delivering eLearning modules through the Adobe Learning Manager LMS allows employees to view training on any computer, tablet, or even mobile phone without needing to download special programs or deal with pop-ups.”

“The reporting capabilities in Adobe Learning Manager give us a clear view of how well learners understand material — something that is impossible to capture in a webinar.”

Shelly Olmstead

Director of Quality and Development, IES Communications

Visible progress through dashboards

Adobe Learning Manager adds greater engagement, manageability, and usability for all learners. The quality and development team can upload and deliver modules across devices in under an hour, allowing the team to spend less time dealing with technical issues and more time polishing content.

In the learner dashboard, learners can view timelines for required training, view recommended courses, and see badges earned. “Gamification, such as badges and leaderboards, uses friendly competition that encourages learners to go a step further,” says Olmstead. “Viewing modules as a game also makes learning more fun, which helps with retention of information.”

Adobe Learning Manager also encourages retention through notes. Learners can place notes at any point in the module, marking off important information or adding reminders for deeper review.

On the other side, administrative dashboards give the quality and development team a clear view of learner progress. They can see how involved learners are and how they have performed on modules. Managers can spot areas where their employees need further review and encouragement, or even shift responsibilities to better suit an employee’s particular skills.

“The reporting capabilities in Adobe Learning Manager give us a clear view of how well learners understand material — something that is impossible to capture in a webinar,” says Olmstead. The quality and development team is currently creating reports and passing them on as needed, but in the future, project managers and other team leaders will be able to check learner progress directly through their own dashboards.

“Easier and immediate access to training through the Adobe Learning Manager LMS gives us the edge we need to deliver smart, quality service and grow our business.”

Shelly Olmstead

Director of Quality and Development, IES Communications

Organization-wide learning

The quality and development team at IES Communications has uploaded 23 courses with more on the way. While the IES training team started working with the Adobe Learning Manager LMS at IES Communications, news of their success quickly spread across IES Holdings. Adobe Learning Manager is now used throughout IES Holdings, and modules can be shared between divisions. For example, when the corporate office decided to create a module covering the company-wide drug-free workplace policy, the quality and development team took the module and quickly pushed it out to employees of IES Communications, adding another module with minimal effort.

“Adobe Learning Manager allows us to create and share knowledge across our workforce,” says Olmstead. “Easier and immediate access to training through the Adobe Learning Manager LMS gives us the edge we need to deliver smart, quality service and grow our business.”