Semler

 

Semler is the largest Danish importer and distributor of some of the leading car brands in the world including Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda and SEAT. Located in Copenhagen, Semler has 2,500 employees and sells, distributes and services its cars through a network of 150 dealerships and service partners in Denmark. The training team at Semler is centrally located in Copenhagen and comprises a team of 17 training professionals that are responsible for providing training for some 4,500 Semler employees, partners and dealers.

Challenge

Semler is contractually required by their car manufacturers to provide a training plan for each brand of car they import and distribute. This includes sales training for staff, dealers, service advisors and partners. Semler must also demonstrate that each employee has completed the necessary training to enable them to carry out their job to the highest standard.

The training team at Semler is responsible for managing and administering training for:

  • Salespeople – to accommodate the launch of approx 15 new car models per year
  • Technicians – to ensure excellent provision of after sales service and care
  • Semler staff – one day induction training for all new joiners

All training takes place in a classroom setting either at Semler’s state of the art training facility in Copenhagen or, in the case of sales training, at hotels and conference facilities at various locations around the country. Semler needed a central system that would help them administer, plan and effectively manage training for 4,500 staff and dealers, with robust reporting capabilities to satisfy the requirements of their car manufacturers.

Solution

After an in-depth survey of Learning Management Systems available in the market, including both the option of building an in-house platform and the use of open source software, Semler selected TopClass to power their learning initiative. Two of the key factors in the selection of TopClass were its flexibility and user friendliness.

  • TopClass provides Semler with a master catalogue and registration capability for all Instructor Led Training (ILT) with the ability to manage multiple locations
  • The system stores more than 80 skills profiles that outline required training courses for each job role e.g. gearbox expert, parts manager, service technician, salesperson
  • Using the TopClass grouping facility, administrators assign individual users to groups based on job roles and groups in turn, are linked to skills profiles
  • All users regardless of location, access the LMS via a flexible user interface customised to Semler’s corporate branding, look and feel
  • The robust reporting capability within TopClass enables Semler to provide detailed reports on training plans, skills gap analysis and certifications
  • The system automates and manages administration tasks such as bulk management and tracking of accommodation requirements
  • A single repository within the LMS stores up-to-date user details and training history including line of work, job role, course completions and gaps, and all personal contact details
  • Languages are easily accommodated, both English and Danish options are available, depending on dealership preference

Benefits

More training with the same number of training staff – today TopClass is helping Semler manage and administer 5,500 man days of technical training and 4,500 man days of sales training. Semler would not have been able to handle this volume of courses without the TopClass system. TopClass has made the administration of ILT faster, easier and more efficient for both their internal training department and for those taking the training.

Effective planning and forecasting of Semler’s training needs – prior to using TopClass, Semler had very little visibility of their future training requirements. Today they can effectively plan and determine their training needs, including course volumes, types, expected attendees and accommodation requirements, etc. Having the ability to forecast at this level means they can also determine and better manage their annual training budgets.

Semler is able to meet the contractual requirements of their car manufacturers – monthly, quarterly and annual reports can now be sent to their car manufacturers, providing evidence of training plans for each brand, course completions and skills gap analysis, enabling Semler to fulfil their contractual requirements.

The Future

Semler has plans to move to a blended learning model, extending the use of TopClass beyond administration of ILT to offer e-Learning and online training courses and modules. They also plan to take advantage of the built-in assessment and survey engine for testing purposes.

Quote

“WBT’s TopClass has given us the ability to provide a superior training service for our employees, service partners and dealers. We now have the ability to plan, manage and administer training more efficiently while also satisfying the requirements of our manufacturers.”

Ole Hansen, Director of Training, Semler