Ricoh language learning that is empowering a global team
Ricoh is empowering its digital workplaces with innovative technologies that enable employees to work smarter, from anywhere.
The European division of Ricoh, the multinational technology organization, recognizes English as its lingua franca. The company believes that by developing its team’s fluency in its common language, it will accelerate growth, empower employees and ensure optimal collaboration.
Following a competitive tender process, Ricoh Europe selected Learnlight to deliver corporate language training to its workforce. Find out how Learnlight’s ability to work in partnership with Ricoh, alongside its innovative and unparalleled business language training solution met Ricoh’s business objectives. Download our client story here.
People powered tech that sparks engagement
88%
86%
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The Challenge
By investing in the language skills of its employees, Ricoh Europe identified that it could achieve four major objectives:
- Increase English proficiency among a workforce with varying language capabilities
- Reward employee loyalty by investing in the existing talent pool
- Attract new talent in a competitive recruitment market
- Spark employee engagement by offering clear career development paths
Ricoh wanted a centralized language solution that could provide consistent, on-demand learning programs to its employees across EMEA. This would enable the company to continually upskill its workforce and empower them with the tools to perform to the best of their ability.
As Sven Neumann, Head of Corporate Academy Ricoh Europe explains:
“Ricoh is a world leader, but we must maintain that position. For us, English language skills are crucial to achieving this – helping us to communicate better with customers, prospects and each other.”
The Solution
Following a competitive tender process, Ricoh Europe selected Learnlight to deliver corporate language training to its EMEA workforce. Learnlight’s ability to work in partnership and provide an innovative and unparalleled solution that would meet Ricoh’s business objectives made it the obvious choice. Learnlight’s award winning technology also perfectly addressed Ricoh’s needs:
- Learnlight Discovery – provides learners with access to interactive, on-demand, self-paced online learning activities to enable them to learn on the go, during their morning commute or between meetings, via a mobile phone, tablet or desktop device of their choice. As well as learning English for corporate communications, employees can also access an additional language program. This is a bonus for employees who would like to learn another language for recreational purposes.
- Learnlight Live – employees are nominated by their L&D leads for a more interactive solution that combines all the benefits of Learnlight Discovery with limitless conversation practice via Learnlight Café – daily, virtual, informal conversation sessions with other Learnlight learners and a trainer – as well as specialist writing support to build confidence in real-life business situations.
- Learnlight Coach and Teams – For employees with more immediate needs, Learnlight facilitates 1-2-1 and group training sessions where learners are assigned a personal coach who guides them through a tailor-made program of live virtual sessions and online self-study, ensuring maximum engagement, motivation and impact in the shortest amount of time.
Advantages of Learnlight’s platform
Learnlight’s proven methodology guarantees consistent, outstanding training across all four language skills (writing, speaking, reading and listening).
For Ricoh, this means:
- Content that is delivered in short bursts and is focused on achievable micro-progressions – making it more manageable for busy employees.
- Programs that enable self-paced learning paths. Progression is continuously tested, and more challenging content is unlocked in line with each employee’s pace of learning.
- Content that is relevant to real-world experiences. Video content, for example, will imitate genuine business scenarios.
- For employees with access to trainer-led blended learning, Learnlight’s flipped classroom model helps learners get the maximum possible benefit from their trainer time. They are introduced to the learning material before class and use the time with trainers to deepen understanding. The interactive self-study after a class is used to develop problem-solving skills, heighten individual abilities and work on any weak areas.
- Staff have access to a large library of content from daily magazine articles to writing guides and accents and dialects to reinforce learning.
Learners can hear many of those accents first-hand in the Learnlight Café, as Sven explains:
“Our staff meet people from all over the world in the Café sessions. They’re also exposed to different levels of language abilities and accents. This cultural element reflects the reality across EMEA, where colleagues need to familiarize themselves with different accents.”
Learnlight also allows employees to switch the focus of their learning to a specific requirement whenever the need arises.
“When something is urgent – there’s a customer presentation to prepare for, for example – trainers are always willing to stop and offer their support. This is hugely valuable and staff really appreciate the flexibility,” adds Sven.
The Results
Ricoh and Learnlight have collaborated to create an innovative and engaging language training solution centred around the learners, irrespective of their location.
The overall user satisfaction rating for trainer-led sessions was 4.6 out of 5 and 4.5 out of 5 for digital content. 20% of learners opted to study an additional language.
Learnlight has driven fantastic levels of engagement for Ricoh, exceeding the engagement KPIs set.
- Attendance reached 87.3-88% across EMEA (original target = 75%)
- Percentage of activities completed across the region was 80-86% (original target = 75%)
- Learnlight also achieved a 92% satisfaction rating for trainer-led sessions and 90% for digital content.
“Learnlight has created a platform that really engages our staff”, says Sven. “People love the quality and variety of content, and that so much of it is relevant to their working environment. This helps us to communicate with our customers across EMEA better – and it’s this increased level of service that’s helping us to maintain our market leading position”.
According to Sven, as well as boosting business performance, the Learnlight platform is also having an impact on the company’s ability to recruit and retain talent across the EMEA region.
“Our language program is definitely a factor when it comes to recruitment and retention. For people thinking of joining us, the chance to improve your language skills certainly adds to the appeal. Language training is now seen as a vital element of our overall learning and development programs, helping our employees to expand their skillset and making sure we retain the best talent in the business.”
WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY
“Learnlight work with us to really understand our needs and create training solutions that are tailored to our business needs. They provide engaging teachers who have really helped to bring the realities of working internationally to life.”
“In Learnlight we found the perfect partner for the launch and implementation of an innovative and effective language program, we regard the English Program (general and managerial) our most valued training initiative.”
“We are highly satisfied with the Learnlight service as they understood how to adapt to our requirements. They have an excellent methodology and the satisfaction rates, and the development of our employees has been second to none”
”The quality of the teachers is one of the company’s best assets, along with the management of all the paperwork involved in the program. Additionally, the platform makes virtual classes a highly effective option.”
“Leonardo Marques is one of the best teachers I have ever had. I wish I had had someone in my school years who showed as much empathy and sensitivity as he does. I look forward to my training session every week, and the combination of daily business with English and personal experiences makes it the best English course I have ever attended.”
“Learnlight work with us to really understand our needs and create training solutions that are tailored to our business needs. They provide engaging teachers who have really helped to bring the realities of working internationally to life.”
“In Learnlight we found the perfect partner for the launch and implementation of an innovative and effective language program, we regard the English Program (general and managerial) our most valued training initiative.”
“We are highly satisfied with the Learnlight service as they understood how to adapt to our requirements. They have an excellent methodology and the satisfaction rates, and the development of our employees has been second to none”
“Leonardo Marques is one of the best teachers I have ever had. I wish I had had someone in my school years who showed as much empathy and sensitivity as he does. I look forward to my training session every week, and the combination of daily business with English and personal experiences makes it the best English course I have ever attended.”