- Does DialogCoach make sales people sound robotic?
- What about experienced representatives?
- Our selling process is complex, will DialogCoach work for us?
- What is the benefit of DialogCoach?
- What is the benefit of training effective habits?
- Is the DialogCoach software difficult to use?
- Is it difficult to create new scenarios?
- Do the reps have to pause after each talking point?
- Can management or training see how well the representatives are doing
on DialogCoach?
- How much space do the recorded sessions take up on my computer?
- Can the representatives cheat the system by turning on the program
but not practicing?
- Can DialogCoach also teach the proper use of sales aids, computer
systems, software, etc.?
- How effective is DialogCoach with accents?
- Who is the creator and manufacturer?
- Is there technical support?
- Will DialogCoach work with my Learning Management System (LMS)?
- What are the technical specifications?
- How do we update scenarios?
No, DialogCoach allows representatives to learn in their own style of communication.
DialogCoach does not limit the representatives to specific phrases. Instead it gives
the representatives the ability to put marketing messages into their own words while
still ensuring they can effectively recall more of the key messages.
There are six levels to help build effective habits for representatives of all skill
levels. They are:
- Proving ground (experienced representatives, self evaluation)
- Warm up (representatives learning a new message or new hires)
- Initial Practice (effective practice tool for all representatives skill levels)
- Advanced Practice (additional practice using the principles of tacit knowledge or
embodied knowledge)
- Game (responses from the perfect customer)
- Certification (self evaluation and submission to trainer/coach for evaluation, comparison
and market data gathering)
DialogCoach is currently being used by 6 of the top Pharmaceutical and Biotech companies
for their sales representatives. The pharmaceutical and device industries have very
complex selling processes. The benefit of DialogCoach has been documented for message
delivery, recall, and increased effectiveness. DialogCoach trains effective habits,
which are paramount to the success of any sales force or customer service representative.
Effective habits create concise and succinct responses which are appreciated by
all customers. DialogCoach has also been used by Boeing to train its engineers on
the proper use of new software. This was a very complex process, and DialogCoach
increased the speed to proficiency tremendously.
DialogCoach effectively trains habits and takes sales forces beyond role play. Each
industry excels in teaching knowledge through learning modules, classroom sessions,
and e-learning but other than role play (expensive and time consuming, therefore
infrequent and rare) there is no method for training effective habits.
Habit is a way of saying embodied knowledge. For most people, it is very difficult
to convert knowledge to action with any amount of fluidity (knowing does not equal
doing). The only way to achieve a level where knowledge can be applied is to practice.
DialogCoach offers a cost effective training program that helps representatives
improve performance.
DialogCoach has a simple user system and comes with a built in training program
that walks representatives through each level. DialogCoach has been sent to representatives
in the field with the tutorial and they have been able to use the program without
any further assistance. Calls to our help desk are typically related to hardware
(head sets) and not the program itself. Users have the ability to navigate the software,
on average, after a one hour session on the tutorial.
If you or your client chooses to create scenarios, our training team would be involved
in training of the Scenario Editor. The Scenario Editor is the tool that creates
Packages and Scenarios for DialogCoach.
However, since we have a team of Scenario Developers, it is more common for companies
to have us create the scenarios for them, as it will result in faster turnaround
time for development as well as a generally higher quality end result.
We have designed the program to require a pause in the initial levels of learning,
as this helps the mind differentiate between each talking point. This pause increases
the retention and recall of messages as well as the speed with which the information
is learned. In the certification level and proving ground (real life situations)
there are no pauses required.
Representatives practice as much as they like without the feeling that any one is
peering over their shoulder. In the final Certification level data is collected
such as score, time spent practicing, and an MP3 recording of the representatives
last session. This can be e-mailed to the representatives district manager, training,
and upper management so they may hear the final session. If they choose; Gradebook
can be used to create graphs for sales, sales training, and marketing to review
their return on investment.
The MP3 recordings are small compressed voice recordings which only last 30 seconds
(depending on the number of points for the training package) and use little space.
This may compare to a 30 second song on an iPOD but with less content.
No, if a representative turns on DialogCoach and walks away, the time shown as spent
training will be zero. DialogCoach only counts time when the representative is interacting
with the virtual customer.
Yes, DialogCoach has sections throughout the scenario called action items. At these
points, the trainee will be required to perform an action item such as show a detail
aid and point to the area of interest (chart, graph, sales figures etc) or enter
information into their computer system which is an exact replica of the system they
would normally be using. They are given points for performing these tasks and will
not be allowed to move on unless they complete these tasks.
DialogCoach is very good at picking up accents. Our latest version of DialogCoach
features Accent Neutralization, which will allow the representative to instantaneously
receive feedback. This feature will assess the speaker and offer percentages for
each statement showing how close to a native speaker they are. (e.g. Someone from
India calling on people from the USA will see a percentage showing how close their
accent is to an American saying the same thing.) This helps in situations where
companies are using offshore call centers but want their clients to think they are
speaking to someone within the USA.
DialogCoach was originally created by Allen Interactions, the designer of Authorware.
DialogCoach is now owned by ASERT, a division of inVentiv Health. ASERT has been
an integral part of the sales force training arena for many years and has a tremendous
background in learning processes and effective training techniques which they use
to support DialogCoach.
First line technical support is provided by the retail seller of DialogCoach who
either supplies a support line or trains the purchasers tech support team. If the
issue cannot be resolved and needs to be elevated, DialogCoach will provide support
for 2nd level needs.
Yes, currently DialogCoach is SCORM compatible. This means that DialogCoach passes
the highest level of scrutiny a program can while not interfering with other technology.
As of version 5.0, DialogCoach will also be SCORM 1.2 and 2004 compliant.
Please refer to the DialogCoach Technical Specifications page.
New DialogCoach scenarios can be downloaded over the internet via HTTP or FTP or
sent to representatives on CD-ROM.
