A retailer transforms its approach to improving associates' behavior.

Customer expectations are higher than they've ever been in the retail space: Competition is fierce, employee turnover continues to rise, and, as I'm experiencing in my world, keeping people and property safe is a never-ending battle. In retail, we expect our people to take the right actions on the job, but there are gaping holes around associate knowledge that are costing our industry billions of dollars a year.

Traditional training approaches weren't working

Before 2012, Bloomingdale's was following the same standard approaches to loss prevention and safety training that all retail organizations were using at the time (and continue to use today): posters, classroom training, huddles, and pre-shift morning rallies. But those methods just weren't cutting it.

The topic of safe work practices wasn't inviting excitement and rapt attention from our associates. We were struggling to provide consistent training across stores. And we couldn't identify which associates understood the information and how to apply it correctly, particularly because we were dealing with thousands of employees. That meant we weren't able to pinpoint how to help our associates adopt the correct on-the-job behaviors so we could improve our numbers.

As I contemplated those challenges, I had a sudden moment of realization: We were focused on the wrong thing. We were simply delivering associate training, when we should have been building associate knowledge. We live in a world of information overload, and throwing traditional check-the-box training at associates was not going to get them to become more knowledgeable, nor was it going to give them what they needed to consistently do the right thing (such as following proper safety procedures).

Taking a modern approach to building associate knowledge

I knew Bloomingdale's needed to find a better way to train associates around safety if we were going to continue to raise our standards. But, I really had no idea if I could find a tool to help me transform my vision into something tangible.

Luckily, during a chance meeting, I was introduced to Axonify and I realized it was exactly what I needed. Its Employee Knowledge Platform helps build the knowledge employees need in a fun, engaging, gamified way, so they can perform more effectively at work. It also personalizes learning to focus on areas where knowledge isn't as strong. That helps increase employees' expertise in the right areas and builds their confidence, so they can perform their role to the best of their ability. And because employees take the correct actions on the job, it ultimately drives business results across the organization.

A shift from a traditional check-the-box mentality to instilling knowledge in an ongoing manner was not going to be easy. However, with the help of Axonify, Bloomingdale's has taken a massive leap forward. We've been able to increase associate knowledge dramatically around safety practices and improve associate behavior as a result. In fact, the Employee Knowledge Platform has enabled us to reduce safety claims by 41 percent and save a total of $10 million since implementation.

Pretty amazing, isn't it?

Four steps to success

Here's how we were able to elevate our training and achieve such tremendous success:

We integrated training into each shift without taking associates off the floor. For associates to know instinctively how to carry out their day-to-day duties (such as servicing customers properly or cleaning up spills safely), they need to be engaged in learning continually. Thus, Bloomingdale's associates use the Employee Knowledge Platform during downtime every shift to take three- to five-minute micro-training bursts, via a point-of-sale or mobile device.

Not only does that keep valuable staff members on the floor, but it also makes the training more relevant because associates receive learning in the moment, when it matters most during their shift, instead of in one siloed dose.

We provided bite-sized, personalized and gamified training. Today's retail workforce is tech-savvy. Associates are accustomed to accessing information on demand and interacting with content in bite-sized pieces (via Twitter and Snapchat, for example). The Employee Knowledge Platform appeals to that new reality by delivering training in small bursts. It gives associates the chance to master one concept before moving on to the next.

Learning also is tailored to each associate's knowledge, so those who already have a strong grasp of a particular policy or procedure don't have to learn it again, and employees who are confused about a concept will receive more training automatically. The platform also uses game-based principles—such as rewards, leaderboards, game play, and social elements—to drive engagement and participation. In fact, we often hit participation rates above 95 percent.

We supported the unique challenges of different departments and stores. A store in the heart of New York City presents different challenges from a location in a suburban mall. Similarly, the men's apparel department presents different challenges from the home department. While training consistency is important, so is flexibility.

Making information relevant is a key part of inspiring engagement. We create more knowledgeable associates by empowering each location, and even each department, to customize its own learning experience through the platform with the information they need and is most important.

We measured associate knowledge and tied it back to business outcomes. Seeing progress and tying it to results is another core component of creating more knowledgeable associates. So is measuring the right thing.

Instead of tracking the completion of training, we use the Employee Knowledge Platform to measure the acquisition, retention, and application of knowledge, associate by associate, store by store, and as an organization as a whole. We also track knowledge growth on a topic-by-topic basis and can see the impact all the way through to employee behavior and results.

We know exactly how teams and individual associates are advancing in their knowledge, which topic areas employees are struggling with, and which topics they've mastered. That enables our managers to provide coaching help and creates a positive cycle of feedback and progress that elevates everyone across the organization.