Gamifying Corporate Training in 2023: Tips and Examples

Have you ever wondered about the benefits of adding gamification to your corporate training program? If so, you’re not alone.

Employee upskilling and performance enhancement have never been more important – which means that corporate training should be as engaging as possible.

This is where gamification can give your business an edge. 

It’s an innovative approach that’s been gaining traction in the corporate training realm, which involves incorporating game-like elements into non-gaming environments.

Gamification turns routine training into interactive activities that are key to successful learning outcomes.

In this guide, we’ll explore the concept of gamification, its myriad benefits, and the essential steps to designing, developing, and measuring the impact of a gamified corporate training program.

Understanding gamification in corporate training

Gamification and corporate training go hand in hand – essentially, it’s a way to add interactive elements to educational programs to make them more engaging and effective. 

By integrating the fun nature of games into training programs, businesses can tap into the inherent human desire for competition, achievement, and reward. 

These psychological principles can be leveraged with gamification to enhance motivation and engagement in training.

For example, earning points or badges for completing training modules can prompt the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.

Simply put, gamification lets you reward your team for engaging in the training – and encourage them to strive for top results.

A gamified training program is typically made up of several components:

• Points: Awarded to employees for completing training activities or achieving certain performance levels.
• Badges: Granted when learners achieve significant milestones.
• Leaderboards and challenges: Foster healthy competition among employees by displaying who has earned the most points or badges.
• Challenges or quests: Encourage employees to apply their new skills or knowledge in practical scenarios. 

The versatility of gamification elements means they can be applied to different forms of corporate training.

Sales training, for instance, can use leaderboards and challenges to motivate team members to improve their selling skills and close more deals. 

Alternatively, customer service training can use badges to reward employees for providing outstanding support.

Why gamify your corporate training?

So, what are the main benefits of adding gamification elements to your corporate training?

Improved engagement

Traditional training methods can become monotonous all too quickly, leaving your learners feeling uninspired and leading to low participation rates.

Gamification, on the other hand, introduces a dynamic element to your training programs. Adding some competition can make learning more enjoyable and engaging, ultimately encouraging employees to get more involved.

Enhanced learning retention

Gamification adds interactivity and immersion to training programs, which will help employees understand the training materials that much better – and remember them when the time comes to apply their newfound skills to real-world scenarios!

For example, earning a badge for correctly answering a series of questions on a topic can reinforce the knowledge gained and make it more memorable.

Increased motivation

Everyone needs a nudge, or positive encouragement, from time to time, and gamification uses rewards, competition, and progress tracking to keep learners motivated. 

Doing so also encourages employees to complete their training and hit their goals.

By deploying a leaderboard, learners can see their progress at a glance and push themselves to climb the ranks.

Real-world application

Gamification facilitates the real-world application of learned skills and knowledge.

By simulating authentic scenarios in training games or challenges, employees get the chance to put their skills into practice in a safe and controlled environment.

Not only does this tactic help prepare learners for situations they’re likely to face in their day-to-day roles, but it can also improve their overall job performance.

But don’t just take our word for it. According to a Zippia study, 9 out of 10 employees state that gamification makes them more productive. Zippia’s research also found that employees experience a 48% boost in engagement when their work experience is gamified.

Exploring real-world examples of gamified corporate training

Lots of companies in the real world have successfully implemented gamification in their employee training programs. Let’s delve into some of these real-world examples to gain insights into their strategies and outcomes.

Cisco

Cisco, a worldwide leader in IT and networking, incorporated gamification into its social media training program to train its employees on social media usage and etiquette.

This is a hugely important skill for Cisco employees to nurture, as sales account managers regularly reach out to customers and potential hires via sites like Twitter and LinkedIn.

To facilitate this goal, Cisco created a game-like training program where employees earned points and badges for completing three levels of training.

Employees were able to band together to tackle challenges in small groups, or as an entire organization, and were encouraged to explore different aspects of social media.

The tiers of certification and mid-way accomplishments made the Cisco training a lot more engaging – and fun!

Deloitte

Deloitte, one of the world’s largest professional services networks, uses gamification elements in its Deloitte Leadership Academy (DLA).

By boosting learner engagement throughout their online curriculum, Deloitte was able to prompt employees to tackle problem-solving tasks that have applications to a variety of real-world processes.

They introduced a competitive element where participants could compare their performance in real time and collect badges. 

Deloitte also ensured that their leaderboards and missions were embedded into user-friendly platforms – and that learners had access to tutorial videos and onboarding missions.

This strategy motivated the participants to complete the training and fostered a sense of camaraderie among the senior leaders.

Sally Beauty Supply

Sally Beauty Supply, a global distributor and retailer of professional beauty products, implemented gamification in their retail sales training.

Sally Beauty Supply’s customers count on employees to guide their shopping experience with suggestions and advice, and the company decided to boost its workforce customer service and product knowledge with a custom eLearning program.

Using a mobile app that featured quizzes and sales scenarios, Sally Beauty Supply was able to train sales associates – and reward them with points and badges whenever they answered questions correctly.

This gamified approach, and the inclusion of high scores and leaderboards, gave the training an interactive element, improved knowledge retention, and had a huge impact on sales performance. 

In fact, one Sally Beauty Supply product line sold out just two days after the launch of the eLearning curriculum.

When we consider these case studies, it’s clear that gamification can enhance corporate training by making it more interactive, competitive, and engaging. 

They also demonstrate that gamification can be applied to various types of training, from social media and leadership development to retail sales training.

As a result, businesses benefit from increased participation rates, and employees enjoy better learning retention that encourages them to achieve their goals. It’s a win/win for everyone involved!

However, implementing gamification in corporate training isn’t always a straightforward process. It requires a clear understanding of game design principles, careful planning, and continuous monitoring and adjustment.

It’s crucial to align the gamified training with the company’s learning objectives and ensure that it adds value to the employees’ learning experience.

Creating your own gamified corporate training program

Creating a successful gamified corporate training program takes thoughtful planning and a step-by-step strategy, including:

1. Setting clear goals

The first step in creating a gamified training program is to set clear objectives. 

What skills or knowledge do you want your employees to acquire? How will the training contribute to their performance and the company’s goals?

Once you’ve defined these objectives, you can align them with the game mechanics. 

For instance, if the goal is to improve sales skills, you could design a game where employees earn points for successfully closing simulated sales.

2. Designing the gamified experience

This involves choosing the right game mechanics (like points, badges, or leaderboards), creating a narrative or theme, and ensuring the training content is relevant and engaging.

The game mechanics should be aligned with the training objectives and motivate employees to get involved – and the more effective your narrative is, the more immersive and enjoyable the training will be.

Ultimately, you’ll need to design your training content so that every facet of the material provides value to your employees and helps guide them toward their objectives.

3. Developing content

Once you’ve designed the gamified experience, you’ll need to develop the training content. 

This could include designing and creating challenges, quizzes, and interactive activities that all reinforce the learning objectives.

For example, you could create a quiz that tests employees’ knowledge of a topic and awards points for correct answers.

You could also design challenges that require employees to apply their new skills or knowledge in simulated real-world scenarios.

4. Utilizing the right platform

Finally, finding a suitable platform that allows you to create and manage your gamified training program is crucial. 

The platform should be user-friendly, support the game mechanics you want to use, and provide tools for tracking and analyzing the training results.

This will enable you to monitor the effectiveness of the training program and make necessary adjustments to improve it.

Choosing the right platform for gamified training: Introducing AccessAlly

Choosing the right platform for your gamified corporate training program is crucial. Fortunately, AccessAlly is a comprehensive learning management solution that caters to this specific need.

AccessAlly is an incredibly robust platform that boasts an array of features – making it an excellent pick for corporate training.

Its course builder allows for the creation of interactive and engaging learning experiences, while automation features streamline administrative tasks like enrolment and progress tracking.

AccessAlly also supports various forms of gamification:

• Its quizzing functionality allows trainers to create interactive quizzes that test employees’ knowledge and reinforce learning.
• Progress bars give employees a visual representation of their learning journey and encourage them to complete their training.
• Rewards can also motivate learners to engage more actively with the materials and achieve better results.

When it comes to corporate training, AccessAlly has a suite of specific tools that make the design and development process a breeze. 

This includes bulk onboarding, which makes enrolling multiple employees in a course a breeze, and drip release content tools which allow users to schedule the release of course content over time, ensuring a steady and manageable learning pace.

What’s more, private notes give trainers the option to send personalized feedback to learners.

The benefits of using AccessAlly for corporate training don’t stop there. 

The platform is scalable, meaning it can grow with your company and accommodate increasing training needs, and has a user-friendly interface – so you’ll be able to create and manage your programs effortlessly.

Most importantly, AccessAlly enables the creation of engaging learning experiences that can improve knowledge retention, skill development, and overall training effectiveness.

Natalie MacNeil reiterates AccessAlly’s effectiveness:

“AccessAlly is the most intuitive, easy, beautifully designed, customer-focused option you’ll find for a membership site”.

After trialing several platforms for her digital programs, Natalie found AccessAlly to be the best way to gamify her clients’ experiences.

“Our clients are raving about the checklists and progress tracking we built into each module, and I know more people will actually follow through, do the work, and get the results we know we can deliver.”

Measuring the impact of gamified corporate training

Once you’ve created and deployed your gamified corporate training program, it’s important to measure its impact – here’s how you can do it:

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

KPIs can provide quantifiable evidence of the success of your gamified training program. 

Some of the KPIs you might consider include completion rates (the percentage of employees who complete the training), knowledge retention (measured through post-training quizzes or tests), and employee performance (assessed through job performance metrics).

These metrics can give you valuable insights into the effectiveness of the training and help you identify areas for improvement.

Feedback and surveys

Another effective way to measure the impact of your gamified training is through feedback and surveys. 

You can ask employees for their opinion on the training experience, what they found most and least helpful, and any suggestions they have for improvement.

Surveys can also assess employees’ understanding of the training material and their ability to apply what they’ve learned in their jobs.

AccessAlly can also be used to chart the success of your training program and its gamification elements. 

Thanks to its robust tracking features, you can monitor user progress and engagement in just a few clicks.

Armed with this information, you’ll have a clear picture of how well your employees are interacting with the training material – and insights you can turn into data-driven decisions that’ll ultimately enhance your training program.

Transform your corporate training with AccessAlly today!

Adding gamification to your corporate training is a no-brainer. 

It adds an element of fun and competition to learning, making it more engaging and effective, and motivates employees to participate. 

Gamification also enhances knowledge retention and employee performance. 

However, the success of gamified corporate training largely depends on the platform you choose.

AccessAlly, with its comprehensive features, user-friendly interface, and robust support for gamification, is the ideal solution for your corporate training needs.

Its automation features streamline administrative tasks, while the course builder allows for the creation of interactive and engaging learning experiences. 

Plus, its tracking features provide valuable insights into user progress and engagement, helping you measure and enhance the effectiveness of your training program.

Are you ready to transform your corporate training? 

With AccessAlly, you can create a gamified training program that makes learning enjoyable and helps your employees develop the skills and knowledge they need to excel in their roles. 

Start your journey with AccessAlly today and experience the difference it can make in your corporate training!