The challenge
For the internal service department in the Italian branch of the pharma company, communicating in English with their European colleagues is the foundation for the success of their work. The department had prior experience with a language course offering, but real results never materialized. So the company sought out an alternative, something that employees would be motivated to use. It needed to be both efficient and simple to integrate into the workday. The goal was to support and improve speaking skills quickly, especially on the phone, in meetings, and during small talk with colleagues and clients.
“A video lesson lasted about as long as a meeting, so it fits perfectly into my workday.”
An employee in the pharma company
Why Babbel?
The Babbel language learning platform offered the company a unique blended-learning approach by combining digital courses with the Babbel app and face-to-face video lessons with Babbel Live, enabling the employees to benefit from both methods. The employees were able to easily integrate the short and effective lessons into their daily work schedules, flexibly deciding when and where they wanted to learn.
Additionally, the employees were able to learn at their own pace and start learning at their individual level, which not only made learning more effective, but also more motivating for the employees. “All lessons were accessible from the beginning,” said another user, “so I could study according to my own knowledge.”
The digital learning was reinforced through Babbel Live’s online lessons with certified teachers, where learners practiced 30 minutes per week via video conferencing. This enabled them to get comfortable using the language in conversation.
“I noticed that employees were participating more actively in meetings held in English because they were more confident.”
A Learning & Development Professional
From the beginning, the feedback was positive: “It’s great and innovative!” raved one user. The success showed quickly and learners saw a clear improvement in their abilities. The accompanying learning path promoted active engagement with the content. And what’s more, the pharma company was able to monitor the learners’ progress with regular usage reports, weekly or monthly, anonymized or personally identifiable, as per request.
“Confidence is the key to efficient communication. I’m glad we met the goal.”
HR Manager
Conclusion
The internal service department of the Italian pharma company branch was motivated to study Business English with Babbel for Business. The content was tailored to the specific requirements of their jobs and could be immediately integrated into their workday. “We recommend Babbel for the entire company!” said 100% of participants questioned.