From classroom to online: the success story of Mandemakers Group’s e-learning transformation

“Without Totara, learning collapses.”

If you have ever purchased a kitchen, furniture, or a bathroom, chances are you have visited one of the Mandemakers Group’s stores. You can imagine that training within this family business is complex, covering advice, installation, logistics, and customer service.

The Challenge

Until 2016, training at Mandemakers Group was entirely done in classrooms or stores. For example, kitchen advisors often travelled to Waalwijk for their sales training, which lasted a total of thirty days. At the time, Tom Scholte, the Learning & Development specialist at Mandemakers Group, advocated for the use of e-learning and the purchase of a learning platform, and it paid off.

Totara stood out head and shoulders above the rest

“Compared to other online learning platforms, Totara stood out head and shoulders above the rest in terms of functionality and cost. Based on this choice, we searched for a company to guide us with the implementation and development, and to this day, both Totara and their partner UP learning have been a perfect match.”

– Tom Scholte, Learning & Development specialist

The Solution

“Then the management is quickly convinced”

We quickly reduced the number of training days for kitchen salespeople from 30 to 12 in-class training days. We prepared the theory and product knowledge online, allowing us to delve deeper into the classroom. Fewer days in class means more days in the store, which quickly convinced the management of the value of online learning. The rest is history. Totara has become an indispensable learning platform for thousands of employees.

All colleagues are trained in the same way

Nowadays, various onboarding processes are also done via Totara. Previously, you would receive a folder with tasks and information about all products and some additional explanations on the first day of work. Progress was difficult to measure and heavily dependent on variables such as the period (e.g., during holidays and vacations), the branch manager, or a change of showroom where you work. We wanted to change that.

We also believe that employees from Groningen to Maastricht should be trained in the same way. e-Learning is the solution. We also want training and content from suppliers to run through our platform. This way, employees have a digital reference guide at their fingertips at all times, which is much more convenient than product books in stores.

Directly into the right place in Totara from AFAS

Tom Scholte knows how to keep the growth going steadily. The training offering now includes about 80 self-developed e-learning modules and an equal number of GoodHabitz training courses. He says:

“It’s important to us that every colleague gets exactly the training that’s relevant to them. We don’t have to worry about that anymore. For example, Totara takes over the organizational structure with the associated colleagues one-to-one from the HR system AFAS. Your personal training offering is therefore not only dependent on whether you work for kitchens, bathrooms, or furniture, but also on the formula within that. By automating these types of administrative processes within Totara, I can initiate new developments much more quickly.”

Results

Thanks to Totara, the van is on time

Traditionally, we pair new mechanics with a buddy for a year. This used to involve a lot of paperwork, but now it’s all done online, including evaluations. For example, with Totara, we can see if a mechanic is progressing through their training faster or slower and when they can start working independently. This is important for ordering their van. Should it be ready earlier, later, or on the planned date? Previously, this could go wrong, but now that Totara is the leading system, it doesn’t.

Testing via the app

We’re going to experiment with monthly testing of 200 kitchen salespeople through the Totara app. They’ll receive questions about current topics. As Learning & Development, we’ll learn a lot from this rollout, and then we’ll roll it out across the entire organization. This approach is the same as what we did with Totara. We start small, learn from it, and then copy the successful formula. It’s that simple.

The battle for the new generation

We want you to have access to the Totara learning platform before your first day of work, so you’ll come to your first day with confidence. This meets the needs of the new generation of employees who want a lot of online resources, and we’re providing that.

We’ve also ensured that some online training is certified for Secondary Vocational Education Transportation and Logistics. By completing certain e-learning modules, you can receive exemptions. This is an additional reason to choose Mandemakers Group as an employer. We continuously keep up with the latest developments, and that’s how we work within Mandemakers Group. And yes, Totara plays a leading role. We can no longer do without it. Without it, our learning would collapse.

How Mandemakers Group benefits

• Significant reduction in the number of training days
• Employees are to be on the work floor as much as possible
• Onboarding of employees reduced from 1 year to 4-5 months