Transforming sales enablement through gamified learning

Mastercard sought to enhance the knowledge and engagement of its globally dispersed sales teams regarding its product portfolio. In collaboration with Deloitte, the organization implemented a Totara-based learning platform featuring gamification and multi‑tenant capabilities. Since its March 2024 launch, the platform has reached over 12,000 users, with strong completion and certification outcomes.

The Challenge

The sales teams operate across multiple regions, business units, and customer segments, each requiring tailored product knowledge. The organization faced three interconnected challenges:

1. Knowledge Fragmentation:  Sales representatives needed to understand an extensive portfolio of Mastercard products and services, but traditional training methods failed to keep pace with product updates and regional variations.
2. Engagement & Retention: Conventional e-learning platforms resulted in low completion rates and minimal knowledge retention. Sales teams lacked motivation to complete training, particularly when competing priorities demanded their attention.
3. Scalability & Customization: With 5,000+ users across different business units, Mastercard required a learning platform that could:

• • Support multi-tenant architecture with independent configurations per business unit
  • Deliver smart self-registration flows tailored to different user roles and regions
  • Provide advanced reporting dashboards enabling leadership to track engagement and performance by tenant
  • Reflect Mastercard’s corporate brand identity while maintaining flexibility for regional customization

The Solution

Deloitte designed and implemented a tier-1 Totara learning platform purpose-built for Mastercard’s financial services environment. The solution leverages three core pillars:

Gamification-Driven Engagement

The platform incorporates sophisticated gamification mechanics to transform learning into an engaging, competitive experience:

• Badges & Achievement System: Users earn badges upon completing courses and milestones, creating a sense of accomplishment
• Competitive Mini-Duels (Quizzes): Sales teams engage in friendly competitive quizzes, fostering peer-to-peer learning and healthy competition
• Leaderboards & Ranking System: Real-time leaderboards display top performers, motivating continuous participation and knowledge advancement
• Points & Rewards: Every completed module and challenge earns points, contributing to an engaging hub-ranking system

Multi-tenant architecture with the flexibility to adapt to the needs of the target audience

Recognizing Mastercard’s complex organizational structure, the platform features:

• Independent Tenant Configurations:  Each business unit or region operates with its own customized learning environment, registration flows, and branding
• Smart Registration Flows: Tailored onboarding processes guide users based on their role, region, and business unit
• Flexible Theming:  Corporate design elements (black, white, grey) are adaptable per tenant, ensuring brand consistency while allowing regional personalization

Advanced Analytics & Executive Reporting

Leadership gains comprehensive visibility through:

• Executive Dashboard: Real-time analytics on engagement, course completion, and user activity
• Tenant-Level Filtering: Drill-down capabilities enable leaders to analyze performance by individual business units, regions, or customer segments
• Actionable Insights: Detailed reporting on module ratings, completion rates, and learner progression supports data-driven decision-making

The Result

Since going live in March 2024, the Mastercard Totara platform has delivered strong, measurable impact:

Metric & Result

• Total Modules Completed = 9,290
• Average Module Rating = 87%
• Users Completing Full Programs = 1,186 (completing 5+ courses)
• Implementation Timeline = 7 months
• Total User Base = 5,000+

Key Achievements:

• High Engagement: 9,290 modules completed demonstrates strong platform adoption and learner participation across the organization
• Exceptional Learning Experience: An 87% average module rating reflects a well-designed, relevant learning experience that resonates with sales teams
• Program Completion: 1,186 users completing full certification programs (5+ courses) indicates sustained engagement and commitment to continuous learning—a critical success factor for sales enablement
• Qualitative and robust deployment: 7-month implementation timeline delivered a complex, multi-tenant platform without disrupting business operations