Lifetime Training, one of the UK’s leading apprenticeship providers, win the Bronze Award in Business Change and Transformation at the UK Customer Experience Awards 2022. The Annual UKCX awards celebrate the CX achievements of some of the UK’s top companies, and it was an honour for Lifetime Training to be among such a high-calibre group.
Lifetime entered the Business Change and Transformation category and inspired the judges with their journey of developing, implementing and embedding the Elevate transformation programme. The Bronze Award was won against stiff competition, with London Luton Airport in partnership with Ethos Farm Ltd winning Silver and Sky taking home the Gold award.
Lifetime’s story
The apprenticeship levy (a tax on all companies with a payroll bill of £3million plus) was introduced in 2017 and completely changed the way apprenticeships were delivered. Lifetime had to modify several processes and products, and although this work was necessary, it caused disruption in the business: Lifetime had to be very internally focused.
In 2019 those changes were completed, giving Lifetime the opportunity to take a step back and ask “How has this impacted our customers, predominantly our learners, employer partners and coaches?”
Lifetime realised they needed an approach that delivered full company transformation – one that focused on the customer. This led Lifetime to develop the Elevate transformation programme. This included several improvement areas, but there were five key areas that were identified that impacted customer experience and needed action:
- Voice of the Customer: Lifetime developed a centralised and consolidated approach to listening to customer feedback through all channels. This was designed to identify the key pain points so they could develop improvement initiatives to respond to feedback effectively.
- Customer Support: A central support team was created where all learner queries were directed. This meant that it was a straightforward process for learners. 86% of queries are now resolved in the first contact.
- Close the Loop: A clear and automated learner dissatisfaction and escalation process was established, led by the customer support team. Over 70% of cases are solved first time.
- Data and Insights: Lifetime had a lot of data, but hadn’t fully realised the insight to support decision-making. They deployed modern analytics, machine learning and AI to fundamentally change the way they design and deliver an experience that their customers want.
- Learner Management System: There were four different learner and coach systems, which caused a disconnected experience. Learners now have one platform to access everything related to their apprenticeship. This transformation to one system benefits learners, coaches and managers throughout the entire apprenticeship journey.
The results
The innovation in workstreams has allowed Lifetime to work smarter and solve the issues impacting the overall learner experience the most. The results so far showcase the positive impact of the transformation.
The Elevate transformation project has been one of the biggest in Lifetime’s history. It’s one that’s had a clear, forward-thinking strategy, designed to deliver measurable improvements in customer experience.
Lifetime transformed its ways of working and used insights to make data-driven, innovative decisions. Elevate delivered tangible results that have improved learners’ experience, satisfaction and crucially, the chance of achieving their apprenticeship.
Now Lifetime is working hard to continue to embed these initiatives and improvements and will continue to utilise data insights in all projects and areas of decision-making. With such a large period of change, the focus is now on making sure the business embeds and adopts the changes effectively, and where identified, continue to make improvements.
