How BSH Optimised Technician Training
BSH Hausgeräte AG is the biggest domestic appliance manufacturer in Europe and one of the leading companies in the sector worldwide. The group's main brands are Bosch and Siemens. In addition to its eight special brands catering to individual consumers, BSH also serves selected home markets with the regional brands Balay, PITSOS, PROFILO and Coldex. The product portfolio covers the full spectrum of modern household appliances.
BSH Hausgeräte: Global Technician Training
BSH Hausgeräte AG is Europe's largest domestic appliance manufacturer, with Bosch and Siemens as its main brands, alongside regional names such as Balay, PITSOS, PROFILO and Coldex. As its product range, workforce and geographical footprint grew, BSH needed to rethink its professional development approach, adapting training content to local learning habits while maintaining uniform standards so customers everywhere received the same quality of service. Technicians had to be able to service, repair and advise on new appliances shortly after launch, and the business lacked a modern multinational concept with a single database for administering face-to-face training and rolling out tailored online training.
After a market analysis, BSH implemented the imc Learning Suite LMS, branding it the "BSH Learning Universe". More than 10,000 service technicians across 50 countries now access country-specific material, supported by face-to-face training administration, assessments and reporting. The blended learning model cut training time by roughly 20%, equating to EUR 10 million in savings, and reduced administration costs. BSH also uses the system beyond product training, including health training, and its administrators note that Excel-based course administration has been retired.
The Challenge: Adapting Training Content To Local Standards
Global growth of the product portfolio, employee numbers and geographical coverage made it necessary to rethink the professional development concepts used by BSH.
The goal was to adapt the training content to local learning habits in the different countries to fill any gaps in the knowledge of the service technicians in each location. BSH's intent was to achieve uniform training standards so that customers around the world would enjoy the same high-quality service.
It is of great importance to BSH that service technicians anywhere in the world are able to service appliances, repair them if necessary, and offer competent and professional advice to customers within a short period after the launch of a new product. Moreover, practical training on appliances was to be introduced locally.
What was missing was a modern, multinational professional development concept with a homogeneous database that allowed easy administration of face-to-face training and flexible implementation of tailored online training in real time.
The Solution: Global Professional Development Platform For 10,000 Technicians
Following an in-depth market analysis, the professional development administrators at BSH decided to implement a learning management system (LMS) by Scheer IMC, the "imc Learning Suite". They called it the "BSH Learning Universe".
With this global professional development platform, more than 10,000 BSH service technicians in 50 countries can quickly and easily access the training material tailored to the specific country and use it to support their daily tasks. Easy administration of face-to-face training, reliable assessment functions and reporting round off the solution.
What's more, the blended learning approach facilitates lasting efficiency gains for the face-to-face training. This saves the technicians up to 20% in training time, while significantly reducing administration costs.
The Result: EUR 10 Million In Savings
The results speak for themselves: Since the LMS was introduced, service technicians have been saving around 20% in training time, which is equivalent to EUR 10 million in total.
Moreover, learners loved how flexible the platform is. The LMS by imc is capable of implementing tailored requirements for each country. This involves more than just using the right language: Basic knowledge relating to fundamental topics like maintenance and repair and customised training on new regional products also differ by country. The "BSH Learning Universe" precisely addresses the requirements and needs of the service technicians at the different locations.
"The imc Learning Suite is highly flexible and adapts to our requirements. The LMS not only covers our need for product training: We also use the system for our health training. Above all, the intelligent training booking processes make our work a lot easier. Since we implemented the LMS, Excel list administration is a thing of the past!", Peter Tolaini, BSH Learning Universe Administrator, UK, sums up.
We set our goals high with the 'BSH Learning Universe'—and achieved them: In more than 50 countries on five continents, our colleagues in Technical Customer Support are trained to the same high standards. Yet, each of our local training programmes is as unique as our products.
– Sonja Hild, Head of Training and Development in the Customer Service Division, BSH
