The problem
A VP wanted every team member to have a better understanding, and have genuine empathy, of what life was actually like at the dealerships that supported the company. These dealerships were the main source of income. Understanding them wasn't a nice-to-have.
Some employees had worked in dealerships for years. They knew the dynamics, the fast-paced nature, the real risk of commission loss when customer service slipped. But most employees hadn't. That gap was the problem.
A course was proposed to fix it.
The thought process
During discovery, I found that a program already existed to solve this exact problem. Small cohorts of team members spent a day at a dealership, speaking to front of house, back of house, getting a feel for the environment firsthand.
It was immediately clear: anything I could build digitally would be inferior to that in-person experience. The answer wasn't a new course. It was using what already existed, properly.
Step one
Step one was validating the program actually worked. I sent a follow-up survey to the handful of people who'd been on it:
- How long had you worked here before attending?
- What was your impression of the dealerships before going?
- What's your impression now?
- What's changed in your day-to-day as a result?
The feedback was clear. It worked exactly as intended.
Step two
Step two was figuring out who actually needed to go. Not everyone did. Some employees had come directly from dealerships. Others were in support roles with frequent dealership contact. Blanket attendance wasn't the right call.
The solution was a survey sent to all staff; no context, no mention of the program. Just a routine survey. A mix of scenario questions, multiple choice, and Likert scales, designed so that responses would reveal how people actually thought about and worked in the context of dealerships.
Responses were filtered and analysed. Ideal candidates were identified and their names passed to the program organisers — who we'd already worked with in advance to ensure they had capacity for a temporary increase in cohorts.
People who didn't need to attend received a follow-up explaining what the program was and offering them the option to join anyway. Some people don't need it but still want it. That option mattered.
The final change
The final change was simple: all new employees, unless coming directly from a dealership, are automatically enrolled.
The outcome
The program is now properly utilised, properly scaled, and reaching the right people — both existing staff and everyone who joins.
The response that stuck with me most:
This program would've helped me in the first 10 years I was here.
And from one of the VPs:
You only have people in [Department name], and me and [Colleague], who have worked in dealerships and understand that it's just a fire drill every day. When people go on the [Programme], they come back and it's just — "I had no idea." That's a lot of the answers you get from those folks.
That was a real pain point. It's not anymore.