You Be the Consultant: How Exceeding Customers Expectations Leads Learning Pool to Success.

Please help answer only 2) and 3) Thank you

2. Learning Pool has taken over its biggest competitor. What lessons can other competitors learn from Learning Pool about customer focus and retention? (Please answer this question in two paragraphs of at least 3-5 sentences for each paragraph.)

3. What are the growth opportunities and challenges faced by Learning Pool in future? (Please answer this question in two paragraphs of at least 3-5 sentences for each paragraph.)

390 SECTION 1. LAUNCHING THE BUSINESS You Be the Consultant How Exceeding Customer Expectations Leads Learning Pool to Success Learning Pool is Northern Ireland's largest e-learning company. Founded in 2006, it specializes in providing a complete, one-stop solution for e-learning needs. Boasting a 98 percent customer satisfaction rate, Learning Pool has over 15 years' experience working with both local and global clients Paul McElvaney, the cofounder of the company, had worked in the technology industry and identified the growing need for online training in the market. Along with Mary McKenna, his cofounder, Paul started a small setup to test the markets response. At that time, their target market was still develop ing and going through many important changes, including a growth in online services, specially customer service. Paul aimed to develop a service that assisted public sector organizations to create and share e-learning content of the highest quality and a customer-centric approach at the lowest possible cost. Learning Pool today employs 120 employees in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. The company has witnessed exponential growth, with almost 1.25 million learners and public sector clients using their products every day. Their cus- tomers include both public and private sector organizations, including the National Health Service, Jurys Inn, Barclays, and the UK Houses of Parliament. The company attributes its suc cess to their philosophy of "putting customers at the center of everything (they do. Learning Pools business is primarily based on subscriptions, and renewals are the key to success. To retain their custom- ers, Learning Pool strives to go that extra mile. Paul's philoso- phy that a satisfied employee alone means satisfied customers has led management to foster the best working environment for their employees This has in turn enabled them to deliver the best post-sales experience for their clients. Their special- ized teams arrange several sessions with clients to understand their requirements, followed by tailored inductions and ongoing coaching A dedicated learning consultant is available at all times thanks to unlimited 24-hour email and phone support, includ. ing end-user support Learning Pool custom-designed learning services are further updated by listening to customers every day and are supplemented with new features and fresh content per changing needs Mary Mckenna, the cofounder of Learning Pool, attr- butes their success to their ability to exceed customer expecta- tions Highly satisfied customers act as a means of promotion to potential new customers. One of her favorite Learning Pool experiences is that of a public sector local authority that had recently undergone restructuring and were not very receptive to new learning experiences. The atmosphere in the hall was very tense and difficult. However, as soon as Learning Pool team intro- duced themselves, one of the women from the crowd stood up and shared her previous experience with Learning Pool: She recounted how she had encountered a major problem while working one day in a former employees' learning environ ment and made several attempts to solve the issue to no avail She went back to work the next morning anticipating another fruitless day, but when she switched on her computer, she saw that her Learning Pool account manager had noticed her mis. takes overnight and had sorted it out for her. She concluded by saying that throughout her work life she had never seen a more customer-centered organization than Learning Pool. Her com ments worked wonders for the Learning Pool training staff, who suddenly felt a change in the environment--the crowd became more relaxed, responsive, eager to learn, and open to discussing their concerns with the trainers. This small experience later won them the contract with this local authority Over a short span of time, Learning Pool has built a com petitive edge in the market, and their high-quality products, leadership style, and strong position in the market has attracted investments from global groups. In 2016, Carlyle Cardinal treland announced that they would make a huge investment in Learn ing Pool. Recently, Learning Pool also acquired Mind Click, one of their major competitors in Nottingham With this acquisition, they have become the largest provider of Totara, a learning platform for enterprises that facilitates individualized training programs for employees With a growing trend for organizations to have bigger budgets for online training and increasing use of mobile devices among employees, the future holds endless opportunities How- ever, to maintain their strong position, Learning Pool must not only maintain their customer focus, highly motivated staff, and innovative products, but also consider expansion in international markets across the Atlantic 1. What is the main strategy behind Learning Pool's successful growth? 2. What lessons can competitors learn from Learning Pool about customer focus and retention? 3. What are the growth opportunities and challenges faced by Learning Pool in the future? 4. Choose your own experience of e-learning and identify the steps the provider should take to improve its customer satisfaction Sources: Based on Lisa Smyth, "How Company Bosses Conquered Obstacles to Success." Belfort Telegraph March 7, 2017, www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business nowshow.company bosses conquered obstacles-to-success-35500470.html Mary McKenna, 10 of My Secrets on How to Sell into the UK Public Sector" Medium, ... October , 2016, medium.com/understanding spend 10 of my secrets on how to sel-Into the-uk-public sector a4f6186706: Frances McDonnell , "Leaming Pool - . un Has Acquired British Competitor Mind Click The Irish Timex, September 2016 www.irishtimes.com/business/retail and services/learning-pool-has-acquired british.competitor mind-click 12776089. "Carlyle Cardinal Ireland Invests in Leam. ing Pool" Carlyle Group Media Centre, May 2016, www.carlylo.com/media-room/ news-release-archive/carlyle-cardinal-ireland-invests learning pool: "Unrivalled Focus Places Learning Pool Top at UK Customer Satisfaction Awards." March 5, 2015, learningnews.comews/leaming pool/2015/unrivalled-customer focus-places-leaming pool topatuk customer satisfaction-awants; "Leaming Pool is NI'S Fastest Growing Company, Derry Journal, October 19,2011. www.derryjoumal .comews/business/learning pool-is-ni-s-lastest-growing company. 1-3162546 Success for Learning Pool." Belfast Telegraph. August 13, 2008, search.proquest. com.ezproxy.md .mc.uk/docview/337570160717-origsite summon: Leaming Pool Customer Support." Learning Pool, 2017. https://www.learningpool.com/ customer support Customer