Transforms learning with powerful, on-demand training & practice

The Challenge

As a trusted partner in the academic and achievement world, Jostens has provided products to help teams, students, and families commemorate important milestones for more than 100 years. With offices around the world, their mission is to capture, celebrate, and inspire moments that matter.

In the memorabilia industry, there’s rarely a typical day on the job. Sometimes reps are in schools, working with teachers and educators to make their campus a better place for kids. Other days, they’re meeting with groups of hundreds of students or back at the office following up on orders. And with Jostens product lines changing on a seasonal basis, teammates need training on every product, program, and service the company offers.

In the past, Jostens mostly relied on face-to-face training sessions lasting anywhere from three days to one week. Unfortunately, this method unloaded a ton of information on employees that wasn’t properly absorbed. Jostens also used some outdated platforms that made adding and editing training content cumbersome. So the Jostens team decided it was time to reevaluate their training efforts and find something better.

The Solution

“We needed something different when it came to not only a learning management system, but also a content management system,” shares Mark Bussell, National Manager of Learning & Development of Jostens’ Scholastic Division. He says the team found those capabilities—and more—with Lessonly.

With Lessonly, Mark and his team quickly transformed lengthy documents full of resources and links into user-friendly lessons of bite-sized content for their sales and customer service teams. For Jostens’ salesforce, it’s important to have a tool that rapidly ramps new hires, and Mark saw an immediate impact with Jostens’ newest independent sales reps. “Their engagement is a whole different level,” he explains. “They’re used to some level of commitment every week to improve themselves and get better. We’ve seen their performance and acclimation to the business be that much faster.”

Beyond onboarding, Jostens also relies on Lessonly to deliver ongoing training to veteran sales reps. Nearly half of their 250+ independent sales reps have been with the team for more than 25 years, so it’s vital to keep their knowledge and skills fresh. Mark leverages Lessonly Practice and video response, allowing reps to practice their sales pitches and get immediate feedback from their managers. “We really stress practice,” says Todd Depperschmidt, Eastern Area Sales Manager. “Practice, practice, practice. Before you go step in front of a whole school, or you go and step in front of that administrator.”

The Lessonly platform has helped create a smoother experience for Jostens’ entire salesforce. “Lessonly has done a great job of allowing us to communicate with one another,” says Joel Smith, Director of Scholastic Sales Operations. “We have a nationwide salesforce, and we don’t get to face-to-face very often. Lessonly allows us to communicate in a way that’s virtual and immediate. But, it doesn’t have to be overbearing. The reps can do it when they can do it.” Operations manager and trainer Eliot Brimage supports this sentiment, “I love using Lessonly because I’m able to access it no matter where I am. That’s a big thing for me.”

Lessonly has also been a tremendous tool for Jostens’ customer care team of both seasoned and temporary employees. “I can tell you that for both our employees and temporary associates that come in, Lessonly has made them more efficient,” says Kelly Rezansoff, Vice President of Customer Care. “It’s a very intuitive tool. It’s easy to load information into. It’s easy to change information. I would suggest any company giving it a try.”