Customer’s Angels.
Yes it’s them, the group of Cyber Gurus who lovingly take care of their clients, accompany them, guide them, monitor them, assist them and never abandon them.
Their real name is Customers Success Team, or CST for short.
The team of multicultural and multilingual professionals offers a service that provides active support to the client, guiding them throughout the learning process, from onboarding to the actual launch of the training programme, and then monitoring any critical issues or improvements encountered along the way.
In the event of a slowdown or difficulty in the training process, CST supports the client with the aim of optimising the outcome of the training process, using tried and tested best practices.
The team consists of two parts, a first line that interfaces with the client and a specialised team that intervenes in a timely manner in case of client support on technical issues.
The fact is that they do their work with passion, enthusiasm, dedication and a very contagious energy.
Here to describe it in detail is Debora De Cosmi, responsible for the entire CST team.
Engaging users right from the project launch phase
At the beginning of the course, an initial meeting is held with the clients to explain the entire training implementation process. This is an opportunity to emphasise the initiative and to explain many things: the type of commitment envisaged, the obligations, the timeframe, in short, the real rules of engagement.
On this occasion, we strongly suggest to the company that the internal presentation to users be made by the General Management.
The reason for this is simple.
Any corporate programme takes on different weight depending on whether it is sponsored by an individual department, a non-managerial figure or the General Manager. In the latter case, the presentation takes on a whole new meaning that gives the new training initiative maximum robustness and effectiveness. No employee or collaborator will be able to ignore such a communication.
Of course Cyber Guru offers the company a proven communication plan of which the client can make use according to its internal communication needs. This plan is made up of practical tools, such as emails, videos, posters, and presentations. We provide ready-made templates that the client simply has to customise.
Therefore, no effort is required on the client’s part. Only the choice of authoritative communication.
A project vision supported by dedicated figures
The CST interprets the training process as a real project, which is why it assigns a dedicated figure to the Client.
This is why, if one wants to take full advantage of this approach, we suggest that our Client assigns a Project Manager. This figure will take care of the project and all related activities, organise the activities in detail, act as an intermediary between Cyber Guru and the company structure, and communicate both within and outside the company on all aspects of the training. This creates a positive interaction between the CST Manager and the Project Manager.
Team leaders as focal points and motivators of the different teams
One training tool that we often use and that is highly appreciated by clients is Gamification, which consists of creating a virtuous company competition, bringing teams into competition with each other on safety issues and at the end of the course, the best employee or the best department in the company will be rewarded for scoring the most points and achieving the best results in the training course.
Healthy competition makes learning more fun and therefore more effective; it is well known that having fun is conducive to better learning.
To make this tool very effective, it is important that there are contact persons for each team: the Team Leaders, who play a decisive role as motivators. They are the people who follow their team (which generally corresponds to a department), and are able to notice if there are any critical issues, to motivate in case of declining motivation and to encourage the team throughout the training course. This strategy also produces effective team building among team members by emphasising a sense of belonging.
Internal communication to encourage participation
To get the most out of their team, Team Leaders must obviously communicate on an ongoing and regular basis and use effective communication tools.
Good coordinated internal communication is certainly an added value because the user feels encouraged by his or her own company. To support the work of team leaders, the Customer Success Team provides them with various coordinated communication tools, which are an important support for their activities.
Mandatory nature/including training results in corporate objectives
Today, security training can no longer be ignored. For insiders, this is an obvious statement. In companies and workplaces, however, there is still a lot of resistance, especially among some individual users, to taking such training on a serious and continuous basis. The paths to follow on the part of company management are therefore either that of making training compulsory or that of motivation, through the inclusion of training in the work objectives and perhaps by organising an internal competition and offering prizes.
We always recommend the latter, because no one likes to feel burdened with additional obligations in a work context and the risk is that without adequate motivation, the knowledge imparted will not be learnt properly or will soon be forgotten.
Gamification
Through gamification and the incentive to win a prize, involvement is totally different. People are motivated not only to learn, but also to apply the knowledge they have learnt in their work and daily lives.
Internal sponsorship of training through corporate media
As already mentioned, internal company communication is essential to promote the training project in which everyone must take part.
It is a form of communication that not only serves to present the course and recount its details, but can also be used to impart digital hygiene concepts that can be used in everyday life, given that, as we are now always connected, the problem of “security” affects all the activities we carry out on a daily basis.
The communication plan that Cyber Guru provides, which each company can then customise, therefore includes various types of tips, infographics and advice, relating to many activities that are normally carried out with smartphones or other devices and that can be used by employees for themselves and their families.
We believe that this is an important added value.
Training planning
As with any learning process and objective, time organisation and discipline are important. The course offered by Cyber Guru involves a commitment of only 15 minutes per month, which everyone is free to organise as they wish, since it is an online activity.
A good suggestion?
Plan your training session… It only takes 15 minutes a month to gain a good digital position!
Include the course in the onboarding package for new recruits
This is another tip we recommend to companies when they decide to entrust their training to us. Newly recruited employees should know from their first moments in the company that their duties will also include regular and committed Cybersecurity Awareness training.
Giving a clear understanding of the importance of cybersecurity, for the protection of the company and themselves, is important. Many clients have favoured this concept, and it has led to excellent results.
Monitoring of training progress and related actions
Among the various commitments of the CST is to periodically monitor the progress of the project. As a result, twice a year a Work Progress Status (WPS) is provided to collect all possible inputs from the company. This is useful for the client, but of course it is also useful for us to draw up reports and statistics on the most and least effective actions.
However, internal monitoring by the project manager remains essential because he or she is the one who is most in touch with aspects of both the company structure and the people involved.
