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How USG enabled their deskless workers

How USG used Storyboard to boost internal engagement and usher in a new era of training and development

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“Podcasting has propelled us into the next generation of training and development” - Jim Adzema, Manager of Sales Training

How USG trained and engaged deskless workers

How USG used Storyboard to boost internal engagement and usher in a new era of training and development. Joined by USG Leaders.

Why USG uses Storyboard

  • Training and development for deskless workers
  • Sales updates
  • Engagement for employees on the road

USG’s podcasting tips

  1. Treat podcasting as a casual discussion!

    Your episodes should be conversational, informative, and authentic.

  2. Avoid aiming for professional perfection!

    Use the tools you already have and don't feel the need to overedit your audio.

  3. Set up a consistent posting schedule!

    This will keep your audience engaged and eager to tune in to your next episode.

Meet USG

USG is a major manufacturer of building materials with 49 manufacturing locations across North America. As a result, USG must think about a diverse and distributed workforce that ranges from teams working on shop floors to salespeople on the road who meet with clients. With a geographically dispersed organization, several creative leaders at USG started to think about podcasting as a mode for engaging this audience on an ongoing basis.

Challenge

Amidst a company-wide digital transformation, USG sought out a better way to connect their largely deskless workforce with opportunities for learning and development and an outlet to play a larger role in the company’s culture.

Before Storyboard, much of USG’s internal messaging intended for deskless employees came from quarterly and annual leadership updates. “There were a lot of really important things happening at USG, and we didn’t have a platform to articulate that really easily,” says Stacy Craig, a national sales manager and Storyboard listener-turned-creator.

With this in mind, leaders from USG’s Learning and Development team saw an opportunity to introduce a platform that re-envisioned their internal communications: one that was more recurrent, and most importantly, enabled employees to contribute to the company conversation.

“Adults like to learn from each other. We wanted people to hear about success stories and best practices from people actually doing the work,” says Leah Washburn, Manager of Sales Learning and Development.

In-person training sessions took time away from employees and company educators. Video training was also a challenge: teams on the manufacturing floor had limited computer access and it wouldn’t be safe for sales employees to access while driving. Much of the training material was required, not necessarily what employees asked to learn. “I wanted another way to connect with our employees that wasn’t a forced training,” says Amy Klawitter, Manager of Learning and Development for USG’s manufacturing employees.

Solution

Storyboard offers enterprise-level security so that customers like USG can communicate rapidly and efficiently in a private setting. USG also uses Storyboard’s single sign-on integration to both add an additional layer of security and give listeners the ability to log in using their company credentials. “We wanted to ensure our content was secure, and only our employees could access it. We felt confident that our data would be secure with Storyboard,” says Washburn. USG easily added or deleted users to ensure that only USG employees were able to tune-in. It was transformative for the team to share more together and build tighter connections.

It was important for USG to have a platform to enable all employees to not just be content consumers, but creators as well. With Storyboard’s group feature, USG could host an unlimited number of series led by any employee. “At USG we promote leadership at every level. The podcast gives every employee the opportunity to have a voice,” says Klawitter.

Results

Since its launch in March of 2020, USG has received no shortage of praise from leaders and individual contributors alike. “I was surprised by the amount of people willing to provide content [their own shows and episode suggestions] . Initially I thought it would be hard to get people involved. Not only have people participated, but they’ve also brought us ideas and are coming up with content themselves,” says Adzema. “I feel like I can listen when I want to, not when I have to,” says Architectural Services Manager and listener-turned-creator Carolyn Forbes.

“Storyboard has brought up a lot of conversations that wouldn’t have come up otherwise,” says Klawitter. Even USG’s CEO, Christopher Griffin has gotten in on the action as a creator, listener, and a commenter.

Come see why USG and over 5,000 organizations have chosen Storyboard to power their team’s communications. If you’re a creator who is ready to launch your first audio channel for your team, you can get started today — Storyboard has a free plan for up to 50 listeners. Let us help you launch your private podcast on Storyboard. Storyboard can also support Enterprises of all sizes whether you have a team of 100 or 100,000 employees. Get in touch with us, and we’ll share how we can help.

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