It’s been one year since the Coaching Add-on joined the feature-scape of our Teach on Mars apps. In just one year it has already witnessed a number of improvements. Some of these have been simple adjustments to optimise the user experience (or that of the coach, administrator or learner). In other cases, critical functional components have been added, which directly respond to clients’ needs, particularly to the feedback from our beta testers. Let’s discover or rediscover the Coaching Add-on.
The purpose of the Coaching Add-on
When it was released, the aim of the Coaching Add-on was clear: to enable managers and trainers to monitor their teams closely, using a one-to-one conversational tool. More than a simple chat, the Coaching Add-on also allows users to evaluate skills using a frame of reference provided in the Mission Center. What’s the score today?
The Coaching Add-on has retained its purpose and basic function: coaching! One-to-one thus remains the preferred means and allows the coach to have a personalised approach, which is tailored to their learner.
Coaching through content recommendation
By engaging in conversation, coaches have the opportunity to suggest specific courses to their learners, which enables them to guide the learners through their training journey and monitor their progress. Learners receive notifications and can easily access the recommended courses without having to sift through the various categories in the course catalogue.
To address the feedback received from our beta testers, we have introduced a new feature that allows coaches to configure the list of courses they can recommend to their learners. There are two scenarios possible for this feature: either the courses are the ones allocated to the coach’s account on the Mission Center or the ones that the learner has access to.
In the first scenario, coaches can grant their learners premium access to courses that were previously inaccessible. In the second scenario, coaches can recommend any course that is visible to their learners without worrying about access issues. They can also provide training priorities to their learners to help guide their learning journey.
Assessing performance to enhance skills
With the Coaching Add-on, coaches still have the ability to assess one or multiple skills directly. However, the skills framework must have already been set up in the Mission Center and can be updated periodically to reflect changes in evaluation priorities or new skill acquisition needs for the organization.
If coaches need to provide an overall assessment of their team, they can now assign a “N/A” level for any skills that cannot be verified during the evaluation.
Furthermore, coaches can generate and share past skill evaluation reports with ease. After selecting the appropriate option, coaches can choose specific dates, such as the year 2022, and generate a PDF document listing the evaluated skills. This report can be sent directly to the learner via the Coaching Add-on chat and can serve as a foundation for discussions during annual performance reviews, for instance. Additionally, this summary can be beneficial for preparing future assessments.
Improving the experience of the coach, learner and administrator
Our focus has been on enhancing the user experience of the Coaching Add-on since its release. To ensure that the tool meets the needs of our clients, we prioritise simplicity, smoothness, and minimal frustration.
To achieve this goal, we have activated the feature that allows users to delete sent messages. This was in response to feedback from our beta testers and was aimed at minimising the risk of frustration that could negatively impact the tool’s usage.
In the Mission Center, we have streamlined the administration of roles for accessing the Coaching Add-on by automating the creation of managers and coaches. This new feature offers time savings to our clients.
Furthermore, we have reviewed the way coaching sessions are exported to make it more comprehensive and easier to understand. To enable smoother navigation, a series of filters (name, user status, customised fields) will soon be added to the coaching sessions page.
Finally, we will soon be releasing a ‘Coaching Add-on’ dashboard with new embedded statistics to provide our clients with even more valuable insights.
The quest for improvement continues!
As you may have noticed, the Coaching Add-on has undergone several enhancements during its inaugural year. However, this is just the beginning, and more advancements will be made to ensure that it remains an indispensable feature for monitoring and safeguarding your team’s performance and well-being.
