Treetop Adventure Golf: Learning that digital game-based training is an evolution not a revolution

Learning that digital game-based training is an evolution not a revolution

L&D professionals are perhaps rightly concerned that the digitization of training could minimize their roles and impact.

After all, Accountancy firm PwC predicts that 30% of UK jobs will be impacted by automation by the mid-2030s.

But rather than fear technological progress, L&D leaders could embrace it as an opportunity to upskill and evolve the way they train.

That’s just what Treetop Adventure Golf is doing.

The UK-based leisure venues are using digital training to upskill and upgrade their L&D initiatives.

In fact, Treetop, which offers themed crazy golf adventures (18 holes in a rainforest, anyone?), is not only upskilling the employees taking the digital training, but it’s also developing the skillset of the learning and development team creating the game-based modules.

This was the experience for L&D Manager Lil Courageson, who leads the rollout of Treetop’s training.

Easy-to-use solution

Possibly the most significant change has been the ability for the L&D team to program and create training with ease. Courageson said:

And we get it, people hear the word ‘programming’ and think they need a masters from MIT. Thankfully, that’s not the case with all digital learning tools.

Owning the content curriculum

Lil was thrilled to see she could take full ownership of the content, without always having to lean on someone from outside the organization for help.

Now she’s mastered easy-to-use game design tools in Attensi Creator, she’s able to create training quickly and efficiently. The type of training she’s worked on includes product knowledge quiz questions and scenario-based dialogues focusing on core skills, such as how to engage with customers and the importance of open-ended questions.

Now Lil and the team can take a proactive approach to keeping their curriculum relevant for their teams. Not only that, Lil and the team have grown in confidence and don’t have to rely on an external person to update and build the latest training.

Why switching from prescriptive, reactive training to game-based training is a winner

While training has always been a priority, before implementing game-based training, the L&D offering at Treetop Adventure Golf wasn’t too dissimilar to many other organizations. A physical book and a whole lot of classroom training was the standard.

The team saw an opportunity to enhance their training – and that’s why they made the game-changing switch to digital game-based training. It has:

• Allowed Lil and the team to update or add material to modules at short notice.
• Given employees real life context to their training. Role plays couldn’t fully simulate what it’s like to be in front of a customer.
• Encouraged employees to play an active role in their training.
• Offered flexibility. They can now train anytime, anywhere.

For Treetop Adventure Golf’s Head of People Thom Hall and L&D Manager Lil Courageson the ability to program their own training has been a real game changer. For General Manager James Scott and team members Jamie and Shannon, the flexibility and bite-sized modules have changed the way they approach their Treetop training.

Let’s find out how their Attensi gamified simulation training platform has given them newfound freedom within their hospitality training.

Flexible

Anyone working in the busy hospitality sector knows that free time isn’t always a luxury during a busy shift. Taking team members off the floor for lengthy classroom training simply isn’t viable in the long term.

Treetop Skills has provided team members with a mobile-first, flexible training option, where they can dictate the time and place they play their training.

Not only does this allow players to take more ownership over their development, but it also enormously contributes to higher completion rates and improved knowledge retention.