Instructional Design Case Study

Scenario-based eLearning

A performance-focused case study exploring declining customer satisfaction and support-generated Pro sales at Webistia.

Webistia is a fictional case study completed as part of an instructional design certificate program.

Business Challenge

Webistia is a technology company with 340 customer support specialists across Phoenix, Austin, and remote teams. Agents resolve customer issues while also identifying appropriate opportunities to recommend additional services.

74%

Current CSAT

Down from 84% following a period of rapid hiring.

Leadership target 82%

$970K

Current support-generated Pro sales

Down 31% from $1.4M.

Leadership target $1.2M

The challenge was to identify what was actually driving these performance declines before investing in training.

The Initial Request

The executive sponsor initially arrived with two training solutions already in mind.

Company-wide customer service refresher

Webistia Pro product knowledge course

Rather than immediately developing the requested courses, I questioned whether the available performance data supported a training-first solution.

“The metrics showed what was happening, but not why.”

I recommended a focused needs analysis before defining scope. Leadership agreed to a two-week analysis period while maintaining a 60-day launch expectation.

Needs Analysis

I used multiple data sources to investigate the performance gaps and avoid relying on a single explanation.

Performance Data

CSAT by tenure and team, product sales trends, and handle time.

Interviews

Operational conditions and manager coaching practices.

Pulse Survey

Service-standard familiarity, product confidence, resources, and incentives.

Training Review

What employees had been taught, practiced, and assessed.

Field Observation

Customer-call behaviors across higher- and lower-performing teams.

Using multiple sources allowed me to triangulate findings rather than treating one metric or stakeholder opinion as the root cause.

Evidence

The data pointed to multiple distinct performance gaps rather than one universal training problem.

66%

New-agent CSAT

vs. 83% among employees with 2+ years of tenure. 58% of newer agents reported limited familiarity with the Service Standard.

Finding: Onboarding had not formally taught, practiced, or assessed the Standard.

63%

Austin Team A CSAT

6.9 min average handle time — the shortest calls, but the lowest CSAT. 64% on below-average teams reported coaching focused on speed and volume.

Finding: Faster calls were not translating into better customer experiences.

−31%

Webistia Pro Sales

Website Builder: +10%
Marketing Suite: +17%

Finding: The decline was specific to Pro, not a general sales-performance problem.

73%

Used personal phones during live calls

Existing product training had not been updated for 14 months.

Finding: Part of the performance problem existed in the work environment, not in memory.

43%

Rarely or never mentioned Pro

61% of that group said the commission was not worth the additional effort.

Finding: Training alone could not resolve this barrier.

05–06

Root Cause Analysis

I matched each performance gap to its root cause, then selected the intervention type most appropriate to that cause.

Performance Gap	Root Cause	Design Decision
New-agent Service Standard application	Knowledge + Skill	Targeted learning + practice
Manager service-quality coaching	Skill	Manager skill development + coaching support
Pro recommendation confidence	Knowledge + Skill	Targeted knowledge + conversation practice
Access to current product information	Resource	Performance support — not additional training
Willingness to recommend Pro	Motivation	Leadership / incentive intervention — not training

This analysis led me away from the original company-wide refresher and toward a targeted performance strategy.

Targeted Solution Strategy

The analysis identified three primary audiences and the behaviors each needed to perform differently on the job.

APPLY

New Agents

Clarify customer needs
Confirm resolution
Use a warm close

COACH

Managers

Identify observable service behaviors
Provide behavior-based feedback
Move beyond speed and volume

RECOMMEND

Agents Discussing Pro

Recognize appropriate customer needs
Explain Pro clearly
Transition naturally to a recommendation

Designed Solutions

The analysis showed that Webistia did not have one training problem. I matched each intervention to the root cause: learning for knowledge and skill gaps, and performance support for the resource gap.

Why these three solutions?

The Service Standard gap required structured practice, the Pro recommendation gap required product-fit judgment and conversation practice, and agents also needed fast access to accurate Pro information during live calls.

Not every problem became a course.

The commission-related motivation barrier remained a leadership and incentive issue. The three artifacts below address only the knowledge, skill, and resource gaps identified in the analysis.

Scenario-based eLearning

Service Standard Foundation

A short interactive module focused on consistent customer-service behaviors across the five-step Webistia Service Standard.

Why I created it Newer agents showed a knowledge and skill gap in applying the Service Standard consistently.

What it addresses Service behavior recognition, application, judgment, and practice in realistic support conversations.

Scenario-based eLearning

Webistia Pro Recommendation

An interactive recommendation module that builds product-fit judgment and customer-centered conversation skills.

Why I created it Agents needed stronger Pro knowledge, confidence, and judgment before making recommendations.

What it addresses Recognizing fit signals, choosing the right solution, explaining relevant value, and transitioning naturally from support to recommendation.

Performance Support / Job Aid

Webistia Pro Quick-Reference Tool

A searchable, just-in-time reference designed for use during live customer calls.

Why I created it Agents needed reliable product information at the moment of need rather than another memory-based course.

What it addresses Fast access to Pro fit signals, pricing, features, transition language, scope, product comparison, and common customer questions.

Module 1 · Service Standard Foundation

Explore the full interactive prototype, including the five-step framework, practice activities, feedback, and final assessment.

Interactive prototype embedded directly in the portfolio case study.

Module 2 · Webistia Pro Recommendation

Explore the full prototype, including product-fit decisions, customer-call audio, recommendation practice, feedback, and assessment.

Interactive prototype embedded directly in the portfolio case study.

Webistia Pro Quick-Reference Tool

Explore the searchable live-call performance support tool for product fit, pricing, value, transition language, scope, and customer questions.

Designed as searchable, just-in-time performance support for live customer calls.

Constraints & Trade-offs

Practical project conditions shaped the scope, sequencing, and level of development effort across the solution.

Constraint	How It Shaped the Design
Compressed timeline + two-person L&D team	Prioritize scope and development effort.
Phoenix, Austin, and remote workforce	Require a scalable and consistent approach.
Limited Service Standard guidance	Require SME validation of examples and performance criteria.
Frequently changing product information	Use content that can be updated efficiently.
Limited operational and product SME availability	Define focused review and approval points.

Largest dependency: timely SME and product-content validation.

Implementation Logic

The implementation sequence focused on validation, manager readiness, targeted rollout, and reinforcement in the workplace.

Validate

Confirm observable Service Standard behaviors and current Pro information with SMEs.

Prepare Managers

Establish shared expectations and a consistent coaching approach before reinforcement begins.

Roll Out by Audience

Assign interventions according to identified performance gaps rather than job title alone.

Reinforce on the Job

Use structured manager follow-up and performance support during real work.

Behavior & Business Evaluation

Because this is a proposed solution, evaluation focuses on how success would be measured after implementation rather than claiming outcomes that have not occurred.

Before Launch

Baseline

Overall CSAT, Pro sales, Service Standard behaviors, manager coaching behaviors, and Pro recommendation behavior.

Immediately After

Learning

Confirm whether learners can demonstrate the targeted knowledge and skills.

30–60 Days

Behavior

Review whether employees apply Service Standard behaviors, managers provide behavior-based feedback, and agents make appropriate Pro recommendations.

60–90 Days + Fiscal Year

Business Results

Track progress in customer satisfaction and support-generated Pro sales.

82%

Target CSAT

Measured against the 74% baseline and segmented by tenure and team.

$1.2M

Target Pro Sales

Measured against the $970K support-generated sales baseline.

If a component did not produce the expected behavior change, I would return to the data, diagnose the barrier, adjust the component, and measure again.