AXA is a multinational active in various sectors, including insurance, banking, investment management, and other financial services.

A few years ago, AXA Belgium decided to embrace new digital technologies. They organized a series of digital summer workshops on virtual reality, blockchain, social media, and other relevant topics. "Technology is changing incredibly fast. That's why it's important to provide a solid foundation," says Thalia, Training Manager at AXA Belgium. Because the summer courses triggered a 'digital wake-up call', the company turned to Xylos to improve their staff's basic digital skills.

During an initial assessment of their employees' skill level and the tools they used, AXA discovered that they weren't familiar with applications such as OneNote. "Xylos addressed this by first focusing on Office training", says Thalia. "We wanted to encourage our people to start using these essential tools."

The Training Manager and Xylos worked together for 6 months to organize classroom courses combined with individual Digital Coaching. 1 in 4 employees (more than 1,000 people) took part in the courses. The Xylos trainers started with tips and tricks for Microsoft Outlook and OneNote.

Thalia: "We also looked into whether we needed to organize follow-up training. It turned out that 30% of our employees wanted more specific training sessions on topics such as Excel. Although the Xylos Digital Coaches could answer almost all of the employees' questions, we decided to plan a new series of sessions because the feedback was so positive."

A new series of Microsoft SharePoint training sessions followed. "We migrated our intranet to a SharePoint site in Microsoft 365, so everyone had to learn how the software works within a short timeframe", says Thalia. Within a few months, Xylos taught AXA's employees to work efficiently in the cloud, collaborate through Microsoft 365, and share documents with colleagues.

"Everyone had access to SharePoint", Thalia explains, "but many didn't know they had it. That's why we drew up guidelines explaining what to use and when. In the past, everything went through email, but that way of collaborating no longer fits how we work. We're trying to keep inefficient emails to a minimum. Xylos helped us by integrating our guidelines into their training."

"Xylos combines inspiration and practice", says Thalia. "Their unique approach is why we chose them. They don't just point out extra features — they also discuss their added value. They first explain what the application is used for, then teach you how to use it. As a result, our colleagues are eager to get started with the software. Sometimes people assume a tool is too complicated or takes too long to learn. But once they've got the hang of it, they enjoy working with these applications. We've noticed that people use digital tools and share documents more often, which means they're building confidence. We're considering setting up individual coaching again, this time around productivity and time management."

For this new coaching plan, the Training Manager carried out a short market study. Once again, Xylos came out as the best option. "Their quality is excellent in every respect — from the trainers' knowledge to the course content. Their service is also excellent. They respond quickly to my questions — and not just when I'm booking a new training. The trainers and planners are also always happy to give advice."