Somfy: Driving Growth and Unity with Strategic Language Training
Somfy, a global leader in home automation, selected Speexx for comprehensive language training to bolster its growing, globally expanding team. Following a successful pilot in September 2022, the program was fully implemented, with its expansion further realized throughout 2023.
About
As a dominant force in home automation (the control of household activity and appliances using technology), Somfy boasts a workforce of over 6,800 and maintains 116 subsidiaries across 59 countries. The company has seen consistent growth on an international scale; with its teams distributed worldwide, each varying in English proficiency and accent, ensuring uniform communication posed a significant challenge. Recognizing the importance of global training and level assessment, Somfy partnered with Speexx to tailor a program that meets these unique needs.
Challenge
The program was designed to align with Somfy teams’ goals, enhancing global communication and understanding across diverse accents and pronunciations. In concrete terms, this involved setting up an assessment process across the entire workforce, including managers, and deploying training courses tailored to the personal and professional needs of each employee.
"We were looking for a training partner capable of integrating into our employees' workflow by allowing them to practice their speaking skills and exposing them to different accents. The quality of Speexx coaches and its ability to set up work groups won us over."
Andreea Elefteriu, Group Learning Manager, Somfy
Solution
Somfy integrated Speexx on its internal training platform, Somfy Campus, making it available to all employees. Each learner completed an initial English assessment, allowing for global level mapping and the customization of training to individual needs, in line with Somfy’s strategy.
Speexx training courses, which concentrated on enhancing oral and written expression and comprehension, were made available. Employees identified for improvement accessed a program to enhance these skills, notably through virtual classes and Speexx-organized online group workshops tailor-made for Somfy. These sessions aimed to bolster international team cohesion and support the group’s strategic project success.
Outcome
Following a successful trial, Somfy gradually introduced Speexx across all its subsidiaries, enabling access to every employee by September 2023. Within the first year, 300 employees underwent personalized training, leading to a 96% satisfaction and a 90% engagement rate. Six months into the program, 10% of participants advanced by 1 to 3 levels. Moreover, noticeable improvements in communication among teams involved in English workshops were observed.
As a result, Speexx has enhanced Somfy employees’ communication skills, adapting to various English pronunciations and facilitating better internal and external interactions. Continuous performance monitoring allowed Somfy to track learner progress and tailor the training programs as needed.
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Outlook
Somfy is committed to advancing its workforce’s English proficiency, with plans to expand into additional languages. To date, the program has seen 1,400 assessments conducted, aiming for inclusion of all 6,800 employees to strategically tailor training based on a comprehensive understanding of skill levels. Additionally, internal English workshops will be crucial in fostering unity among multicultural teams, aligning with Somfy’s objective to enhance team cohesion and meet personalized training needs.
