Custom eLearning Development Case Study: B2B SaaS Sales Onboarding
How IKHYA built blended sales onboarding for a B2B SaaS company, and how each result was measured.
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Scoped proposal delivered within 48 hours
- 91%average product-knowledge score (previous group: 62%)
- 17 days soonermedian time to first closed deal (64 days down to 47)
- 15 to 8 daysmanager shadowing per new rep
- About 60 repsnew account executives and sales development reps onboarded every quarter
The project in short
In this custom eLearning development case study, a UK B2B SaaS company replaced slide decks and three weeks of manager shadowing with a blended onboarding program for about 60 new sales reps a quarter. The first group scored 91% on the product-knowledge assessment, 29 points above the previous group, and closed their first deal 17 days sooner.
Project snapshot
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Industry | B2B SaaS (workflow software sold to mid-sized companies) |
| Client | A UK B2B SaaS company with about 1,200 employees, sales teams in the UK and Ireland, office and remote (name kept private) |
| Audience | About 60 new account executives and sales development reps per quarter |
| Program | 4-part blended program: about 3 hours of self-paced eLearning (6 simulations, 3 scenarios, 8 short lessons, 1 assessment) plus 4 live virtual sessions over the first 2 weeks |
| Built in | Articulate Storyline 360, published as SCORM 2004 to the client's LMS |
| Language | English |
| Timeline | 8 weeks from kickoff to launch |
| IKHYA team | Instructional designer, eLearning developer, graphic designer, project manager; 3 review rounds per part |
The challenge
About the client: a UK software company selling workflow software to mid-sized businesses, with about 1,200 employees and a sales team that grows every quarter.
Each new rep got a set of product and pitch decks and then shadowed a sales manager for about 15 working days. What a rep learned depended on which manager they sat with and how busy that manager was. New reps averaged 62% on the product-knowledge assessment at the end of their second week, and the median time to a first closed deal was 64 days.
What made it hard
- A new group every quarter. The program had to be ready before the next intake, 8 weeks away.
- Monthly product releases. Screens and features changed often, so the training had to be quick to update.
- Busy managers. Sales managers carried their own targets, so coaching time was scarce.
- Remote reps. About a third of each group worked from home, so office-based shadowing left them behind.
The goals
- Every new rep tells one consistent product story.
- Reps practice the most common objections before their first customer call.
- Average product-knowledge score of 85% or more by the end of week 2.
- Less manager shadowing time per new rep.
- A shorter time to first closed deal.
What we built
We built a 4-part blended program. The eLearning gives every rep the same core knowledge and lets them practice safely. The live virtual sessions keep the coaching, questions and team contact that shadowing used to provide.
1. Product tour with software simulations (about 60 minutes)
Six software simulations of the product's key workflows. Each one runs in three stages: watch the feature (show-me), do it with hints (try-me), then do it alone and be scored (test-me).
2. Objection-handling branching scenarios (about 45 minutes)
Three sales-call scenarios built around the 10 objections the client's managers heard most often. Each answer the rep chooses changes how the prospect responds, with feedback at every turn.
3. Upsell playbook microlearning (8 lessons, about 5 minutes each)
Short lessons on spotting upgrade signals and offering the right add-on, which reps can revisit before a renewal call.
4. Ready-to-sell assessment (40-question quiz plus a live mock demo)
A 40-question product-knowledge assessment with an 80% pass mark, followed by a 15-minute mock demo that the rep gives to their manager in a live session.
Alongside the eLearning, we wrote the facilitator guide and slides for 4 weekly virtual sessions of 90 minutes, which the client's sales enablement lead ran: kickoff and product story, objection role-play, upsell practice, and the final mock demos.
The key design decision: because the product changed every month, we built all 6 simulations from one shared Storyline template. When a screen changes after a release, the client's team updates the affected slides instead of rebuilding a module.
In plain terms
A software simulation lets learners practice in a copy of a software screen, so mistakes cost nothing.
A branching scenario is a story where each decision leads to a different outcome, so learners see the effect of what they say.
Microlearning breaks a topic into short, focused lessons that are easy to finish and easy to revisit.
How we worked
- 01
Discovery (week 1)
IKHYA, with your sales leadersWe reviewed the existing decks, interviewed 3 sales managers and the product marketing lead, and agreed the success measures before design started.
- 02
Design and storyboards (weeks 2 to 3)
IKHYA drafts, you review (round 1: storyboards)We mapped what a new rep must do in the first 2 weeks to the 4 parts and the live sessions, then wrote every screen, scenario branch and quiz question as a storyboard.
- 03
Prototype (end of week 3)
IKHYA builds, you approveOne complete objection scenario, built and clickable, so the sales leaders could approve the look, tone and feedback style before the full build.
- 04
Build (weeks 4 to 6)
IKHYA builds, you review (round 2: alpha, round 3: beta)We built the simulations, scenarios and lessons in Storyline 360 and shared each part as soon as it was ready.
- 05
LMS test and pilot (week 7)
IKHYA tests, your reps try itWe tested the SCORM 2004 packages in the client's LMS, then 8 recently hired reps took the program and we fixed what confused them.
- 06
Launch (week 8)
You launch, IKHYA supportsThe next quarter's group started the program, and we handed over the editable Storyline source files.
Review rounds: 3 per part (storyboard, alpha, beta), with one consolidated set of comments from the client each time, so reviewers never had to repeat feedback.
Results and how we measured them
| Measure | Before | After | How it was measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product-knowledge assessment | 62% average | 91% average | The same 40-question assessment, taken at the end of week 2 by the first group on the new program (58 reps) and the previous quarter's group (55 reps, decks and shadowing) |
| Time to first closed deal | 64 days (median) | 47 days (median) | Days from start date to first closed-won deal in the client's CRM, first group on the new program vs the previous two quarters' groups |
| Shadowing time per new rep | 15 working days | 8 working days | The client's onboarding schedule, before and after |
| eLearning finished on time | Not tracked before | 56 of 58 reps (97%) | LMS completion report at the end of week 2 |
What the numbers do and do not show: these results come from one quarter and a group of 58 reps. Territories, seasonality and deal size also affect how fast a rep closes, so the client is tracking the next two groups before treating the 17-day gain as the new normal. The assessment result is the firmer number, because both groups took the same test at the same point in their onboarding.
What the client has now
- The editable Storyline source files and the shared simulation template, so the enablement team updates screens after each product release.
- The facilitator guide and slides for the 4 live sessions, run by their own enablement lead.
- An LMS report of completion and assessment scores for each new group, so managers see who is ready before a rep takes customer calls alone.
What the client said
"We used to hand new reps a stack of decks and hope their manager had time. Now every rep tells the same product story, has practiced the hard objections, and we can see who is ready before they talk to a customer. The review rounds were quick and clear."
What this project means for your team
If you onboard sales or customer-facing staff in groups, three lessons from this project apply to most teams:
- 01
Your decks are a good starting point.
Existing sales decks already hold the product story. The work is turning them into practice: simulations for the product, scenarios for the conversations.
- 02
Keep the live part.
Self-paced eLearning covers the knowledge every rep needs. Live sessions keep the coaching and role-play that shadowing used to provide.
- 03
Agree the measures before you build.
A score on its own says little. Testing the new group and the previous group the same way, at the same point, shows whether the program made a difference.
FAQ
Yes. Many projects start from existing decks, recordings or documents. We turn them into simulations, scenarios and short lessons built around your product.
We publish to SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004, xAPI or HTML5 and test every course in your LMS before launch. LMS platforms we have delivered courses to include Moodle, TalentLMS, Docebo and Cornerstone.
It depends on the number of parts, the level of interactivity, media, languages and review rounds. Your free quote includes a recommended approach and a timeline for your project.
Onboarding a new group of reps every quarter?
Send us your current decks or training material and tell us how many people you onboard. We will reply with a recommended approach and a timeline.
IKHYA is a custom eLearning development company. We have delivered eLearning since 2010, completed 500+ projects with 120+ specialists, and work with clients in 40+ countries and 40+ languages.
