Here at Moodle we have been talking about re-affirming our mission a lot, which is to “empower educators to improve our world.”
We do that through providing an open source learning platform that is filled with powerful and flexible tools that allow for collaborative learning, for information to be shared and consumed anywhere, anytime and everywhere.
From this we hear many inspirational stories about how our e-learning platform is being used to advance missions and visions, meet organisational objectives, provide opportunities for many others.
One such story we would like to share today is that of FINCA Impact Finance.
A pioneer of microfinance, founded in 1984, FINCA is a global provider of responsible financial services and aims to achieve massive financial inclusion in challenging markets around the world. FINCA is also at the forefront of technology and innovation, taking their transactions and point-of-service payment to mobile devices.
FINCA has been using Moodle as their global LMS to deliver learning and professional development solutions to FINCA employees. Known to FINCA’s 10,000+ staff across 22 countries as FINCA Learning Zone, the implementation of this Moodle LMS is an important achievement for FINCA.
In a fast-changing environment, where leveraging technology is critical to make services for FINCA customers easier, using Moodle to build the capacity of FINCA’s staff through eLearning reflects FINCA’s strategic priority to build and maintain a high-performance workforce.
FINCA is now using the Branded Moodle Mobile App to ensure all employees do have access to training no matter where they are while performing their job tasks mostly outside a FINCA branch office.
With all the functionalities of the Moodle Mobile App customised with their branding, the app is helping to increase mobile learning in FINCA, critical to building staff capacity.
We talk to Sergio Alguacil-Mallo (Manager of Learning Systems & Technology) from FINCA about how they are using mobile learning and technology to empower their staff which in turn advance FINCA’s organisational mission of alleviating global poverty.
Moodle HQ: Thank you, Sergio, for taking the time to talk to us today. Let us start with a little bit about FINCA and how, since when and why the organisation uses Moodle?
Sergio: More than 50% of FINCA’s 10,000+ employees mainly perform their job tasks in the field, while visiting customers in their businesses to build close relationships with them based on Warmth, Trust and Responsible Banking, our FINCA brand attributes. In May 2016, we implemented Moodle in 21 FINCA countries and our corporate office, making it our first LMS used by the entire FINCA global network. Moodle turned out to be the best LMS solution for FINCA in terms of needed system functionalities versus cost to implement and run it.
Moodle HQ: When and how did you first hear about the Branded Moodle Mobile App?
Sergio: We first learned about the Moodle Mobile App in November 2016, a few weeks after finalizing the implementation of the Moodle LMS across our subsidiaries in 21 countries. Our staff for learning and development, in charge of implementing Moodle, and well connected with the Moodle community, made us aware of this great opportunity to make our staff’s usage of Moodle easier through a Moodle Mobile App.
Moodle HQ: What aspects of the Branded Moodle Mobile App drew the organisation to think about getting it and implementing it for use?
Why was it attractive and what challenges or benefits did the organisation think would be solved or obtained respectively from having a Branded Moodle Mobile App?
Sergio: The Moodle App will support FINCA’s gradual shift from online learning to mobile learning. This will help FINCA to better serve the learning needs of more than 50% of our 10,000+ employees who spend most of their working hours in the field visiting our customers. The number of front-line employees in FINCA using a tablet to perform their filed tasks has increased significantly over the past 12 months.
The Moodle App is simple to navigate, and a great opportunity to expand access to mobile learning by leveraging on the technology infrastructure FINCA is building to run our business operations more efficiently while making access to our financial products easier, faster and cheaper for FINCA customers. The Moodle App is supporting our strategy to reduce the opportunity cost to our core business of daylong face-to-face job training while we expand blended and mobile learning to all employees in the coming years.
Moodle HQ: Can you walk through with us a little about the process of finding out about the custom app, finding out more information, getting the app and then using it?
Sergio: From the very beginning in this project, we worked closely with Elearning Experts, Moodle Partner in the USA, to understand how to implement the App. They guided us through the customisation process and supported all related tasks. Afterwards, our internal Global L&D team of six had the chance to test a first version of the mobile app. We made necessary adjustments to finalise the customisation.
A team of more than 40 employees who are part of FINCA’s L&D function across 21 countries were the first ones to use the app, and of course, our IT colleagues. Their feedback was very helpful to successfully complete the customisation phase. The Moodle App will soon be launched for all 10,000+ employees in FINCA, including learning content that has been adjusted to mobile learning.
Moodle HQ: What has been the uptake so far from staff on FINCA’s Branded Moodle Mobile app?
Sergio: We have seen very positive reactions from representatives of different stakeholders across the FINCA network. For the first time as an organisation we do see that job training at the fingertip of each employee is becoming a reality at FINCA.
Moodle HQ: Last question, where would you like to take mobile learning for your staff and customer with the Branded Moodle Mobile App into the future?
What improvements or possibilities would you like to see with mobile learning through your branded app?
Sergio: We want all our employees to access high-quality learning content anywhere and anytime through the Moodle Mobile App, empowering them to perform their jobs in outstanding ways so our customers can have an excellent experience with FINCA. Soon, a Moodle App exclusively dedicated to FINCA customers will be launched for the entire FINCA network to provide our global customer base (1.7+ million) and their families with learning opportunities related to financial education simply by using their smart phones.
Thank you, Sergio, for your time today to talk to us. It really is much appreciated and we love what your organisation does and stands for to alleviate poverty through inclusive and responsible banking.
If you want to find out more about FINCA and their great work, visit https://www.fincaimpact.com/.
More information on the Branded Moodle Mobile App, including steps how to get one and to contact us or a local Moodle Partner to get started, visit https://moodle.com/mobileapp
