This article was featured in The Silicon Review.

Driving Real Behavior Change: Gnowbe Brings In a New Approach to Train the Workforce with Its
Complete Microlearning Solutions for Modern Enterprises

Technological advancements have made widespread information easier and quicker to access and
simple to process. With the current pace of developments, we have to be able to remember information
for the long term as well as understand new ideas. So, modern learners need access to relevant learning
content anywhere, anytime and on any device as more and more workplaces tend to become mobile
and classroom boundaries cease to exist. Traditional learning methods may not be very effective in
meeting expectations due to their rigid schedules, lengthy training material, and homogeneous learning
solutions.

This is where Gnowbe comes in with its pioneering mobile micro-learning and engagement solution
intended to help the modern workforce learn faster and better. With office locations in Singapore, San
Francisco and the Philippines, Gnowbe makes a significant business impact by revolutionizing corporate
education through transformational learning. Its bite-sized social learning and gamification encourage
active engagement and inspire behavior change.

In conversation with the dynamic leader, So-Young Kang, Chief Energizer

What were the challenges that you had to go through in your initial years?
As Gnowbe was very new to the market, we were one of the first to pioneer the mobile micro-learning
movement. People were super scared of us because they were scared of technology. It’s only after doing
some groundwork and explaining the challenge, people started to love us because they knew Gnowbe
was the solution to a problem they could never solve. So when we showed a demo of our product to
lecturers and trainers, we got much appreciation.
We constantly had to empower organizations to technology to drive and account for real business
impact. Furthermore, we care about creating safe spaces for people to experiment and try Gnowbe,
without feeling intimidated by the tech.

How do your product and service offerings benefit your clients?
Gnowbe is based on the science of adult learning focused on delivering true business impact. Gnowbe’s
software and content authoring platform meets the pains of providing easy access to employees in bite-
sized pieces. It also increases engagement and ownership of learners so that they can apply what they
learn through social and collaborative learning. Gnowbe provides learning on-the-go from your phones
and uses gamification and social learning to drive behavior and mindset changes. Gnowbe is proud to
have launched the world’s first public content library designed for mobile-first participatory learning –
Gnowbe Learn™ for Teams.

Most of the tech companies invest a significant part of their profits in R&D, which sometimes is not a good option. What is your approach to keeping your company standing?

A lot of Gnowbe’s success can be attributed to our R&D investment in our early years.  Before we
started, we conducted 6-9 months of user ethnographic research across adult learners, corporate
buyers, trainers and HR professionals. We developed 6 different learner personas and built our product
based on the underlying motivations of various learners. We then conducted a beta test in 6 countries in
2015 to validate whether people could really develop difficult skills like leadership and creativity using
their phones. Our first 2 programs were ‘Design Thinking’ and ‘Leading Others’.

We found that learner engagement was 8-10 times higher than anything in the market so we launched it
in full scale. Now we are in over 25 countries. Our approach to R&D is to constantly speak to our clients
to assess their needs. We constantly get feedback from our clients to refine and refresh our product
features and roadmap. We also focus a lot on measuring learning performance and impact. We
constantly look ahead at industry trends to incorporate the latest tech to create the best learner
experience. That’s why we are still standing. Clients love us and we have results to show!
Customer service varies, but companies can still be successful.

How do you maintain your customers’ trust and loyalty?
We have this super exclusive Gnowbean service called “Managed Services.” Our awesome client success
team ensures complete and thorough implementation of Gnowbe into their organization. Our objective
is to really help our clients and learners become as successful as they can be. Be it in content curation or
increasing adopting and engagement rates, we are always thinking about their success and how to help
them scale learning to achieve behavior change.

We really take the time to hear them out. We would rather spend an eternity time listening to them
than wasting our time to build a product that no one likes. Their burdens and challenges help to shape
our product roadmap.

Do you have any new products ready to be/getting ready to be launched?
Yes! We are super excited to share that we will be integrating with the global software giant, SAP. SAP
named Gnowbe as one of only seven HR technologies from around the world to have a place on its
‘accelerator’ program. Being able to integrate with a $20 Billion giant and be a part of their portfolio will
open up tremendous opportunities to meet the growing demands of SAP’s global network of clients, of
which 90% are from Forbes Global 2000. Our key objective is to get our platform integrated with all of
SAP’s success factors.

This year, we will be launching our partnership with Mercer, a global consulting leader in advancing
health, wealth and careers of over 115 million people worldwide.  Mercer will be rolling out “Mercer
Learning Mobile”, a series of micro-learning courses on a mobile platform, targeting HR professionals to
up their skills on the go.

“We believe in constantly learning and growing, and innovation is just the way we work. We listen to our
clients’ needs. We follow market trends. We adapt and adjust. We dream and we push the boundaries.
For us, innovation is about all of these things.”

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