PizzaExpress was growing rapidly, with 450 locations now open across the globe. This growth also ushered in a new chapter of organisational learning for the brand, one that demanded the latest technology. PizzaExpress had an explicit goal to build a scalable learning solution that enabled further expansion. They needed an efficient and cost effective LMS that was also brand compliant across their franchises, but that goal evolved when Kineo entered the picture. With thoughtful learning consultants on board, PizzaExpress was ready to address everything from onboarding and compliance to career journey planning.
With ambitious growth plans, PizzaExpress needed to revitalise their elearning. When they began looking for a new solution, their existing elearning was limited to off-the-shelf health, safety and food safety courses. Their previous LMS was simply a tick-box tool for compliance. It was clunky, unreliable, and didn’t provide any meaningful data or a central location for records of learning.
The PizzaExpress team needed learning solutions that reflected their growing company. That meant personalised, aligned training that went deeper than standard compliance courses. Moreover, they needed a vendor who’d ask the right questions, challenge them and ultimately set them up for success. Only with these priorities in place could their LMS and custom elearning courses be measurable and truly effective.
Simplicity
Making courses easy to access and track in a single portal saves PizzaExpress both time and money as locations grow.
Scalability
Creating and organising blended learning programmes through an LMS enables the business to grow as new franchise locations launch.
Optimisation and Measurability
PizzaExpress was able to uncover the long-term goals and priorities for learning in their organisation by capturing key data points.
Consistency
The new LMS helped align all training requirements with larger brand initiatives and ensure quality across business locations.
PizzaExpress used Totara Learn and the power of open-source to create an all-in-one learning solution with custom elearning courses to align with their overall L&D strategy. Their team collaborated with Kineo for feedback and support to implement an instance of Totara that would not only handle all of their current needs, but future needs as well.
“With a proprietary LMS, no one is likely to want to touch it because no one knows the knock on effects. With open source, someone has often done what you want before. There are so many more eyes on problems and solutions, and more experience. Open source gives you a lot more scope with more minds looking at it to make it better.”
Ben Walton, Learning Technology Specialist, PizzaExpress
What started as an update to their outdated compliance courses became a full-fledged learning platform that continues to grow. At the outset, compliance was the most important tick-box, but Kineo’s expertise helped PizzaExpress realise their vision and build a platform that went well beyond their immediate needs. The end result was an industry-leading LMS solution paired with a blended learning approach that was measurable, scalable and aligned with the larger brand from the top down.
The open source Totara Learn solution gave PizzaExpress more freedom to continue to optimise and scale their learning with their growth. Their new flexible LMS platform is personalised, compliant, measurable, and even designed to launch internationally as a next step.
“The relationship PizzaExpress has with Kineo is a collaborative relationship rather than a standard supplier relationship. Kineo’s ability to turn around and ask the right questions and get us the right solutions has been invaluable. It’s been like that throughout the whole process: since going live with our site, we continue to always have a front man at Kineo. This is reassuring because it means they take whatever query or issue and find the best options and solutions.”
Ben Walton, Learning Technology Specialist at PizzaExpress
