By Gail Sawlor (Adapted from the poem by Clement Clarke Moore)

‘Twas the night before Christmas, near the end of the quarter
No elearning was happening, it was all brick-and-mortar;
The Needs Analysis were done by the consultant with care,
In hopes that Skillsoft’s content soon would be there.

The employees were nestled all snug at their desks;
While visions of certifications danced in their heads;
We’re finally aware of our training gaps,
Which would soon be addressed by our Skillsoft contract.

When out on the ‘Net there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my tablet to see what was the matter.
Away to my Outlook I flew like a flash,
Tore open my inbox and cleared out my cache.

The email had login details for my Skillport® site,
That provides access to learning content with the speed of light,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But an elearning portal so slick and so clear,

With a user interface so easy, “Not a Challenge!” I scoffed,
I knew in a moment it must be Skillsoft.
More rapid than webinars their content it came,
And I typed search terms, I filtered, and called them by name:

“Now, Challenges! now, Impacts! now aligned certifications!
On, courses, on videos! on, all simulations!
To the KnowledgeCenters, such great structured portals!
And then the Advantage: Leadership, Sales, and Professional!”

All learning options users can take on the fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, give the Mentors a try!
So into the Skillport the learners they flew
With the library of content set in a custom browse view—

And then, in a twinkling, Skillport customizations add oomph
The logos, the banding—the learner buy-in is proof!
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But my Healthy Account, and five stages I hold dear:

My account’s health was 85% and above, from its implementation to its renewal,
And its content were properly aligned and my targets had fuel.
A bundle of marketing I had planned and mapped as a scheme,
Which I’d made with advice from my Skillsoft account team.

My custom folders-how they twinkled! My template reports scheduled like art!
My learning strategy involved measurement, my goals they were SMART!
My stake holders involved in the decision-making,
And my learners were provided context for the courses they’d be taking.

The first learning roadblock I addressed is: “What’s in it for me?”
So I used marketing to show how microbreaks increase productivity.
We had a broad range of learning assets to offer,
That are cheaper than instructor-lead and won’t empty our coffers!

I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And filled out all the SMART goals, then turned with a jerk.
And with elearning enthusiasm pulsing in my brain,
I went online to find new ways to train!

I sprang into Client Community, finding ready-made marketing themes
And product-specific resources to help me inform my teams.
As I looked at my program, with alignment so tight,
“Happy elearning to all: success is in sight!”

Gail Sawlor is a Solutions Services Consultant at Skillsoft.