How Montway’s Chief HR Officer Drove Better Business Outcomes with Fig Learning

The Challenge

FILLING EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT GAPS FOR A SMALL TEAM

Prior to streamlining Montway’s learning and development, their human resources (HR) team was focused on the foundational tasks needed to grow their start-up workforce into a mature company. When mapping out their employee experience, strategy gaps were identified within learning and development. These gaps were also highlighted by employees in the most recent engagement survey via Great Place to Work.

As part of the Great Place to Work Certification process, Montway’s employees consistently expressed, "I want to be a better leader" or "I want to grow my career." But as a small HR team, they didn’t have the luxury of building a large learning and development team in-house.

Montway needed to quickly improve onboarding, shorten time-to-productivity, and integrate performance management and succession planning into a cohesive people strategy. With limited HR resources, they sought a partner who could implement an effective, scalable learning solution.

That’s when they teamed up with Fig Learning, a partner specializing in tailored eLearning and leadership development for small and mid-sized businesses. Fig Learning helped Montway establish a customized learning management system, and embed onboarding, performance management and succession planning resources—all in one user-friendly platform.

The Solution

LEARNING EMPATHY TO GROW MONTWAY'S CUSTOMER-CENTRIC CULTURE

With Fig Learning handling the heavy lifting of L&D setup and training facilitation, Montway’s HR team could reallocate their time to building stronger talent pipelines and increasing employee engagement.

Once Montway had established a solid learning and development foundation, a new challenge emerged that went beyond standard skill-building. U.S. customers often arrived on calls with high expectations, especially if they were already frustrated. These customers expected empathy and a certain level of engagement, which the Bulgarian-based agents struggled to recognize. To the agents, a blunt, straightforward exchange could feel like a successful conversation, whereas American callers might interpret this approach as lacking understanding.

Recognizing that managers played a pivotal role in reinforcing subtle but critical communication styles, Montway focused on training its leaders first. By teaching managers about cultural differences and empathy-driven interactions, Montway ensured they could pass this knowledge down to their teams. As Anne Mitchell, chief human resources officer at Montway explained:

CRAFTING LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS FOR MONTWAY’S NEEDS

To address cultural differences impacting customer interactions, Fig Learning designed and delivered two in-person leadership workshops for Montway’s team leads in Bulgaria. The sessions focused on understanding empathy in customer service, using real call examples and Erin Meyer’s Culture Map to bridge gaps between U.S. and Bulgarian communication styles. By combining practical exercises with real-world application, the workshops equipped managers with tools to drive better customer conversations and improve service quality.

DEVELOPING PEOPLE TO DRIVE KEY OBJECTIVES

Beyond traditional training, Fig Learning’s workshops empowered Montway’s leaders and agents with the competencies they needed to consistently exceed customer expectations. As a result of these leadership sessions, Montway saw:

• Immediate Skill Application: Managers gained confidence in coaching their teams on empathy and cultural awareness.

• Clearer Performance Insights: Real call data allowed participants to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses, making improvement tangible.

• Positive Customer Impact: Equipping team leads and agents with de-escalation techniques and clearer understanding of U.S. expectations directly boosted customer satisfaction.
  
  

By reinforcing these lessons through virtual check-ins and extending training to frontline agents, Montway achieved higher five-star ratings, improved retention, and nurtured a more empowered workforce, demonstrating that strategic L&D investments deliver measurable business impact.

The Results

A TRUE LEARNING PARTNER FOR MONTWAY AUTO TRANSPORT

By partnering with Fig Learning, Montway transformed its approach to talent development at every level. As Anne noted, “It’s exciting to see the needle move with these initiatives, helping our employees and managers grow and be the best they can be.”

Instead of juggling basic HR tasks and stretching internal resources thin, Montway’s HR team gained a strategic L&D ally. With a custom LMS, tailored eLearning content, and expert-led leadership workshops, Montway could foster employee engagement, strengthen its talent pipeline, and improve overall retention—all while boosting customer satisfaction. This outcome proves that investing in human capital can directly support better business results.

This approach positioned HR as a strategic business partner, rather than an administrative function, enabling Montway’s HR team to focus on long-term talent strategies and employee engagement initiatives.

NOTABLE RECOGNITION:

Working with Fig Learning helped Montway secure a Great Place to Work Certification for a second time, providing external validation of their enhanced employee experience.

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