IMMERSE insights:
- Volcanica Coffee employees used IMMERSE to gain real-world language skills they were able to apply to their business interactions in Latin America.
- IMMERSE led to a number of ROIs, including improved business communication and better cross-border relationships.
- Employees found IMMERSE engaging and fun, so they kept using it and learned Spanish.
In his quest to find an effective tool for learning Spanish, co-founder and managing partner of Volcanica Coffee Aaron Contreras decided to try out IMMERSE for himself.
He found the experience so rewarding that he decided providing it to his employees could have a positive impact on the entire company.
“As a coffee enthusiast and a business owner, my experience with IMMERSE has been incredibly rewarding,” says Contreras.
“I started using IMMERSE after trying lots of other language apps that helped me memorize vocab words, but I never felt confident speaking in the real world. In IMMERSE’s virtual world, I learned from best in class instructors in real life environments. I practiced role play conversations with avatars powered by AI, and built connections with learners around the world.
“I have improved my speaking skills so much faster with IMMERSE, I decided to give my employees access to IMMERSE too.”
Goal
To create stronger business relationships with Volcanica’s coffee producers by enhancing cross-border communication
“Our coffee buying team at Volcanica Coffee frequently interacts with Spanish speaking coffee producers and farmers,” explains Contreras.
“I think supplier relationships are so important in business. And what better way to build that relationship than to become a better communicator by speaking the same language?”
Solution
Train Volcanica employees to develop higher levels of Spanish speaking fluency with IMMERSE
Contreras recognized that training Volcanica employees to speak Spanish with IMMERSE would lead to better relationships with suppliers and more effective business communication:
“By incorporating IMMERSE into our training program, we are not only enhancing our team's language skills, but also paving the way for more sustainable and direct relationships with our producers.”
Results
Partnering with IMMERSE has led to a number of ROIs for Volcanica, including:
- better relationships with suppliers
- more effective business communication
- employee upskilling
Stronger business relationships
Contreras is enthusiastic about the impact IMMERSE has had on Volcanica:
“We've been absorbing tons of value, and from a real world application sense.”
“We've taken these language skills that we've learned and now we're able to have some conversations with coffee producers, farmers, send messages, ask how things are going, and it's been super valuable because it's ultimately helped us identify the goals for some of these producers and what they're trying to accomplish and achieve, and how ultimately, we can be better partners with them rather than just purchasing their coffee.
“Thanks to IMMERSE we are building stronger, more transparent partnerships, ultimately leading to better outcomes for everyone involved.”
Improved business communication
“By incorporating IMMERSE into our training program, we are not only enhancing our team's language skills, but also paving the way for more sustainable and direct relationships with our producers. This reduces the friction often caused by language barriers and middlemen in our conversations.
“Things are not getting lost in translation in our business dealings.”
Employee engagement
Contreras says employees enjoy IMMERSE more than anyone expected. “It’s almost like a fun activity for them, where they’re really able to engage with other people on IMMERSE and have a live instructor.”
