Case Study: African Bank ICT Security Awareness Campaign | CorporateVoice

African Bank: ICT Security Awareness Campaign

How Targeted Desktop Pop-Ups Achieved 97% Training Completion Across 5,000+ Employees
0% Video Completion Rate
0% Assessment Completion
0+ Employees Reached

Client Overview

Client: African Bank

Contact: Eloise Biggs, Head: Internal Communications

Campaign Duration: 10 weeks (5 chapters, 2 weeks per chapter)

Employees Targeted: 5,000+ across Head Office and entire Retail Banking network

The Challenge

African Bank needed to deliver comprehensive ICT Security Awareness training to their entire workforce, spanning both Head Office and all Retail Banking branches across South Africa. The challenge was multi-faceted:

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Distributed Workforce Reaching 5,000+ employees across multiple locations simultaneously
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Completion Tracking Ensuring every employee completed training and assessments
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Engagement Challenge Making cybersecurity training engaging rather than ignored or delayed
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Minimal Disruption Delivering training without significantly interrupting daily banking operations

Traditional training methods like classroom sessions or lengthy email attachments wouldn't work for a geographically dispersed banking workforce with demanding operational schedules. African Bank needed guaranteed delivery and completion, not optional training that employees could ignore.

The Solution: Strategic Desktop Pop-Up Campaign

Corporate Voice implemented a targeted desktop pop-up campaign that transformed cybersecurity training from optional to unmissable.

Campaign Structure

The 10-week campaign was divided into 5 comprehensive chapters, each focusing on a critical cybersecurity topic:

Chapter Topic Duration
Chapter 1 Something Phishy (Phishing Awareness) 2 weeks
Chapter 2 Mobile Mayhem (Mobile Security) 2 weeks
Chapter 3 Freaky Leaky (Data Leakage Prevention) 2 weeks
Chapter 4 Dicey Devicy (Device Security) 2 weeks
Chapter 5 Breaking The Barrier (Access Control) 2 weeks

How Desktop Pop-Ups Drove Success

The Corporate Voice pop-up module was the cornerstone of this campaign's success. Here's how it worked:

Smart Delivery Mechanism

Pop-ups delivered training videos directly to every employee's desktop and laptop, appearing above all other applications to capture immediate attention. The system was designed to be persistent but not disruptive:

  • Initial Flexibility: Employees could snooze the pop-up up to 5 times if genuinely busy, allowing them to complete training at a more convenient moment
  • Progressive Enforcement: After 5 snoozes, the pop-up became mandatory and couldn't be dismissed without engagement
  • Daily Reminders: If snoozed, the pop-up returned daily until the user engaged with the content
  • Clear Communication: Pop-ups clearly indicated that clicking would launch a video, allowing employees to prepare by adjusting volume and minimizing distractions

Integrated Video Viewer

Each pop-up launched the Corporate Voice Video Viewer, which displayed MP4 training videos specifically designed for each chapter. The viewer tracked:

  • Whether the video was viewed
  • Completion status
  • User interaction (snoozes, dismissals, engagement)

Post-Training Assessments

After completing each chapter's video, employees participated in an assessment to verify knowledge retention:

  • 5-day window to complete the assessment voluntarily
  • After 5 days, assessment became mandatory
  • All responses tracked and stored against user credentials

The Results: Unprecedented Completion Rates

0% Average Video View Rate Across All Chapters
0% Average Assessment Completion Rate
0 Employees Successfully Trained
0% Network Coverage (HO + Branches)

Detailed Chapter-by-Chapter Results

Chapter Location Targeted Video Viewed View Rate Assessment Complete Completion Rate
Something Phishy Head Office 2,773 2,686 97% 2,473 89%
Branches 2,191 2,117 97% 2,068 94%
Mobile Mayhem Head Office 2,756 2,679 97% 2,456 89%
Branches 2,184 2,112 97% 2,047 94%
Freaky Leaky Head Office 2,569 2,497 97% 2,355 92%
Branches 2,074 2,006 97% 1,961 95%
Dicey Devicy Head Office 2,627 2,555 97% 2,406 92%
Branches 2,106 2,034 97% 2,011 95%
Breaking The Barrier Head Office 2,689 2,631 98% 2,441 91%
Branches 2,144 2,074 97% 2,042 95%
Key Insight: Branch Performance Exceeded Head Office

Remarkably, branch employees (typically harder to reach with training initiatives) achieved higher assessment completion rates than Head Office staff, averaging 94.6% compared to 90.6%. This demonstrates how desktop pop-ups overcome traditional barriers to reaching distributed workforces.

Why Desktop Pop-Ups Delivered Unprecedented Results

1. Unavoidable Visibility

Unlike emails that can be deleted or ignored, desktop pop-ups appeared above all other applications, capturing immediate attention. The persistent nature ensured no employee could claim they "never saw it."

2. Respectful Persistence

The snooze functionality respected that employees have genuinely busy moments, but the limited snooze count and daily returns ensured training couldn't be indefinitely postponed. This balance between flexibility and enforcement was key to achieving 97% completion without employee frustration.

3. Consistent Reach Across Locations

Desktop pop-ups work identically whether an employee is at Head Office or a remote branch, ensuring communication parity across the entire organization. This eliminated the traditional gap between well-informed headquarters staff and disconnected branch employees.

4. Trackable Accountability

Every interaction was logged with user credentials, machine names, and IP addresses. This comprehensive tracking allowed African Bank to identify the small percentage of non-compliant employees and follow up individually, ensuring true 100% completion.

5. Thematic Customization

Each chapter featured custom-designed pop-up "skins" matching the theme (phishing, mobile security, etc.), making the training feel curated and professional rather than generic corporate communications.

"The pop-up delivery mechanism was transformational for our cybersecurity training. We went from hoping employees would complete online modules to knowing with certainty that 97% had watched the training and 92% had passed assessments. That level of verified compliance was unprecedented for us." — Eloise Biggs, Head: Internal Communications, African Bank

Key Takeaways for Organizations

Guaranteed Delivery Desktop pop-ups ensure critical communications are actually seen, not buried in email
Measurable Compliance Complete tracking provides verifiable proof of training completion for audits
Location-Independent Reach distributed workforces with identical effectiveness across all sites
Flexible Enforcement Balance employee autonomy with mandatory completion through progressive persistence

For organizations struggling with low training completion rates, scattered communication effectiveness, or compliance requirements across distributed teams, desktop pop-ups offer a proven solution that delivers measurable results.

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