HomeTeam Pest Defense faced a clear obstacle: Despite producing high-quality, video-based training content, distributing it via e-mail threads resulted in extremely low engagement—around 10 percent. Employees were simply not interacting with the material.
In response, the company turned to Bites,a microlearning platform used by companies such as Amazon, Unilever, HP, and Red Bull to train and engage their frontline teams using artificial intelligence-powered content creation. The platform delivers training through tools employees already use (no app or login required). Bites helped HomeTeam convert its existing content into short, interactive, and translatable microlearning units. These now are delivered directly to employees via SMS and e-mail through a centralized communication hub. Automated flows also were implemented to ensure each new hire receives relevant training content upon joining.
Engagement Rates Jump
HomeTeam now distributes a range of training via Bites, including technician-focused playlists such as the Six Point Advantage (covering service delivery and customer interaction), a dedicated safety series, and leadership development content. Engagement rates now range from 50 to 95 percent, depending on the audience, content type, and whether the material is mandatory. The team also makes strong use of the built-in reminders to boost participation.
Compared to its original 10 percent baseline, HomeTeam has seen a 5x to 10x increase in training engagement. The company is satisfied with the platform, and its frontline team actively uses the Ask AI function to quickly find the right content, as well as surface any content gaps to be addressed.
“In the year-and-a-half since we implemented Bites, we see it’s a real match for what our employees in the field need,” notes HomeTeam Pest Defense Training Director Debbie Catka. “They want something fast, something easy. If it’s not microlearning, then I’m not putting it out there. It’s just not communicating. After 20-plus years in the field of training, I’ve learned that attention is earned, not assumed. Bites helps us meet employees where they are, in a format they’ll actually engage with.”
