Title: From training to measurable behaviour change: what our work with Havas Play reinforced
Subtitle: Retention & Growth Coaching built for real client challenges — and designed to scale
Client-facing teams don’t need more theory. They need repeatable behaviours that hold up under pressure: tough conversations, shifting scopes, retention risks, and growth opportunities. That’s exactly what ARMA set out to support through the Retention & Growth Coaching programme delivered with Havas Play.
What the testimonial highlights (and why it matters)
Ella Deery, L&D Senior Talent Development Partner, captured the heart of the programme: it was credible, grounded in real client challenges, and delivered clear improvements in confidence, capability, and consistency — supported by a robust pre/post measurement approach and a structure that scaled across teams and levels without losing impact.
This combination — relevance + coaching + measurement — matters because capability-building is directly connected to retention. LinkedIn Learning has reported that 94% of employees say they would stay longer at a company that invests in their learning and development.
Why we design for behaviours (not “information”)
In client service, knowledge is rarely the bottleneck. The bottleneck is consistency:
- How teams manage expectations
- How they handle risk signals
- How they influence stakeholders
- How they navigate commercial conversations without eroding trust
Behaviour is where performance becomes visible — and where coaching creates leverage.
Measurement: the difference between “well-received” and “working”
A key reinforcement from this work: measurement doesn’t need to be complicated, but it must be intentional. To track tangible outcomes, we recommend combining:
- Baseline and follow-up self-assessments (confidence + capability markers)
- Manager observation prompts (specific behaviours, not vibes)
- Practical application checkpoints (how it showed up in live accounts)
- Consistency indicators (shared language, repeatable standards across teams)
This is especially important when engagement is declining globally. Gallup reported global engagement fell to 21% in 2024.
In that environment, development needs to be practical, credible, and implemented, or it becomes noise.
Scalability without losing impact
The testimonial also speaks to something many L&D leaders struggle with: scale. Programmes often work brilliantly in one cohort — then dilute when rolled out wider.
Designing for scale means:
- shared frameworks that translate across seniority levels
- coaching structures that don’t rely on “hero facilitators”
- measurement that works in the real world (not just in a slide deck)
What’s next
This week, ARMA and Havas Play are moving into a new workshop phase to elevate the work further — strengthening the behaviours that drive retention, growth, and consistency across client-facing teams.
If you’re building L&D for client services and want outcomes you can track (not just “inspire”), ARMA can help you design coaching-led programmes that scale — grounded in real client challenges.