Case Study
How Border States Scaled Training and Empowered SMEs with Interactive Tutorials
Border States Electric is a major player in the electrical distribution and utility space, with hundreds of employee-owners and a complex array of systems to support. As the company grew, so did the demand for scalable, consistent training that could keep up with tech rollouts and reach learners across departments and devices.
At the center of this initiative was Sara Madsen, L&D Leader at Border States. Tasked with enabling multiple teams while supporting onboarding, ongoing training, and acquisitions, Sara and her team turned to iorad to transform their training model, making it faster, more engaging, and more inclusive of subject matter experts.
Challenges
Before adopting iorad, Border States faced several key challenges in training delivery and content creation:
Cumbersome Tools and Low Contributor Engagement
SMEs were using PowerPoint with manually added voiceover—a slow, frustrating process that discouraged participation and content creation.
Compressed Rollout Timelines
Technology updates and internal tool rollouts often came with little lead time, leaving the training team scrambling to create resources in time.
Non-Interactive Training Methods
Prior materials lacked interactivity, offering learners little control or engagement. Step-by-step walkthroughs and click-based learning were notably absent.
Mobile Accessibility Constraints
Many employee-owners accessed training on mobile, but creating and delivering mobile-compatible content was slow and inefficient.
We had people making PowerPoints and adding audio... people didn’t want to create content because of how hard it was.Sara Madsen (Border States)
Solution
To overcome these challenges, Border States adopted iorad to bring consistency, interactivity, and efficiency to their training workflows.
Fast Onboarding for SMEs
With iorad, SMEs went from spending 48 hours on a single course to creating four short, polished tutorials in just eight hours. This efficiency has been key in helping Border States implement tools faster and maximize SME contributions.
Embedded Learning Across Systems
iorad tutorials were embedded into Adobe Learning Manager using Storyline and linked directly in SharePoint libraries, streamlining onboarding and ongoing training.
Interactive, Click-Based Learning
Tutorials offered learners control over pace and sequence, improving engagement and understanding.
Mobile and Multilingual Support
After acquiring Spanish-speaking sites, the team used iorad's translation tools to localize content quickly and cost-effectively.
Flexible Licensing Model
With rotating licenses, teams could scale content creation without ballooning costs.
Results & Impact
5x Faster Content Creation
SMEs now create five tutorials in the time it used to take to produce just one traditional training.
Higher Learner Engagement
Learners benefit from interactive formats that give them control and immediate feedback.
Cross-Functional Enablement
iorad now supports monthly training across departments including IT, sales enablement, and procurement.
Multilingual Reach
Localized content helped support new teams acquired through company expansion.
They said it would take two weeks to do one or two trainings... with iorad, they popped out five.Sara Madsen (Border States)
Key Takeaways
1
iorad’s low learning curve made it easy for subject matter experts to start building content quickly—no design background needed. This lowered the barrier to contribution and distributed content creation across departments.
2
UWith compressed timelines for tech launches, Border States used iorad to meet deadlines without sacrificing quality. Tutorials could be created in hours, not weeks, accelerating go-to-market readiness for internal tools.
3
Replacing static slides and long PDFs with clickable, step-based tutorials gave employee-owners more control over their learning. This boosted reusability and made content easier to revisit on demand.
4
iorad’s translation and mobile compatibility features helped Border States meet the needs of Spanish-speaking teams and mobile users—without extra work or complex workarounds.
5
By rotating a small number of licenses between teams, Border States empowered more contributors without scaling cost. This approach increased iorad adoption while preserving budget efficiency.
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