Customer success: Online competition platform powered by Simbound

Customer: SKEMA Business School (France)

Title of Project:  The E-BIZ COM Game

Project Start Date: January 2025 / Completion date: 26 May 2025

Services Provided: 1.Course Configuration and Consultancy, 2. Simbound Academic Simulation Software License, 3. Custom Simulation System Set-up and Development, 4. Platform Branding,5. Ongoing Assistance and Support,6. Post-course analysis and ranking methodology

Skema is an internationally acclaimed higher education institution with campuses across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa and is currently the highest riser in the latest European table of the European Business Schools Rankings 2024 compiled by the Financial Times newspaper.

Skema was on the search for a powerful online simulation platform to help host a campus-wide online digital marketing competition for students playing from multiple locations.

The envisioned usage case has very early opened up the space for a host of unique access-related and service requirements which needed to be delivered to the benefit of more than 180 students studying for different specializations: Digital Marketing & Data & E-Commerce across its Grand Paris campus in France.

Pre-requisites

Our approach was to map out the specific requirements of this exciting project together with the client’s representative and then seek to provide our best-in-class suite of simulation software and academic consultancy services to ensure a fast and carefree implementation that simply works at scale.

The client asked that participation was to take place in teams grouping 3 students with every team being then free to advance through the entire range of Simulations provided by Simbound at the members’ own pace. The availability and specific sequence of the content to be released at every stage was decided upon consultation with our dedicated academic software market consultant and Simbound commercial representative in France, Mr. Tristan Seulliet.

Although the client did not explicitly request a French-language version of the simulation, we proactively updated all the latest system terms to offer a multilingual experience. However, the advertising content creation requirement within the simulation remained in English.

After completion of the meetings this led to drawing up of the project map.

Phase 1: Initial Setup

We began by activating the feature that enables bulk uploading of users into the system, automatically assigning them to predefined teams. We determined that students should not spend time setting up their accounts or selecting teams. This approach guarantees a quick and seamless entry to the simulation and supplementary content, allowing them to promptly focus on developing strategies and making decisions within the game.

Given the limited time and the relatively large number of students, we decided to prioritize using the available time for reading the software guidebooks, initial team collaboration, and decision-making, rather than focusing on technical setup.

We then determined which elements of the standard Simbound interface would be branded with this year’s competition logo and the Skema business school logo to enhance student initial adoption as well as stimulate engagement and participation, while giving the platform a unique identity distinct from the typical Simbound course.

Phase 2: Diving into Specifics

Working past the initial setup, we defined a simulation start date and a finish date coinciding with that of the competition itself, time after which no new set of results could be issued anymore by the system.

Another unique aspect of this custom setup was the absence of intermediary deadlines typical in regular courses. Student teams could run any and all simulation rounds whenever they chose, with a buffer period established shortly after initial access was granted. As a result, the first round of results could only be generated several days after students signed up and accessed the simulation for the first time.

The project required specific adjustments to how results were presented both to students within their teams and to the instructor responsible for overseeing the overall simulation progress across the event. Everything was set up and ready at the end of this second phase of the project.

Phase 3: Competition Unfolding

This phase of the project proved to be the most challenging, as the surge of highly motivated students eager to win relentlessly pushed the system’s limits during the competition’s later stages. Unlike the steady rhythm of a traditional week-by-week course, the competition sometimes in bursts of intense activity, often demanding swift and agile support responses. With the outcome hanging in the balance, every simulation output—whether displayed in the interface or embedded in downloadable reports—had to be flawlessly precise. Achieving this required dynamic coordination over multiple systems, backed by expert support available both on-site and remotely, ready to adapt at a moment’s notice.

Due to student activity occurring beyond standard operational hours, the support infrastructure was operating at maximum capacity, partially mitigated by the deployment of an AI-driven chatbot assistant. All reported incidents were successfully addressed, resulting in the development and integration of additional software modules and the refinement of incident response protocols.

Outcome

The E-Biz Com competition brought forward a set of interesting demands which we had to work through in order to deliver an innovative solution fit for modern standards which was to be used at scale. The outcome was a success and the feedback received encourages us to continue and advance novel ways of providing quality-driven education providers with the some of the most advanced educational technology and services.

Let us create your next online business competition

Simbound is the original digital marketing simulation platform built for Education. Do you also envision a similar challenging and rewarding learning activity for your students in the form of an online competition ? Let our team guide you through every step of the way until you reach a successful outcome.

We have several years of experience in hosting digital marketing-themed online competitions and challenges at scale across multiple countries. Our consultants are ready to provide guidance and solutions for every stage of the project: from the initial setup down to the awards ceremony.

Fill out a form on our website detailing your current request and specific needs upon reaching out. Please note that Terms and restrictions apply.

References:

www.skema.edu

https://www.ft.com/euro-schools-method

https://barrisol.com/uk/exceptional-projects/skema-business-school