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1 Year LMS Check Up By Charlie Gillette February 06, 2018
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1 year LMS check up!
You deployed a new learning management system last year, how did it go? With any enterprise deployment, it is always helpful to review how the implementation went. Your organization most likely invested a significant amount of time in researching, vetting and selecting a new LMS provider. In addition, there is the total investment of the system which includes the amount paid to the vendor and costs associated with data migration, integration, internal support costs, and the development expense of new courses. To get the most out of your LMS moving forward, take a look at where you have come from by completing a five-point checkup. 1. What was the total cost of the implementation compared to the budget? Remediation: If the project was over budget, what caused the overage and what can be done to minimize the spend going forward. 2. How many learners have accessed the system thus far? Remediation: If the usage is lower than expected, is there a lack of communication, support or engaging content? 3. How many courses have been completed? Remediation: Along with the items mentioned in number 2, we find the creation of new online learning material often overwhelms training team and thus quality courses are slow to come. 4. What is the level of feedback from the learners? Remediation: First, it is critical to collect quantitative and qualitative learner feedback. If the feedback is less than stellar, do the low feedback scores relate to the system or the content. What can be addressed? 5. Has the system delivered an increase in revenue, productivity, adherence to policies and or reduce the overall costs? Remediation: This is most likely not an issue with the LMS, but an issue with checklist items 1, 2, or 3. It is good to audit the training paths to determine the connection to the business results. If your new LMS failed one or two of these checkpoints, make it a goal during the next 12 months to improve with quality content, communication and responsiveness to feedback. If your new LMS failed all the checkpoint items, it might be time to reconsider the decision and look at a different LMS. This can be a painful realization and decision. Before you go down the path of switching out the LMS, ensure the cause of the failure is with the LMS and not related to the content or organizational issues. Some helpful resources: https://elearningindustry.com/brandon-hall-group-elearning-market-trends-2016-learning-management-system (https://elearningindustry.com/brandon-hall-group-elearning-market-trends-2016-learning-managementsystem) https://www.cio.com/article/2397802/enterprise-resource-planning/article.html (https://www.cio.com/article/2397802/enterprise-resource-planning/article.html) https://www.prophetcrm.com/2017/08/16/why-is-crm-software-sometimes-difficult-to-implement/ (https://www.prophetcrm.com/2017/08/16/why-is-crm-software-sometimes-difficult-to-implement/) https://www.topyx.com/lms-blog/the-top-4-reasons-learning-management-systems-fail (https://www.topyx.com/lms-blog/the-top-4-reasons-learning-management-systems-fail)
About the Author: Charlie Gillette founded Knowledge Anywhere in 1998 and, under his leadership as president and chief executive officer, Knowledge Anywhere has emerged as a leading e-learning provider in the online-education industry, through the development and implementation of knowledge management infrastructures for leading global corporations.
Soft Skills Matter - Here’s Eight Ways You Can Cultivate Them with eLearning By Brandon Farwell January 29, 2018
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Soft skills are the kind of thing that tends to be neglected - because they are hard to measure. Worse, some people think they can’t be trained - you either have them or you don’t, especially as they often relate to “people skills.” However, not only are they more valuable, but they’re also called “transferable skills” for a reason - they apply for any job you might have. They also certainly can be taught and need to be for proper holistic training. Organizations should worry about whether their employees have the proper transferable skills to benefit the company, and they can even sell it to employees as ways to do better in your personal life. Some soft skills training topics for employees can even be taught online, although most benefit from a blended approach.
Which important soft skills can be taught or enhanced through online training? Check the soft skills examples list below. 1. Teamwork Teamwork is the one soft skill nobody can do without these days. Even freelancers who work at home and seldom see another person in the flesh need to develop their teamwork skills. Teamwork means cooperation, collaboration and taking the initiative when necessary.
2. Effective communication Effective communication is perhaps the easiest of the soft skills to teach online, especially as people can benefit simply from listening to or watching good communicators and seeing how they do it. Bear in mind that communication does not just cover speaking but also listening as well - and knowing when each is important.
3. Problem-solving Problem-solving is not just about being analytical. Employees need to learn to approach problems calmly, to know when to get help (back to teamwork again), when to barrel through and when to back off and take a break or try a different approach.
4. Time management Time management can benefit from both online training and the use of productivity tools to encourage focus and prioritize tasks. Although this is a transferable skill, it is more concrete than most, as people need to learn how to put together a proper to-do list and organize their calendar.
5. Conflict resolution This skill can be taught online using scenarios, bite-sized videos and role-playing games.
So, how do you cultivate these and other skills through online learning? Follow these techniques: 1. Keep videos short. Although one-hour seminars are easy to focus on when you are sitting in a room with the door closed, they are much harder to deal with when at your desk or, worse, at home. Because of this, most soft skills training modules use only short videos. 2. Use interactive scenarios - have people role-play with other employees or use AI-based online scenarios to show characters and their interactions. These scenarios are a vital part of a good online training course (and are also used face-to-face). Branching scenarios can be particularly effective as they show the direct outcome of various decisions. 3. Define measurable goals. Although soft skills are hard to measure, it’s possible to set goals that reflect them indirectly. These might include making more sales or deals or getting feedback from the rest of their team that demonstrates improvement. In time management, it is even easier - you can keep track of how much employees are getting done in a given time frame. 4. Focus on one skill at a time. It’s easy to give in to the temptation to try and improve multiple things at once. Grouping skills together are much less effective than focusing on teamwork for a while, then communication, and keeping the sessions short. Although there’s obviously some overlap, it’s important to keep things brief and focused. 5. Find motivation in the real world. This does mean using real-world examples, but it also means helping employees understand how these skills can benefit them - being better at conflict resolution might be great in the office, and even better at home when their children are fighting again. 6. Do group projects. These facilitate both teamwork and communication - and can either be directly related to a work goal or just for fun (just like team-building exercises in the real world). These projects can also help develop better relationships with specific individuals. 7. Turn the tables. Have each employee host their own webinar - this develops leadership and helps get over the fear of public speaking (which can be just as real when dealing with people over the internet as face to face). Having to pass a topic on to others can also be a great motivation to learn it in more depth. This can also spread out the dry research across the group. 8. Use mobile learning. These days, we do almost everything on our phones - and by using online training through a phone employees can go anywhere to learn and also apply things directly to the real world in front of them. For example, they can take an online video to a conference and compare it to how people are doing things there. Regardless, whether you are the employer or a professional trying to improve your skills, online training can be an important way to develop soft skills, often for a lower cost than, say, going to a conference. Employees can even get soft skills certification courses online that help demonstrate improvement and prove to employers and partners that they have what it takes - and this kind of training can also help attract talent. If you are an employer looking to improve the soft skills within your organization, then you should check out Knowledge Anywhere. We offer learning management software (http://go.knowledgeanywhere.com/schedulea-free-lms-demo) and will help you develop a curriculum customized to your needs and those of your employees. Sources: https://www.thebalance.com/top-soft-skills-2063721 https://www.wikijob.co.uk/content/interview-advice/competencies/soft-skills https://www.bizlibrary.com/article/what-are-soft-skills/ https://elearningindustry.com/4-tips-develop-soft-skill-courses-for-corporate-elearning https://elearningindustry.com/tips-reinforce-soft-skills-corporate-elearning
Team Building 101: 5 Tips for Building Successful Work Teams By Brandon Farwell January 16, 2018
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Did you know the performance of your star employees might be dependent on their team? A Harvard study (https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.1050.0464) found that the highest-performing surgeons only performed at their best when supported by a familiar and trusted team. Ensuring that you have cohesive teams in place then, is more important than ever. Fortunately, there are several work team building strategies you can apply to keep your employees happy and productive. Team building done well boosts motivation (https://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/why-your-employeesare-losing-motivation), productivity (http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1046496408328821), and employees’ well-being (https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2012/03/well-being.aspx). If those benefits sound worth cultivating, read on for five tips to building a successful work team.
1. Informal Socializing Simply allowing time in the day for informal socializing can go a long way in building trust. At MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory (https://hbr.org/2012/04/the-new-science-of-building-great-teams), researchers found that the most important predictor of a team’s success was how well teams communicated in informal settings. While communicating effectively on work-related matters is vital to a team’s success, the ability to maintain a casual conversation about other topics indicates that a team gets along well. You can build opportunities to socialize into the day easily, and without sacrificing productivity. Examples include scheduling breaks at the same time or establishing a communal space to eat lunch.
2. Volunteer for a Good Cause It’s widely accepted that volunteering benefits the helper as much as those being helped. But volunteering is also helpful for creating social cohesion or a stronger sense of community. An extensive research project on youth volunteerism at De Montfort University (https://www.dmu.ac.uk/documents/health-and-life-sciencesdocuments/centre-for-social-action/reports-and-articles/exploring-impact-youth-action-volunteeringengland.pdf) found that volunteering increased volunteers’ sense of influence and trust. Trusting your team members and feeling trusted are both important team values, and having a sense of influence simply equates to knowing that your voice will be heard. Volunteering is even beneficial at the corporate level. In 1994, John Elkington coined the phrase “the triple bottom line (http://www.economist.com/node/14301663)” which he used to refer to the three “P"s of a business should consider: Profit, People, and Planet. He argued that in addition to measuring profit, businesses should be concerned about their social and environmental impact. Using volunteer activities for work team building can also contribute to the wider company culture of service and social responsibility.
3. Escape from the Office Just getting away from the office atmosphere can be a relaxing and necessary change of pace for teams to strengthen relationships. Going on a field trip, so to speak, encourages conversation outside of strictly workrelated matters too. For those naysayers who criticize corporate team building games, an activity outside of the office might spark a natural interest. Team building for work outside of the office can range from a multiple-day retreat to a company lunch. In fact, simply sharing a meal together is one of the five most recommended team building activities by David W. Ballard (https://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2012/08/23/the-5-best-bonding-outings-for-coworkers) from the APA Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program. Others include our second tip volunteering and the next tip: physical exercise.
4. Get Active Providing opportunities for your employees to get active can be much appreciated since just about everyone finds it challenging to stick to a regular exercise routine. But more than the physical benefits, exercise can also help you socially. Exercise relieves stress, reduces worry, and may even help with social anxiety (http://www.medicaldaily.com/exercise-brings-new-perspectives-people-social-anxiety-disorder-294030). The physical and mental well-being of team directly influences their productivity. But it’s important to remember that not everyone will find physical activities enjoyable. Find out what motivates your employees so you aren’t pushing them into very uncomfortable situations. You might find that a volleyball match with coworkers sounds too intimidating for some of your employees, but that many of them enjoy hiking in the area. Companies can also participate in or sponsor bigger events like marathons or walkathons. Of course, when planning a physical team building activity, make sure you consider everyone’s abilities and allow for low intensity or even non-physical options. The last thing you want to do when attempting a teambuilding exercise is single someone out for not being able to play.
5. Practice Work Skills through Play When people think of team building exercises, they typically think of being forced to play silly games or trust exercises. But there’s still a way to encourage play without seeming cheesy. Research has repeatedly found that adults should play more. Stuart Brown (https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/11/15/the-importance-of-play-for-adults/), psychiatrist and author of the book Play, finds that play has a wide variety of benefits, from reducing the chances of criminal behavior to forging meaningful relationships between strangers. But adults are more likely to view play as a waste of time, rather than time well spent. Before trying any of the following activities, it’s important to frame your corporate team building games properly. Explain the skills you want teams to use during the exercise or encourage them to use it as a way to relax or de-stress. You’ll want to vary your explanation depending on your company culture and employees’ motivation. Try these small fun activities for employees: Creative problem-solving scenario (i.e. zombie apocalypse, deserted island) Escape rooms (create your own clues or find them online) Collaborative artwork (freestyle or based on a theme) Structure building contest (i.e. with office supplies or toothpicks and marshmallows) Don’t forget to debrief after the activity, whether by sharing everyone’s work, reviewing the skills used, or discussing takeaways as a group.
Takeaways Team building for work can seem tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. Since they can come attached with a negative stigma, the most important thing to remember is to make team building activities as natural as possible. Chances for informal socializing are the most natural and least structured. Activities structured around a clear goal, like a volunteer project or afternoon hike provide more structure but still read as very natural. Finally, you can apply small fun activities for employees for more traditional team building, but be clear about the purpose of these exercises to reduce any cynicism. Don’t be swayed by unmotivated employees. Team building activities can be fun and offer a wide range of benefits for individual employees, teams, and across your company. For more information on team building and corporate strategy, visit our resources (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources).
How Mobile Learning Services can Connect a Global Workforce By Brandon Farwell January 02, 2018
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The work landscape across industries is in the midst of a major transformation. More than ever before, organizations of all sizes are relying on remote employees and a globally connected workforce to accomplish both daily and strategic tasks. Earlier this year, research found that almost 50 percent of the U.S. workforce completes at least some remote work (http://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/telecommuting-statistics) in the course of a regular week. Globally, trends vary based on culture and technological capabilities, but it’s worth noting that the same trend of an increasingly distributed workforce (https://remote.co/10-stats-about-remote-work/) is true around the world. This increasingly remote workforce comes with a wide range of benefits, from increased worker satisfaction (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242934) to sometimes significant cost savings (http://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/telecommuting-statistics). But it also introduces challenges, particularly in terms of both HR management and training needs.
The Training Challenges of a Global Workforce As we move into 2018, a number of workplace trends (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/articledetail/hottest-2018-hr-headlines-harassment-health-and-how-to-get-along) have become increasingly clear. Employees are striving for connectivity, collaboration, and environmental consciousness more than ever before. At the same time, differences in culture along with an increasing awareness of sexual harassment violations and other toxic issues have entered the forefront of considerations across industries. Within a global workforce, many of these trends and challenges become amplified. Team members who work hundreds and thousands of miles away from each other will find it more difficult to connect, collaborate, and remain engaged. Enter mobile learning, a key tool to bridge the gaps that remote work has introduced.
5 Mobile Learning Advantages For Your Distributed Workforce As its name suggests, mobile learning describes the act of gaining information through personal devices like smartphones and tablets. In the age of the distributed worker, this type of training and communication mechanism is becoming increasingly vital. It has the ability to streamline education, while also promoting connections between individual workers. More specifically, here are 5 ways in which mobile learning services can enhance your global workforce.
1) Provide Universal Access Above all, the core benefit of any mobile learning education system is its ubiquity. Your training modules hosted in this fashion are accessible from anywhere, and with any device. Different time zones, or preferred methods of engagement, are no longer relevant. Simply build a learning framework, and provide it to your workforce in a way that best suits their needs. This universal access becomes especially important considering the increasing expectations your workers have for any HR operations. Core functions need to be available 24/7, which includes the onboarding and training modules. Put simply, your workforce doesn’t have time to wait for you until they finally learn about their responsibilities. Mobile learning tailors the learning environment to them, not vice versa.
2) Enhance Employee Engagement As a core trend moving into 2018, your staffers want more than just a paycheck. They want to be involved in the organization’s larger goals and discussions, along with the opportunity to represent it in the community. This engagement can be difficult to produce for a remote worker, but mobile learning can help in the process. Through your digital training solutions, you can easily distribute the organization’s core goals and objectives in a way that speaks to workers across cultures. You can also implement more participatory mechanisms that encourage each staffer to take initiative and help to drive the organization forward.
3) Encourage Collaboration on Common Grounds As we enter the new year, collaboration and teamwork is increasingly key to both productivity and employee engagement. It’s the role of HR to facilitate the collaborative process both within and between multiple teams. When the individuals involved never physically see or meet each other, that goal can become a difficult challenge. Mobile-based learning environments can provide significant help to solve that challenge. Standardized modules designed for all collaborators serve to get everyone on the same page, building a baseline of knowledge that removes introductory steps and allows for a greater role of productive collaboration.
4) Increase HR and Training Connectivity As discussed in a previous article (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/hottest-2018hr-headlines-harassment-health-and-how-to-get-along), “employees worry about taking time off, shutting down their devices and enjoying earned vacation time.” Technology has enabled them to always stay connected, but also increased the responsibility to do so even outside or regular work hours. Any solution designed to engage workers needs to be available not just from a company computer, but any device that just happens to be close by. By definition, mobile learning can solve that problem. Through portability from desktop to mobile devices, it can build the ideal environment to satisfy your workforce’s need for connectivity.
5) Account for a Fluid Work Environment Contrary to popular perception, a remote workforce is not clear-cut. While increasing numbers of professionals work remotely at some point during the week, they also come back to the office for other days. They value their private space, but also work from open or closed offices. Co-sharing has become popular, but not many professionals use it full-time. Building a training solution that accounts for this fluidity and constant movement between work spaces can be difficult. A mobile approach is the best possible solution, adding an inherent degree of transferability to your learning modules. It makes your learning system accessible, regardless of the daily processes for an individual trainee.
How to Enhance Your Mobile Learning Education Across the Globe In theory, mobile learning is the perfect answer for an increasingly global and distributed workforce. But in practice, that can only be true if you implement a solution that is actually designed to take advantage of the benefits outlined above. Knowledge Anywhere (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/) offers education solutions designed specifically for these types of situations. Our learning management system is optimized for mobile devices, helping you manage and educate your workforce regardless of location or device. Schedule a demo to learn more, or get in touch with any questions.
The 7 Most Important Features of an Effective Sales LMS By Sarah Johnson December 18, 2017
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Experts don’t just suddenly appear. Only practice makes perfect. Especially in the complex world of sales, you have to make sure that you get your training mechanism right to maximize your conversions and grow your customer base. Any former and current sales rep knows that to be successful in this field, you have to train yourself in multiple dimensions. Brand expertise matters, but so does understanding how to react to unexpected situations, questions, and roadblocks. To master your engagements and conversations, you have to build the perfect mix of technical expertise and people skills. That’s where sales training systems enter the equation. The right solution helps sales rep build both their tangible and intangible skills. But not every platform is created equal. The right training system needs to be engaging, streamlined, and customizable. These are the 7 most important features of an effective sales LMS.
1) Built-In Live Video Capabilities Online training systems have a number of advantages (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/articledetail/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-a-virtual-learning-environment) for your sales reps, but they also come with limitations compared to in-person training. Virtual solutions tend to be impersonal, based less on interaction and more on conveying rational knowledge. Video coaching and mentoring capabilities can mitigate some of these issues. Video role-play comes with a number of advantages for your sales professionals: 1. It simulates real-life environments. 2. It encourages and builds creative problem-solving abilities. 3. It saves on in-person training costs. 4. It improves listening and communication skills. 5. It minimizes time and location restrictions. All of these benefits can be vital to train your sales team. Set it up right, and it can transform the effectiveness of your sales training solution.
2) xAPI and other Integration Opportunities Experienced managers and training professionals know that not all development actually takes place within the LMS. Informal learning matters just as much, as your team reads books, watches videos, chats with their peers, or looks for solutions for problems they encounter on an everyday basis. An effective training solution recognizes these limitations. Rather than confining the learning experience to its own platform, an xAPI-enabled LMS can help you track a number of activities outside its own platform (https://elearningindustry.com/xapi-enabled-lms-tracking-elearning-experiences), including from sources such as Performance Management Knowledge Base Online Forums Group Platforms Help Desk Talent Management Data Management Additional integrations also matter. For instance, a direct connection to your customer relationship management software (such as Salesforce) helps to improve your tracking and provides a clear bridge to implementing newly learned topic in real-life sales situations. The more you can integrate your learning management system with the rest of your digital infrastructure, the better.
3) Social Engagement Capabilities Good sales professionals want to talk. In fact, that’s what makes them good at their job. Does your LMS encourage them to actually engage and interact with each other? Research shows that training becomes more effective when the professionals being trained are able to talk to each other, exchange information, and work together on potential solutions. The right learning environment should facilitate this type of collaboration. For your LMS, that means including discussion boards and groups that encourage engagement and information sharing. It also makes sense to include live chat capabilities, which helps instructors easily communicate with individuals or groups of people.
4) Gamification Possibilities We’re competitive beings. Studies repeatedly show (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sociallyrelevant/201506/the-psychology-competition) that while we love working together, we also tend to look for opportunities to distinguish ourselves from our peers. Depending on the right environment, that competitive instinct can be either productive by compelling us to new heights, or destructive by pitting a team against each other. Your online learning solution should ensure that the latter is the case. The easiest way to accomplish that feat is building gamification possibilities into the training modules. Provide points for lessons, tasks, and objectives, and publicly show leaderboards to give your sales trainees something to strive for. For more internal performance reward, it also makes sense to provide badges that show when your reps have learned a vital new skill or completed an important module.
5) Customized Learning Paths Generally speaking, your sales team should emerge from their learning path with the same general knowledge about their job and the everyday situations they encounter. But at the same time, not everyone starts from the same baseline. Continual training for experienced reps might look different than the path that entry-level trainees should take. As a result, your LMS needs to include customized learning paths. The more relevant you can make your modules and path to the individuals on the learning journey, the more effective the training will become over time.
6) Mobile and Support The mobile revolution is already here. The majority of adults in developed countries now use their mobile devices to surf the web, read their email, and complete digital tasks. Is your online learning solution up for that development? Mobile optimization means making sure that the training is just as accessible and user-friendly on a smartphone or tablet as it would be on a desktop or laptop computer. Touch-based navigation, visuals, and other elements all work toward making sure that happens. This type of mobile optimization should not be separate from your sales training platform as a whole, but tightly integrated into the regular flow of modules, tasks, and engagement opportunities.
7) Reporting and Tracking Features Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of effective tracking within your LMS. Without it, you risk not knowing whether your sales team actually gains the knowledge they need, making them more effective at closing deals and increasing your customer base. Ideally, these reporting capabilities should be visual to provide you with a good and quick overview each time you need to evaluate success. But it also makes sense to focus on data you can dig into deeply, allowing you to understand the nuances of how your team works through the training platform, and which modules can be made more effective. We’ve reached a point where more sales managers recognize the importance of effective training. However, not every learning platform can actually support that effectiveness, which is what makes it so important to find an LMS that actually helps your team reach its sales goals. Knowledge Anywhere can be that solution for your team. We build our platform based on years of experience in working with clients that range from Microsoft to Denny’s. Schedule your demo today (https://knowledgeanywhere.youcanbook.me/) to learn how our online sales training solution can help your team close more deals.
Hottest 2018 HR Headlines: Harassment, Health and How to Get Along By Sarah Johnson December 13, 2017
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The office many of us call home 40 or more hours each week doesn’t look like it used to. While the throwback nostalgia of TV shows like Mad Men remind us that not long ago, one gender signed the contracts and made the rules and the other took notes, made coffee or just remained home altogether, the current office structure is best described as a place where the fundamental principles of work remain, but the dynamic of who works, when we work and how we achieve company goals are completely different.
What current trends do human resource professionals view as employment hot topics? Sexual harassment and other toxic issues Of all the current HR topics, the national news makes this subject the most pressing. From Hollywood to the halls of Congress, the #MeToo stories from men and women deluge the media daily and once told, more will follow. Sexual harassment on the job is a violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, but the law does not prevent the estimated 25% to 85% of women (https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/15/16438750/weinsteinsexual-harassment-facts) from experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. Men are coming forward (https://www.eeoc.gov/youth/case1.html) with their recollections, and other harassment issues based on gender identity (https://www.hrc.org/resources/discrimination-against-transgender-workers), sexual preference, race and religious beliefs and clothing (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/02/howreligious-harassment-varies-by-region-across-the-globe/) are on the rise.
Connectivity Employees worry about taking time off, shutting down their devices and enjoying earned vacation time. They get concerned when their company does not offer connectivity capability to their phones, yet complain about being “on call” all the time. This HR topic affects everyone’s morale: too much time on the job answering emails and phone calls is unhealthy, but too little time results in customer neglect and incomplete work.
Work-life balance A part of the connectivity conundrum, HR management is the bridge between the corporate office and disconnected employees unable or unwilling to take steps to achieve a healthy halfway point between home and work responsibilities. Business owners and employers have an understanding that workers need to step away and take care of appointments or attend family functions, but they are unaware of methods to increase job flexibility while maintaining productivity.
Employee engagement Staffers want more than a paycheck (https://hbr.org/2015/12/the-intangible-things-employees-want-fromemployers); they want involvement in company decisions and the motivation to move out into the community. Volunteering is more than a nice show; it’s your company advertised and branded with a team effort that improves local lives. And employee committees with decision-making input result in loyal employees who come to work every day with the intention of remaining for the long-term.
Paperless storage of documents Forget rooms of file drawers and offsite storage. Cloud storage lightens the physical load, eases retrieval and access and ensures safety with proper encryption. Multiple teams share and alter a single document in a meeting, clients receive forms and contracts via secure email and employees contribute to a greener, less cluttered office by using less paper, ink, and toner. Paperless storage saves space, expedites necessary corrections as compliance requirements change and create a smooth flow of materials for your sales and marketing divisions.
24/7 accessible HR Employees want access to everything from available vacation and sick time to retirement contributions and medical plan information. And they don’t want to call or email HR every time they have a question or update contact information. They want to take care of personal issues quickly and want to do it at a time and place convenient to them, not HR’s operating hours. HR apps (https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hrtopics/technology/pages/hrapps.aspx) exist for most department functions including recruiting, sales, attendance, payroll, performance metrics, and benefits.
Open space vs. virtual space vs. cubicle space The open or shared workspace was considered the saving grace of the office: it permitted the free exchange of ideas, light, and air, knocked down the ugly cubicle walls and encouraged physical movement among employees. It also removed privacy, decreased productivity and increased noise levels. The “cube” was dismal in its sameness, but it absorbed noise, concealed power panels, and cords and increased productivity. The virtual office, whether at home, a coffee shop or an offsite rented office space, meant less overhead but no way to track hours or productivity or meet professionally with clients. Which workspace works is an HR topic still seeking a solution.
Teams and collaboration Two or more people working towards one goal make a team; multiple teams working together on that goal is collaboration, and the movement from team goals to teams’ goals is part of a company’s sense of purpose and dedication to faster, better and less costly success. HR’s role is gathering and providing resources: Internetbased training, file sharing and video conferencing and encouraging all participants to view each other as equals and leave their titles outside the conference room while bringing their ideas and expertise to the table.
Where is the work going? The President recently announced semiconductor manufacturer Broadcom’s (http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2017/11/02/trump-broadcom/107264042/) return to U.S.-based manufacturing, but this is one company out of six (http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/09/14/companies-saying-goodbye-to-u-s2.html) who left the country just in 2016 for cheaper labor, favorable taxes, and lower costs. Outsourcing jobs to robots and other countries concerns employees and current HR topics include answering worker’s questions and addressing anxieties while dealing with the reality of job displacement.
How green is my workplace It’s not just about reducing paper usage and cloud storage. Chemical storage, cleaning products, air quality, lighting and alternative transportation to work are staff concerns. HR departments contribute to sustainable work practices with posted conservation reminders, using vendors selling recycled products, providing paper and plastic recycling bins and tracking and posting the office’s green accomplishments regularly.
Many ages, one workspace The Millennial generation is moving from the bottom tier to the top offices, Gen Z is on the way in and the Baby Boomers are working longer because they can and want the extra money for later retirement. The gathering of generations (https://hbr.org/2014/09/managing-people-from-5-generations) in one office creates a chance for both successful collaboration and schoolyard cliques. HR’s role is introducing one group to the other as coworkers and team members, without the “them vs. us” mentality. Knowledge Anywhere (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/) offers cloud-based training solutions for the healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, financial and technology industries. Our specialized courses modernize and customize the learning process, teaching relevant and job-specific skills accessible on your computer hardware. Measure results and gain feedback that grows your business and develops your staff effectively. From a single course to fully immersive virtual reality training, we offer real-world training while minimizing risk at a cost-effective level. Our goal is your optimal talent acquisition and management (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/what-is-talent-management); not just finding the best people for your workplace, but training, coaching, retaining and promoting them.
The 12 Best Free eLearning Tools and How To Use Them to Improve Your Corporate Training By Porschea Kirby December 06, 2017
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Whenever you hire new employees, it’s important that you get them up to speed as quickly as possible, without sacrificing the quality of their learning. You also want to make a good impression on these new employees, and so forcing them to sit in a conference room for several hours a day, while someone lectures to them, is probably not ideal. With eLearning, you allow your employees to work through interactive lessons at their own pace. It’s an incredibly effective way to pass along information to your workforce, and makes the training process easier for the heads of departments, as they don’t have to spend their time training each new group of employees. But putting together an eLearning course takes time and money. You’re not going to find a course out there already made that perfectly suits your company and its needs. One of the ways to make assembling an eLearning course cheaper is by using some free eLearning tools. Using these tools, in conjunction with a Learning Management System, will transform the way you train your employees, and hopefully, save you some money in the long run. Here are a few free eLearning resources to get you started:
Free Video Sources 1. VideoPad Video Editor (https://videopad-video-editor.en.softonic.com/) - First up, we have a piece of software that is perfect for people who need some basic video editing tools. While this software package won’t blow you away with its advanced features, it’s perfect for beginners who just need to do some simple editing. 2. Pexels Videos (https://videos.pexels.com/)- If you need some stock footage to use within your video, then start your search with Pexels. Pexels provides thousands of free stock videos, that you can easily download and add to your video. 3. OBS Studio (https://obsproject.com/) - OBS, or Open Broadcaster Software, is a tool that allows you to record your computer screen. This is particularly handy if you want to demonstrate how company software works, or how certain procedures should be handled. Rather than typing out step-by-step instructions, you could simply show your new employees an example of how it’s done.
Free Image Sources 1. Pexels Images (https://www.pexels.com/) - Just like with video, Pexels offers free stock images. Your eLearning courses will be a little boring if they are all text, so it’s good to break them up with some images. Stock images are a great way to find generic images, and if you don’t want to pay for them, Pexels has a wide variety to choose from. 2. GIMP (https://www.gimp.org/) - For photo editing, consider trying GIMP. GIMP is essentially the free version of Adobe’s Photoshop. While it may take a little while to learn, once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that you have a powerful tool at your disposal, all for free. 3. Paint.NET (https://www.getpaint.net/) - If you want something a little simpler than GIMP, we recommend Paint.NET. This free tool is perfect when you just need to do some basic editing and is easier to learn compared with GIMP.
Free Fonts 1. FontSpace (http://www.fontspace.com/) - When you want to change up your eLearning course a bit more, you might consider using a new font. Rather than buying a new font that you’ll only use this once, you can find plenty of free fonts on a site like FontSpace. There are currently over 30,000 fonts available on this site, so you have a nice selection to choose from. 2. Font Freak (http://www.fontfreak.com/) - Another place to find free fonts is Font Freak. While the selection is not as large as FontSpace, there are over 9,000 free fonts on this site, so you should be able to find something that you like.
Free Project Management and Collaboration Resources Putting together an eLearning course isn’t simple, and you’ll likely need a team of people to help you accomplish it. To get all of these people on the same page, and to help them communicate, you’ll want some decent project management software. Luckily, there are a few free options for this as well. 1. Bitrix24 (http://www.bitrix24.com/) - First up, we have Bitrix24. This project management system is entirely free to use unless you want to upgrade your storage past 5GB, in which case there is a small fee. With Bitrix24 you can plan out employee workloads, communicate in real-time, share documents, and even track time. It’s one of the more powerful project management tools out there, and you don’t even have to pay for it. 2. Freedcamp (https://freedcamp.com) - Our second project management tools, Freedcamp is right up there with Bitrix24. With Freedcamp, you get unlimited users, projects, and storage. It comes with an iOS app if your company uses Apple products, and an optimized mobile website if not. With Freedcamp you’ll also get templates, time tracking, and invoicing, making it a very comprehensive tool.
Virtual Reality 1. Headjack.io (https://headjack.io/) - If you want to take your courses to the next level, and introduce Virtual Reality, there are apps that can help you out. We recommend starting with Headjack, which will allow you to create VR video apps in a matter of minutes, and then you can incorporate these into your eLearning course. 2. InstaVR (http://www.instavr.co/) - Another VR tool, InstaVR is very similar to Headjack. InstaVR is a popular tool, used by companies such as Toyota, Expedia, Redbull and CBS. The tool is free to try, but if you want more of the advanced features, you’ll have to pay for it.
Putting It All Together 1. SCORMify (https://www.scormify.io) - When you need to put it all together, a great tool to help you out is SCORMify. SCORMify makes it easy to quickly turn documents and videos into SCORM compliant courses. With responsive design and advanced style options, you can ensure your course looks exactly like you want it to, and appears great on a wide range of devices. Once you’re done, you can easily upload it to any Learning Management System.
Make the Most of the Tools Available to You Just because you are assembling an eLearning course for your company, doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money. From free eLearning authoring to free stock images and project management software, there are plenty of great tools that you don’t need to pay for. Even though of the above tools are a great way to make assembling your eLearning course easier, you still need a tool to put them all together. For that, you want a Learning Management System. With our corporate training system, you can easily deliver eLearning courses online, and the free tools mentioned above will help to keep down the total costs of the project. To learn more about how our Learning Management System can help you, please feel free to contact us.
Important Employee Training Considerations for Engaging a MultiGenerational Workforce By Brandon Farwell November 29, 2017
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Among the many challenges businesses face today is engaging an increasingly diverse and multigenerational workforce. It’s common to have people from two or even three generations working side by side. Employees born so many decades apart often have very different skills, backgrounds, and expectations. This is something that affects every aspect of work life. Training people from different generations is often an especially tricky area. You don’t want to design separate training programs for people based on age but it’s often difficult to come up with methods that work for everyone. Let’s look at some tips to help you design a training program that engages people of all ages.
Understanding the Needs of Different Generations The first step is to understand why employees of different ages often need distinct approaches when it comes to training. Consider a Baby Boomer or even someone born in the World War II era, alternately called the Greatest Generation or the Silent Generation. These people grew up long before the internet (at least before the internet was widely used), not to mention smartphones, instant messaging, and social media. At the other end of the spectrum, millennials and Generation Z (the generation just starting to enter the workforce now). These young people grew up taking the digital world for granted. For all intents and purposes, a 60-year old and a 25-year old grew up in completely different cultures. Older millennials and Generation Xers, meanwhile, are somewhere in the middle. There’s actually a wide spectrum of knowledge and familiarity with the latest technology. It’s best not to make assumptions about people based solely on their age. But you need to be aware that your workforce probably includes people with widely differing backgrounds. This awareness is especially crucial when it comes to training. For the quality and depth of training are one of the main factors associated with employee engagement.
Why Training and Engagement Are Vital to Success Employee engagement is one of the keys to a successful enterprise. Lack of engagement harms your company in a number of ways. For one thing, disengaged employees are far more likely to seek employment elsewhere. According to Gallup (http://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/204248/star-employees-slippingaway.aspx), 73% of disengaged employees are actively looking other jobs and opportunities. While many factors influence engagement, training, and onboarding play a major role. Without effective training, it’s difficult for new hires to fully fit, feel at home and reach their full potential. The Korn Ferry Futurestep Survey reveals that 98% of executives believe that onboarding programs are crucial for employee retention (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/korn-ferry-futurestep-survey-90-120000985.html). Training, of course, is a major aspect of onboarding, making it easier for new employees to meet the challenges of their jobs. Employees who don’t receive proper training are more likely to feel disengaged and seek other opportunities. According to one study, 40% of employees who receive inadequate training leave their jobs within the first year (https://www.go2hr.ca/articles/employee-training-worth-investment). There’s an undeniable link between effective employee training, engagement, and business success. The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) found that companies that offer comprehensive training have a 24% higher profit margin (http://The%20American%20Society%20for%20Training%20and%20Development%20(ASTD)%20) than those that invest less in training. Of course, when considering how to create effective and engaging training today, it’s necessary to consider the varying needs of your multigenerational workforce.
Multigenerational Training Guidelines Once you’re aware of generational workforce differences, you can design training that addresses everyone’s needs. The best approach is to incorporate several elements to your training to ensure that you don’t leave anyone out. Here are some guidelines to help you do this. Avoid stereotyping people. Try to maintain a balance between recognizing that members of each generation have certain tendencies and realizing that people are individuals. For example, some Baby Boomers are tech-savvy while not all millennials are addicted to their smartphones. Balance guidance and self-direction in your training programs. Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation grew up learning mostly from personal interactions rather than media. Gen-Xers and Millennials, to varying degrees, grew up playing computer games, browsing the internet, and learning many tasks on their own. Today’s e-learning platforms provide many options for self-directed learning. While this is valuable, don’t forget that some of your employees prefer live interaction and personal contact. Seek learning tools that bridge the generations. Some tools are appropriate for multiple generations and learning styles. Video training is especially effective in this manner. For one thing, even older employees probably watched instructional movies in school. Videos also allow for more traditional lecture-style learning that’s not very different from a live session. Provide additional training to bring everyone up to speed. Very often, the gap separating people on tech issues is not as wide as it first appears. Yet, if your training program simply assumes that everyone has the same background, it’s easy to inadvertently leave some people behind. You can prevent this by providing extra training (http://www.successfulmeetings.com/Strategy/SM-How-To/How-to-Teach-NewTechnology-to-Old-Employees/) and peer-to-peer sessions for older employees (and anyone else who needs it). This type of training might include instruction in using certain software, keyboarding skills, and anything else that’s an essential prerequisite to your overall training. Encourage intergenerational communication. Each generation has distinctive experiences and skill sets (once again, keeping in mind differences within generations and among individuals). Apart from formal training, encourage people of different generations to work together and share their strengths. You can do this by partnering people together in pairs or groups for learning and work projects. When people work together, they often informally pick up quite a bit from one another. A millennial, for example, might teach a Baby Boomer how to use the latest apps while older employees can share some of the valuable experience they’ve picked up over the years. If you learn to leverage and appreciate it, people from different generations working together is actually a source of strength for your business. Diversity lets you incorporate the strengths and experiences acquired by people from different generations. It’s beyond dispute that quality training improves engagement and contributes to success. By taking steps to address everyone’s needs, you ensure that all of your employees get the most out of your training. Check out this article for more ideas on how to train employees of different generations (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/how-to-effectively-train-different-generations).
How to Curb Workplace Harassment with Online Anti-harassment Training By Brandon Farwell November 21, 2017
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Workplace harassment is a major issue today. Harassment creates a toxic environment for a business and can harm your reputation. It can also be costly when employees launch lawsuits. Dealing with issues such as workplace bullying, sexual harassment, and other types of harassment is always challenging. It’s far preferable to prevent these incidents than to deal with them after the fact. One of the most effective strategies for curbing this problem is by introducing an online anti-harassment training program.
Why You Need to Take Workplace Harassment Seriously The recent allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein have brought workplace sexual harassment into the headlines. However, the problem goes far beyond the movie industry. According to a report by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (http://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/publications_nsvrc_overview_sexual-violence-workplace.pdf), almost 40% of women have experienced some type of workplace sexual harassment. While sexual harassment is usually directed against women, men are affected as well. There’s also the related issue of workplace bullying, which includes verbal abuse, manipulation, and spreading false information about co-workers. Organizations that study this problem, such as the Workplace Bullying Institute, find that almost half of all workers experience bullying (https://www.thebalance.com/workplace-bullying-bullying-facts-and-figures2164325) at some time or another. Unfortunately, even these sobering numbers probably don’t reveal the true extent of the problem as many incidents are never reported. According to a study from the University of Michigan (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/upshot/its-not-just-fox-why-women-dont-report-sexual-harassment.html), only one-quarter one-third of sexual harassment victims report these incidents to supervisors and even fewer ever result in formal complaints. While such cases don’t superficially affect businesses as much as reported ones, they certainly lower workplace morale and disrupt teamwork and motivation. That’s why it’s essential for every business to take this issue seriously and come up with effective preventive measures.
Creating an Online Anti-Harassment Course Preventing workplace harassment requires a multifaceted approach. You need to create clearcut policies on conduct and an efficient process for investigating claims. It’s important to foster an atmosphere where victims feel comfortable coming forward about any incidents. An online anti-harassment course is a valuable addition to your overall strategy for curbing this problem. Let’s look at some of the crucial components to include in such a course. Defining Harassment - One of the course’s purposes is to inform or remind everyone how common harassment is and the many forms it takes. It’s important that both potential victims and potential violators are aware of your company’s policies. Your course might show examples of harassment, either described or acted out. Inclusiveness - When employees feel accepted and part of the team, they’re less vulnerable to harassment. It’s often a struggle for new employees, especially those who are introverted or less aggressive, to fit in. A good place to start with an anti-harassment course is on the topic of inclusiveness. It’s important to include new employees in both workplace and extracurricular activities. Very often, people exclude new hires not out of maliciousness but simply due to oversight. Since they’re not yet part of people’s usual circle of friends/teammates, no one thinks to invite them. An online course can address these issues and remind long-term employees to include their newer co-workers in all activities. Diversity - Teaching employees about diversity goes a long way in preventing discrimination, whether it’s based on gender, sexual preference, race, or religion. Today’s workplaces are more diverse than ever and teams are often composed of people from many backgrounds. Diversity training fosters the appreciation of differences and to recognize the contribution that people from different backgrounds can make. Aside from helping to prevent harassment, diversity training helps make your business more creative and innovative (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connect/better-business/businesssustainability/business-benefits-diversity-inclusion/). Team Dynamics - Another essential module of your anti-harassment course deals with effective teambuilding and team dynamics. Some people are natural leaders while others tend to hang back and not speak up as much. Nevertheless, it’s important that everyone’s voice is heard. Shy and less aggressive people also have valuable ideas. Sometimes, more assertive people will discourage their quieter teammates from speaking up by interrupting or dismissing their thoughts. This is a type of bullying that actually harms the business in a couple of ways. It makes the bullied workers feel that their voices aren’t heard and it deprives the team of hearing their contributions. These are a few components that can help to clarify your company’s policies about harassment and to help reduce such incidents. The course should be tailored to your own particular needs based on your industry and company culture.
How to Increase the Course’s Effectiveness Your online anti-harassment course should cover as many elements as possible to educate employees and get them on board to help you prevent harassment. You can’t, however, simply deliver the online course and expect it to work miracles on its own. You also need follow-up procedures. Updates and reviews. It’s a good idea to make frequent updates to the course to reflect and new issues or policies. Even if you haven’t made any significant changes, it’s still worthwhile to provide at least a short review so the material remains fresh in people’s minds. Survey employees. Surveys help you measure the content and make improvements in the future. Anonymous surveys are useful for asking employees about their experiences with harassment as well as their reactions to your online course. Discussions. Live discussions help to clarify and reinforce the course material. They also give employees a chance to talk about these issues face-to-face, which can build rapport and prevent harassment issues. Measuring results. Over time, you’ll want to measure the effectiveness of the course. Has it reduced reported incidents? You may observe that it has helped in certain ways but not others. Studying results helps you refine the course and make it more effective. Workplace harassment is a serious and costly problem for businesses of all types and sizes. You want to do everything possible to prevent such incidents from occurring. An online anti-harassment course is an effective measure to help you achieve this goal. Making sure all employees are clear about your policies on harassment is an essential part of your compliance training. One challenge that all businesses face is getting employees to take compliance training seriously. Read Creative Ways to Energize Employees About Compliance Training (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/creative-ways-to-energizeemployees-about-compliance-training) for suggestions.
10 Ways to Crack the Sales Readiness Code with Training By Sarah Johnson November 16, 2017
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Your company’s growth and prosperity hinge upon the success of your sales force. In today’s fiercely competitive business environment, your company simply cannot afford to skimp on sales training. By creating an award-winning sales readiness plan (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/10essential-sales-training-topics-for-onboarding-new-sales-reps), you can make sure that your new sales representatives quickly master essential sales skills like rapport-building, active listening, and following up with customers. Below are ten training topics to cover to help ensure that your new sales representatives are ready to hit the ground running.
1) Targeting the best prospects The path to sales success begins with a sales rep’s ability to identify the best prospective customers and entice them with targeted marketing strategies. Effective sales training (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/improving-sales-performance-throughelearning-salesenablement) arms new reps with the skills they need to determine whether a lead is hot, cold, or somewhere in between.
2) Establishing rapport with a prospect Connecting with prospects is vital to building a trusted relationship with customers. Top sales readiness training initiatives include virtual simulations that feature examples of rapport building between sales professionals and prospects. Whenever possible, these simulations should feature the following: The proper way to engage in self-disclosure to earn the trust of prospective customers Interactive exercises that encourage sales reps to practice active listening techniques (https://www.thebalance.com/selling-by-listening-2917621) Simulations of effective cold calling techniques Multi-cultural awareness training, especially for companies with a large international client base
3) Lead prioritization Sales reps receive inquiries from a variety of sources such as trade shows, referrals, the internet, and phone calls. Knowing how to prioritize these leads should be an essential part of any sales readiness plan. Sales training online is effective because simulation can be used to introduce and compare examples of varying lead types simultaneously.
4) Introduction to sales software Mastering the art of selling and negotiating is only part of the learning process for a new salesperson. Most companies use sales software that new reps must learn how to use. Training initiatives should include an introduction to your company’s sales software and cover the following points: Entering new customers into the system Preparing and sending formal quotations to customers Tracking inventory and looking up products Preparation of sales orders
5) Overcoming Objections Learning how to avoid the word “NO” (https://www.nasp.com/article/949AC69B-7B92/the-answer-is-alwaysno-until-you-ask-for-the-sale.html) is a critical skill for new sales reps to master. Training programs should cover strategies that help eliminate customer excuses and subtly overcome customer resistance to investing in your products. By featuring the following types of virtual training scenarios, an LMS can help sales reps overcome customer objections: 6) Following up on leads. Roughly 80% of sales close after the fourth follow-up attempt (https://www.salesgravy.com/sales-articles/closing-techniques/Following-Up-with-Prospects-90-PercentNever-Do). However, nearly half of all salespeople never follow up (https://venturebeat.com/2014/08/15/theseincredible-sales-stats-everyone-cites-are-actually-completely-false/) at all on their leads. Ideally, sales training should highlight these statistics and demonstrate effective follow-up strategies such as the following: Showing sales reps how to accurately estimate the customer’s purchasing timeframe Employing virtual simulation to show sales reps how to be tactful when following up Using the sales software system to schedule regular follow-up reminders with customers
7) Shortening the sales cycle Closing opportunities faster is a major challenge for virtually every sales representative, regardless of tenure. Top sales training programs utilize a multi-media format to introduce sales reps to strategies that can shorten the sales cycle. Examples include the following: Presentation of time-sensitive discounts to incentivize customers to purchase more quickly Simulations that feature sales reps effectively creating a sense of urgency among customers Effective ways to use promotions to spur customers to purchase
8) Product training Selling a product is typically easier if you have a strong working knowledge of its features and benefits. Sales training software makes product education interesting and interactive by enabling sales reps to engage in learning through the following: Gaming simulations that allow sales reps to compete against each other to master product features Online quizzes and exams to assess knowledge of product features Delivery of product mastery certificates that sales reps can post to social media
9) Asking for the order Some sales reps can master every phase of the sales process but then fail to ask for the order. Whether this tendency is due to fear of rejection or sheer forgetfulness, sales reps need to be trained to ask for the sale. Highlights to cover include when to ask for the order and subtle ways to ask for a customer’s business.
10) Post-sale follow-up Dropping a customer like a hot potato after closing a sale is a sure fire way to send that customer running to a competitor the next time they need to place an order. Fortunately, you can prevent this from happening by ensuring that your sales training emphasizes the importance of post-sale follow up.
How to Develop the Most Effective Sales Readiness Training The most valuable sales training tips in the world will not bolster a sales rep’s close ratio unless they are presented in a format that captures and maintains the sales rep’s attention. The most effective sales readiness plans feature the following qualities: A style that keeps sales reps fully engaged during the learning process Sales training techniques that are interactive for learners A multi-media approach that includes images, videos, quizzes, and virtual simulations A means of tracking each sales rep’s learning progress and acquisition of selling skills The learning management professionals with Knowledge Anywhere are experts at developing sales training programs that incorporate these elements. Check out our learning management software (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/) to see how your sales reps can exceed their performance goals with the help of virtual reality training courses. We look forward to helping you enjoy record-setting sales!
5 Ways Video Role-Play Will Transform Your Training Effectiveness By Sarah Johnson November 07, 2017
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How can you prepare your team for the unexpected? How can you leverage real-world scenarios in a daily work environment, before they actually occur? These are the questions that tend to stump training managers and developers across multiple industries today. Traditional training and development tend to revolve around theoretical concepts, past experiences, and other hypotheticals. While undoubtedly important, these mechanisms are not always relatable and can make onboarding new team members as well as developing existing staff difficult. That doesn’t have to be the case. New training techniques have allowed modules to become not just more immersive, but more applicable to your team’s everyday work tasks. One technique that deserves particular attention is video role-play; in fact, here are five ways in which utilizing online video coaching can transform your training effectiveness. 1) Simulate Real-World Environments Role-playing is particularly effective in sales training environments, due to the high-pressure situations reps can encounter. Even the best training focusing on the script and hypotheticals cannot address the scenario in which a customer asks unexpected questions, or reacts negatively to a pitch. Through video role-playing, these situations can be better anticipated and learned. Experienced online mentors walk trainees through a scenario that puts them in the right mindset to respond appropriately. Trainees learn faster and more effectively (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234567370_Role_Play_and_Simulation_Returning_to_Teaching_for_Understanding) in this type of active environment. 2) Encourage Creative Problem-Solving Unexpected situations such as the ones described above can quickly lead to scenarios that no theoretical preparation can cover. The goal of your training program, then, should not just be to teach basics but also to encourage any trainee to foster and develop their creative problem-solving abilities and techniques. As Rehearsal VRP (http://www.rehearsal.com/wp-content/themes/rehearsal/Content/PDF/RehearsalVRP_Whitepaper-3.4.pdf), a leader in the online video training environment points out, “incorporating roleplay scenarios in training bridges the gap between reacting and being prepared.” Through effective online role-playing new and experienced sales reps alike can begin to anticipate the unexpected, and form patterns of correct responses and ways forward. 3) Save Training Costs Effective training can be expensive. According to John Talbot’s (https://www.routledge.com/Training-inOrganisations-A-Cost-Benefit-Analysis/Talbot/p/book/9780566092107) Training in Organizations book, expenditures of in-person training and off-site workshops and conferences make up a majority of the average company’s training budget. At the same time, few other opportunities can replace the personal contact and customized learning that these types of training can provide. Video role-playing could be the exception. Through its mentor system, it still focuses on personalized training, but without the actual costs of travel and event organization or the opportunity cost of pulling an employee out of their day job. The result is an approximately equally effective training, at a much less expensive rate. 4) Improve Listening and Communication Skills Role-playing is about more than just listening to a linear video. Any trainee has to build a more wholesome understanding of their conversation partner, from the actual words of the body language and nonverbal cues. Modules often include scenarios in which these exact cues become vital to success. Any externally-focused position at your company can benefit from these learned skills. Employees trained through this method begin to understand the importance of communication and listening, not just to spoken or written words but the context around it. 5) Minimize Time and Location Restrictions Finally, especially when compared to its in-person training alternatives, online video coaching minimizes the time and location restrictions typically placed on a team in need of training. Live role play for sales reps can easily be converted to recorded, asynchronous videos to be incorporated into future onboarding and development programs. Within these lower limitations, of course, it still makes sense to place each participant in locations that are as realistic as possible. Sales reps learn more if they perform the role-playing exercise at the same spot in which they will ultimately encounter similar scenarios. But even then, connectivity and remote possibilities significantly reduce the typically centralized aspect of training. Use Cases of Video Role-Play Across Industries The above-mentioned benefits are particularly relevant to sales training. At the same time, video-based employee training can be just as beneficial across industries, as the below use cases highlight. 1. New employee onboarding. Role-playing is a perfect fit to onboard new employees for any communication-based role. From sales to customer service, it can provide scenarios that develop the needed skills at a fraction of the cost compared to other training methods. 2. Regular professional development. Even experienced professionals, in sales and elsewhere, will need to develop their skills regularly. Online video coaching can be a natural fit to present new scenarios and make sure that these professionals don’t begin to fall into formulaic habits of communication. 3. Distributed workforce. Centralized training makes sense if all of your employees work from a single location. With a centralized workforce, however, the limited costs and flexibility afforded by an online solution that doesn’t sacrifice customization can be significant. In short, live role play for sales reps and other professionals within your organization might be the technique you need to enhance your training. Thanks to benefits that range from real-life simulations to cost considerations, any industry that looks to prepare its employees for high-pressure, communication-based roles can take advantage of it to optimize their training management and execution. To leverage these benefits, of course, you need a learning management system capable of integrating video role play software. Knowledge Anywhere is proud to partner with Rehearsal (http://www.rehearsal.com/), one of the premier VRP solutions on the market. Thanks to Rehearsal video role play, in combination with our eLearning suite (http://go.knowledgeanywhere.com/schedule-a-free-lms-demo), your team will be able to prepare better for any scenarios they might encounter. Contact us to learn more about our customizable LMS, and how it can allow you to take advantage of video-based employee training.
How to Prevent Risk: 5 Key Benefits of Using Online Safety Training Courses By Sarah Johnson November 01, 2017
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Workplace illnesses and injuries can have a devastating effect on a company’s workforce and their bottom line. In the United States, employers pay roughly $1 billion per week in worker’s compensation costs (https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/products/topics/businesscase/costs.html). And with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) increasing monetary penalties for safety violations (https://www.oshaeducationcenter.com/articles/2016-osha-fine-increases.aspx), businesses and organizations simply cannot afford to gloss over employee safety training. Below is a look at the benefits of using a learning management system (LMS) for safety training and the specific ways that virtual safety training can enhance a company’s risk prevention initiatives. Who can benefit from online safety training courses? The United States Department of Labor (DOL) (https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/education-training.html) recommends that safety education and training be a top priority for every employer - large and small (https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3163/osha3163.html). Training should be provided to business owners, supervisors, managers, and all workers who are employed by a company. While there is a need for safety training in virtually every industry, there are some industries that require comprehensive safety training. They include the following: Construction companies and employers of people who operate lifts and powerful equipment Healthcare organizations and any entity that employs workers who handle hazardous materials Manufacturing companies and businesses that feature heavy machinery and welding equipment Businesses within the HAZMAT industry that involve exposure to dangerous chemicals and materials Transportation companies and businesses that involve the operation of specialized vehicles How can an LMS minimize risk in the workplace? The key advantage of an LMS for risk management is the ability to provide a lifelike simulation of common hazardous or dangerous situations without risking employee welfare. Whereas traditional safety training methods may include live demonstrations that could pose a risk to employees, an LMS introduces employees to vital safety information using a virtual reality platform that poses no risk to participants or employees. What type of material can be featured in online safety courses? To be most effective, learning for safety purposes should be engaging and interesting for employees. Additionally, safety courses must cover key elements recommended by the DOL. While some variance in safety training requirements exists among different industries, the DOL recommends (https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/education-training.html) that safety training courses cover the following: The skills and knowledge required to safely perform work and avoid risky or hazardous situations The proper way to report and control common workplace hazards Specialized training tips for employees whose work involves unique risks and challenges In accordance with these recommendations, effective online safety training for employees may include courses that feature the following safety procedures: Video simulation of proper lifting techniques to help prevent back injuries at a packaging company A guided tour of each step to report an unstable scaffold or other hazard at a construction site Simulation of hospital employees properly handling and disposing of bloodborne pathogens What are the key benefits of using online safety training courses? With their comprehensive design and user-friendly format, online safety training courses help companies avoid employee injuries and costly monetary penalties. In addition to enabling employees to receive training from their preferred location with their favorite mobile device, an LMS for safety training offers a variety of advantages to employers. Below are five key benefits of using online safety training courses. 1) Employees receive the most current information. Safety regulations are constantly changing (https://www.nacd.com/media/responsible-reflections-blog/embrace-safety-training/), requiring employers to revise their safety training materials on an ongoing basis in order to prevent safety violations. Online safety training for employees is advantageous because safety content can be quickly modified in a matter of seconds from any location. 2) Safety training material can easily be standardized. Standardization of training material is critical in industries that emphasize safety. Organizations such as the International Federation of Standards Users (IFAN) point to the need for standardization education and training (http://www.ifan.org/IFAN-GUIDE%204Education-2014-09.pdf). Using an LMS for safety training supports standardization because all employees are exposed to exactly the same content using the same mode of delivery. 3) You can easily train a multi-language workforce. OSHA and other agencies dedicated to employee safety require that employees receive training and instruction in a manner or language that is “understandable to employees.” This means that safety training material must be presented in a foreign language if employees receive their job instructions in a language other than English. Online safety courses can easily be modified to meet the linguistic needs of a diverse workforce. 4) Shift work is not interrupted. Many employees who receive safety training engage in shift work. Traditional safety training methods hinder productivity because they are administered during an employee’s work shift. Online safety training courses offer a greater degree of flexibility because they do not have to be administered during an employee’s shift. 5) Companies can effectively demonstrate compliance with industry safety standards. Demonstrating compliance with industry safety standards is critical to the success of most businesses. Using a compliance LMS for safety training enables training managers to maintain robust employee training records, thereby fulfilling key documentation requirements. The Bottom Line The rapidly evolving safety landscape requires companies to adapt their training material swiftly while keeping employees engaged and interested in learning how to prevent injury. An LMS for safety can help minimize risk in the workplace by offering a versatile, adaptable means of simulating risky scenarios. Contact the online training experts with Knowledge Anywhere to find out how you can minimize risks in your workplace. As a leading online safety training company, we can introduce you to our eLearning suite (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/) and help you make sure that your employees receive safety training in an efficient, comprehensive format. We look forward to helping you implement a stellar safety training initiative!
6 Benefits of an Extended Enterprise LMS For Your Business By Sarah Johnson October 23, 2017
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As your corporation grows into an enterprise, you need to start taking into account the need to train external stakeholders. When your learning requirements begin to include distribution channel partners, customers, and other brands under your umbrella, you need to think about integrating an extended enterprise LMS.
What is an Extended Enterprise LMS? You probably know that a learning management solution, or LMS, describes any software that helps you automate and structure your internal training program. An extended enterprise LMS extends that concept to include not just your employees, but any stakeholder you can benefit from participating in the same type of structured program. According to the corporate education resource Web Anywhere, extended enterprise learning includes (https://www.webanywhere.com/our-blog/extended-enterprise-learning-introduction)
any training that is provided to learners outside of your organization. The training could be targeted at dealers, channel distribution partners, suppliers, resellers, franchisees, and even your customers. You’ve probably encountered this type of learning mechanism yourself, in the systematic onboarding your company needs for any software it integrates into its workflow. Customer knowledge bases, new product rollouts for franchisees, and partner channel certifications are all examples of extended online learning.
6 Benefits of an Extended Enterprise Learning Management System As soon as your training program begins to consider external stakeholders, your needs for a corporate learning management system begins to change. Now, you need a wide variety of training modules that are adjusted for individual audiences, allowing you to track successes not just based on overall process but segmented by audience type. When you get to that point, an extended enterprise LMS implementation comes with a variety of benefits:
1) Standardized Training for All Stakeholders Perhaps the biggest, and most obvious advantage of an extended enterprise LMS solution is its standardization. Once your stakeholders begin to expand outside of internal departments and employees, keeping the baseline of knowledge required to work with your company consistent can be difficult. A single learning program helps to keep everyone on the same page. It efficiently distributes any new or newly relevant information about your enterprise for any stakeholder who needs to know about it.
2) Increased Trackability and Reporting Standardization, of course, only matters when you can track its success. Moving to a single LMS that can serve all relevant stakeholders means being able to take advantage of extensive reporting, which allows you to track which of your channel partners, customers, and franchisees are completing the training. These reports also help you relate measured results to performance and quality of relationships, allowing you to make adjustments and improvements where needed.
3) Consistency Across Individual Brands As your enterprise grows its brand portfolio, consistency becomes increasingly essential. Multiple brands may act as independent entities in the eyes of customers, but they still need to share a knowledge base about corporate practices, values, and regulations. Structured extended learning can help you build this consistency.
4) Consistency Across Distribution Channels Similar to individual brands, distribution channels will need to operate from a single base of knowledge. Particularly for corporations engaging in just-in-time delivery, information needs to be shared efficiently and quickly. The right LMS helps to get every channel partner on the same page, reducing the amount of daily communication required to functional and increasing speed (and quality) of delivery.
5) Customized Training for Stakeholder Groups In addition to its consistency, the second component to any extended enterprise learning system is its customization ability. Each channel partner, customer group, brand, and franchisee needs to receive the same type of information. How they receive that information, however, can differ significantly. The right strategy helps you customize your training module for each stakeholder group, without sacrificing the consistency gained through using a single software solution.
6) Increased Customer Engagement and Loyalty Finally, it pays to consider just how vital structured training can be especially for new customers. After first choosing to buy your product or service, this group needs to understand precisely how to make the most of it. A training software solution that reaches beyond internal audiences can help to accomplish that feat, standardizing the onboarding process and improving the chances that your customers stay with you for a long time to come.
Use Cases for Successful Extended Enterprise LMS Implementation Based on these benefits, use cases for a structured extended enterprise learning program abound. Just some of the many possibilities include: Onboarding new customers in a more standardized way. Introducing new products or product features to your existing customers. Establishing standardized processes for moving products through the value chain. Building branding guidelines and rules for individual franchisees. Establishing a baseline understanding of corporate values and processes for individual brands. Of course, the potential use of this type of program is not limited to the above use cases. Anytime your enterprise can benefit from a more formal flow of information to external stakeholders, implementation of extended enterprise learning makes sense. At the same time, the success of these and other use cases depends on the right software. Only a top extended enterprise LMS can help you leverage benefits such as increased trackability and a more consistent corporate knowledge base to franchisees (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/whylong-term-franchisee-success-starts-with-online-franchise-training), channel partners, and customers. Over the past 20 years, Knowledge Anywhere has established itself one of the best LMS solutions for businesses and enterprises like yours, thanks to our intuitive software and customizability to fit your (and your audience’s needs). Learn more about our learning management solution (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/solutions/learning-management-system) to discover the fit for your company, and begin to streamline your extended enterprise learning needs.
10 Essential Topics for New Employee Onboarding By Brandon Farwell October 16, 2017
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For a moment I want you to think back to your first job in the corporate world. You probably went through a new hire onboarding program before you could get to your role-specific duties. Did you feel prepared? What elements of the training program made you more successful in your role? You may not remember the specifics, but after a few job changes, you can probably attest to the preparedness (or lack thereof) that you felt after participating in different training programs. As someone responsible for putting together new employee onboarding (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/the-benefits-of-elearning-for-training-newemployees) programs, you understand the importance of developing a well-rounded onboarding plan for new hires. To assist you with your charge, we’ve come up with ten essential training topics that should be included in a new hire training program to set your employees up for long-term success.
Here are 10 Topics for Training New Employees You Should Include in your New Hire Training Program: 1. Introductions On the first day, greet these new employees with enthusiasm, introduce yourself and tell them about your position in the company. Have them introduce themselves and make it more fun by asking questions to discover interesting facts, talents or skills. This will give them a chance to chat and even laugh with each other; which immediately starts building relationships and shared experiences.
2. Organizational Structure Instead of just showing these new hires a typical organizational chart, invite executive leaders of the company to make brief presentations, or have them make videos. These new employees will appreciate the time top management gives in welcoming them to the company. Having this visual image of the chain of command is a good way to help employees remember and understand which positions in the company cover which areas and who supervises whom.
3. Important Policies and General Procedures The majority of this information can be found in their employee handbook. Just make sure that everything is current. You still want to discuss, however, policies regarding hours of operation; dress code; attendance; security; personal safety; etc. Also discuss travel, reimbursement, compensation, and benefits, and get them to sign any necessary paperwork at this time.
4. Company History, Goals and Mission It’s important to offer background on how the company made it to the point where it is today. Provide a link between the past, present, and future so that new hires can understand the direction the company is heading. Explain who its customers and competitors are; how it differs from other organizations; its vision, values and short- and long-term objectives. When new employees have a better understanding of company goals and priorities, this gives them a greater sense of purpose and helps them feel more connected.
5. Workplace Culture No two companies are the same. Some companies are going to be more formal, while others will be very laid back. Highlighting this during training is very important because it will give new hires an understanding of the work environment. The more they know about the culture, the better they are going to be able to fit in and grow right along with the company.
6. Laws & Compliance Including information about compliance and what is expected of these new employees will help avoid confusion as well as any future costly legal problems. Start with a talk about information security and make sure that they know about the organization’s code of ethics and code of conduct. Knowing which compliance laws are specific to your organization will not only protect the company but the employee as well.
7. Performance Management & Performance Reviews If you make an effort to update your performance management policies, you’ll have a better chance of keeping these new hires happy and engaged. Millennials are the largest generation of employees in the workforce today, and they want more frequent performance feedback. By improving these practices, you can tell them how your company differs from the competition because it creates an environment where there is timely, specific and helpful feedback. Emphasize how this will help them adjust quickly so they can take the next steps in their career development.
8. Facilities Tour Tours are usually a basic part of orientation—but they don’t have to be basic and boring. Take an hour long walk after lunch and show them human resources, the printing area, technology support, bathrooms, vending machines, the microwave, where the water fountain or bottled water is and smoking areas; if you have them. Also, provide information on gyms, banks, gas stations, places to eat, etc. in the local area. At the end of the tour, give them a map showing these places to help them get their bearings and to make them feel more welcomed.
9. Introduction to Team Leaders and Immediate Supervisors Connecting these new employees with key people as soon as possible helps encourage a smoother transition. Each team leader or supervisor should provide a tour of the immediate work area, introduce the new hire to co-workers and explain departmental procedures. They should also review the individual’s job description, summarize primary job responsibilities, clarify expectations and go over the first day’s schedule.
10. Team Roles and Responsibilities Have supervisors or leaders match new employees with a “buddy” in their department for a few days. A buddy is a current employee who leads by example, helps guide the new employee and gets them “up to speed” quicker. Buddies can even help “break the ice” between colleagues; ensure that employees feel like they “fit in”; and foster open communication. Teams that share a common understanding will work together more effectively and perform better. As you can see, employee orientation has changed over the years and isn’t simply about filling out paperwork or reading a handbook anymore. Now, it’s about having an effective new hire training program that combines Employee Orientation and Employee Onboarding, which means that it’s not just a one-day event; it’s an ongoing process in promoting loyalty and longevity. Orientation helps these new hires become familiar with the company’s mission and culture; while Onboarding provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and activities that help accelerate them into productive, contributing members. At Knowledge Anywhere, we recognize that learning has to be measured, permanent, applied and encouraged not just on the first day, but throughout the employee lifecycle. We designed our learning management software (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/solutions/learning-management-system) to help companies directly, manage and track all training activities through one centralized platform. In this way, your employees can easily meet compliance standards, new hire requirements and have ongoing employee enrichment. If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to schedule a tour of our eLearning suite (http://go.knowledgeanywhere.com/schedule-a-free-lms-demo).
5 Reasons Training for Tech Companies is Vital to Survive in a Crowded Space By Sarah Johnson October 10, 2017
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The past few years have seen disruptors spring up more than ever before. Thanks to evolving technologies, new tech companies are providing solutions for individual and business customers across industries that are cheaper, more convenient, and better than their predecessors. As a result, of course, the tech space is becoming increasingly crowded. From cloud solutions consultants to eCommerce merchants, carving out a niche in a competitive environment demands increasing attention. That attention needs to focus not just on customer acquisition, but building the best possible space to survive and thrive in your industry. And that’s precisely where tech team training enters the equation. In fact, here are five reasons why training is critical in any tech-focused environment.
1) Building a Baseline of Knowledge The first and most basic function of any training program is to establish a baseline of knowledge that everyone within the organization reaches. This is particularly important in technology, where jargon and complicated solutions are often keys to a sustainable competitive advantage. Not everyone in your company is a software developer. But everyone should at least understand the basic tenets on which your product or solution is built. The right development program allows you to set that baseline, both for new employees and existing team members in new roles.
2) Encouraging Unity and Culture The right training environment, of course, also goes beyond technical knowledge. When implemented correctly, it can become the key to making sure that everyone is on the same page. This part of training is especially important when onboarding new employees, who may not yet know the environment they are about to enter. Successful tech companies pride themselves on a strong corporate culture, which is necessary in part because of the demands that come with this competitive industry. Tech team training can educate everyone on the team about the shared norms and values that exist within your company, building tight unity that ultimately leads to greater loyalty, motivation, and productivity.
3) Keeping Pace With Rapid Change The only constant in the tech industry is change. New technologies emerge almost by the second, while your audience’s digital behaviors continue to shift and require constant updates on your end. Any successful tech entrepreneur and manager knows: maintaining the status quo is a surefire recipe for failure. But how do you keep pace with the rapid change required to survive in this competitive industry? Corporate training can be the answer. A development plan that is continually renewed and updated allows you to keep everyone in the company up-to-date on internal and external changes, opportunities, and threats.
4) Accounting for New Work Habits The tendency to work remotely stretches across sectors. But it’s nowhere more common than in the tech industry, where 57 percent of employees (https://www.mondo.com/remote-work-future-of-tech/) spent at least some time working from a place other than the corporate office at least part of each week. This trend requires a changing approach to keeping everyone on the same page. In addition to video conferencing software and cloud-based storage systems, that also means training to established a shared base of knowledge and norms becomes more vital than ever. Remote employees cannot simply pick up the culture or jargon used around the water cooler. An effective training program, on the other hand, better integrates them into the company.
5) Maximizing Employee Potential Finally, training can play a vital role in providing professional development to your tech employees. Not every module has to be about your own company or product; it also pays to integrate industry knowledge and trends into the system. No employee, and particularly no professional in the competitive tech sector, wants to be stuck in place. Professional development opportunities improve (https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/managementtips/professional-development-training-a-win-for-the-entire-team) job satisfaction, make your company more attractive, increase employee retention, and unlock the full potential and productivity.
How Can Training for Tech Companies be Implemented? Of course, understanding the importance of training in a tech environment is only the first step. Next, companies looking to embrace its benefits need to understand exactly how they can implement an effective training system. Above all, that means choosing the right delivery model for your needs. Here, some of your options include: In-Person Training, in which an internally designated expert holds regular sessions to raise the base knowledge of those around them. Online Training, consisting of modules that are designed to improve individual skills in an independent format. A Mentorship System, helping new employees acclimate to the work environment through the personalized guidance of an experienced professional. Conference/Event Attendance, particularly beneficial for professional development and team-building activities. Consulting Companies and External Coaches, external experts who can come in (usually in a workshop or seminar style) to enhance knowledge and expertise of the entire organization. Of these possibilities, which is best? Ultimately, all training methods come with their advantages and drawbacks. Online training is perfect for a distributed workforce, while conferences can provide an environment more conducive to learning. Consulting companies are most expensive, but also most in-depth in helping you reach your goals. In the end, a simple truth remains: there is no simple best way in corporate training and development. Instead, the best solution tends to be a blended strategy that includes aspects from of the above options. Remote members of your team may prefer online learning, but in-person opportunities can lead to a more interactive environment. Execution of this blended option, of course, requires an online learning system that can accommodate your technical training needs (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/industries/technology). With clients like Microsoft and Siemens, we’re proud to provide a comprehensive eLearning suite that has proven successful in the tech industry. Visit our website (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com) to learn more about our solution, and how you can customize it to fit your unique needs.
The Benefits of eLearning for Training New Employees By Brandon Farwell October 03, 2017
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Training new employees is one of the most important tasks for any business. No matter what industry you’re in, it’s essential for new hires to get acclimated to your business and learn a variety of facts about the company and the tasks and protocols needed for performing their jobs. Using the latest technology for new hire training helps make this process more efficient. eLearning has many valuable functions in today’s workplace, especially when it comes to employee training. Using online employee training software (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/solutions/learning-management-system)can make training faster, more engaging and allow trainees to absorb more information. Let’s look at some of the ways that online eLearning can help you train your employees more effectively.
How eLearning Helps With New Hire Training Online employee training and development is useful for many areas of training, including: Orientation - An online new employee orientation is a simple way to introduce new hires to your company. You can cover all of the essential points such as your company’s history, mission statement, ethical standards, benefits, and more in a systematic and interactive way with online learning. Information That’s Essential for Your Industry - When you have to deliver standardized information that’s mandatory for an industry, such as health and safety standards or rules of conduct, eLearning is an efficient way to do it. Compliance training - When you have to deliver standardized information that’s mandatory for an industry, such as compliance training for the financial industry (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/industries/financial), eLearning is an efficient way to do it. With this type of training program, employees can absorb crucial information quickly and, if necessary, be tested on it. Safety standards - If employees need to learn important safety information before starting their jobs, eLearning ensures that everyone gets the training they need. Customer interaction - For businesses in industries such as retail and hospitality (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/industries/retail-and-hospitality), where it’s essential for employees to make a positive impression on customers, an online program can convey your company’s standards and expectations on how to interact with customers. Complex or technical training - One of the benefits of eLearning is that people can go through it at their own pace. If something isn’t clear, employees can view it again, which is something they can’t do in a live presentation. That’s why online learning is a good choice for challenging material. These are just some of the ways to make employee training more efficient and effective with eLearning. The specific approach is easily tailored to different businesses and industries.
Guidelines for Setting Up a Successful Online Training Program If you want to get the most out of online new employee training, keep the following tips in mind: Make the training interactive. Interactivity is one of the main benefits of eLearning. Yet, if not used correctly, online training is little more than reading content on a screen. Make presentations interactive by providing feedback and allowing employees to comment, ask questions, and test their knowledge. An interactive online video is an example of an effective approach that keeps learners engaged. Break training down into manageable modules. As attention spans shrink, it’s essential to avoid overloading learners with long presentations. Breaking the material down into smaller units makes it easier for people to absorb it. Use gamification to make learning more interesting. By making training material more game-like, you can increase engagement and interest. Let trainees earn points or rewards as they absorb information and answer questions correctly. Make sure the training is realistic. If the training is too theoretical, it will be hard for employees to apply it when they start their jobs. Use real-world scenarios so that people can relate to the information. For example, if the training is for customer service, give examples of interactions between customers and employees. Allow for personalization. The most sophisticated eLearning systems give learners the chance to personalize training. They can proceed at a pace which they’re most comfortable. If employees are already familiar with certain topics, they can skip these or spend less time on them. Online employee training software can be customized to meet the needs of different backgrounds and learning styles.
The Benefits of a Blended Training Approach While online new employee training has great potential to help new hires absorb crucial information, eLearning isn’t the best approach for all types of learning. There will always be a place for face-to-face learning as well. You can get the best of both worlds by incorporating a blended approach to training new employees. eLearning and face-to-face are each appropriate for different types of learning scenarios. Online employee training and development is useful for delivering information in an efficient and interactive manner. At the same time, it’s also important to personalize learning. Live training, either one-on-one or in groups, give new hires a chance to ask questions and get to know one another. You also have to consider the fact that people have different learning styles. Some employees will find eLearning more effective while others may find it easier to absorb information face-to-face. That’s why a certain amount of redundancy ensures that people get training in the format most suitable for their mode of learning. The best kind of blended training is seamless rather than strictly compartmentalized. For example, an eLearning session can be followed by a live discussion of the content. People today are comfortable going back and forth between digital devices and live interactions with the world around them. You can do the same with your training, making eLearning one component of the training that’s reinforced by in-person interactions.
Upgrade and Modernize Employee Training With eLearning eLearning, especially when it’s part of a blended learning approach, can greatly increase the effectiveness of new employee training. It’s useful for a variety of purposes across many industries. Online learning gives new hires a chance to absorb information at their own pace and to receive rapid feedback on their progress. This gives your business a way to take advantage of the latest technology to improve the effectiveness of your employee training. If you’re interested in learning more about our eLearning suite, feel free to contact us (http://go.knowledgeanywhere.com/schedule-a-free-lms-demo)today.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Virtual Learning Environment By Sarah Johnson September 26, 2017
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The success of your company depends not only on your ability to hire the right people but also on your ability to train them to do their jobs effectively. This training doesn’t end after the hiring process; rather, it’s just beginning. If you expect your business to grow and evolve to keep up with trends and advances, your employees need to grow and evolve, too. The pressure is on: how are you going to do that? You have lots of options, including traditional classroom methods like seminars and workshops. Of course, you might also consider a virtual learning platform, in which case you would join the 81 percent of companies (https://trainingmag.com/sites/default/files/images/Training_Industry_Report_2016.pdf) who provide at least some of their training online.
What is a Virtual Learning Environment? A virtual learning environment (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/how-to-create-animpactful-virtual-learning-environment) is an online system that allows education materials to be transmitted through the internet to transfer knowledge from organization to employee, or teacher to student. Virtual learning environment examples include the following and more, all of which can be accessed via an online or computer-based system: Distance Learning Degree Programs Professional Certification Courses Instructional Videos Video or Audio Lectures Books, Articles, and Other Writings Podcasts Webinars High School or University Classes For your business, your virtual learning environment might include your employee handbook, instructions on how to use new software or equipment, sales or customer service training, new employee orientation, and more. As with any type of training system, there are virtual learning environment advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of a Virtual Learning Environment Easy Tracking and Assessment: With your virtual learning environment software, it’s easy to tell which employees have completed the activities. Built-in assessments like quizzes can help you ensure they’re absorbing the material. Seamless Delivery: Every employee has access to the same material, no matter when he or she gets hired. Your message is consistent through the years; when you make a change in company policy, that can be updated in your learning system, and all employees have access to it. Time Savings: You don’t always know when you will have to hire a new employee. If someone quits unexpectedly and is replaced, you might not have time to train the new employee properly. She might have to wait for a yearly seminar; in the meantime, she’s under-prepared and overwhelmed, which puts the position at risk again. With a virtual learning environment, your new employees receive thorough training immediately. Financial Savings: With an investment in virtual learning environment platforms, you’re paying someone (or taking the time yourself) to develop curriculum once, which can then be used over and over again. Compare this to the expense of hosting workshops every time you hire new people or make changes in your business: paying speakers and instructors, arranging venues and travel, and losing productivity when employees are out of the office. It’s easy to see how cost-effective a virtual learning environment is. Communication and Connection: BBC Active mentions communication (http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/WhyyoushoulduseaVirtualLearningEnvironment.aspx) as one of the advantages of a virtual learning environment. With forums and message boards, seasoned employees can answer questions and offer mentoring and advice for new employees. This saves time for those in management roles and builds a sense of connection and community among your team. Flexibility: Employees can choose where and when they complete the training. They can revisit sections that were unclear, or review the entire curriculum from time to time. It’s also flexible for you since you can add or change material at any time.
Disadvantages of a Virtual Learning Environment Dwindling Attention Spans: How many browser windows do you have open right now? Many people are programmed to multi-task when they’re on the computer, despite studies showing that 98 percent of people are not good at multi-tasking (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-trust/201202/is-yourbrain-multitasking). This could lead to skimming articles or starting a video that turns into background noise as they try to complete another project at the same time. Of course, you can help prevent that by keeping lessons and videos short and simple. Getting Lost in the Material: Depending on each employee’s learning style, some might feel lost when they can’t ask an instructor for clarification in real time. Others might require lessons that are more hands-on, visual, or auditory than what you end up offering on your platform. Discomfort with Technology: Though many industries rely heavily on technology and employees are well-versed in its use, you might be in an industry that doesn’t require that kind of knowledge. In this case, you might have employees who feel they have two daunting tasks ahead of them: taking the training and understanding the virtual learning environment software that allows them to take the training. Limitations: A virtual learning environment might not be the most effective way to teach someone to build or use a complicated piece of machinery. It also doesn’t offer that human-to-human contact, which may limit your opportunities for team-building and role-playing activities, brainstorming, or discussion. The good news is that when you base your training in a virtual learning environment, you still have the option to supplement it with in-person classroom-style training on an as-needed basis. In the meantime, you’re benefiting from the many advantages of using virtual learning environment platforms. Only you can decide what type of training is the best fit for your company, and you owe it to yourself to learn as much as possible before you make that investment. At Knowledge Anywhere, we’ve been offering business training solutions since 1998: no matter what questions you might have about any additional advantages or disadvantages to a virtual learning environment, we can answer them for you. Contact us today (http://go.knowledgeanywhere.com/schedule-a-free-lms-demo) to learn more and start working on your own online learning management system.
10 Essential Sales Training Topics for Onboarding New Sales Reps By Sarah Johnson September 19, 2017
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Integrating new staff into your sales team can seem difficult. The learning curve is steep, both for individuals new to the profession and experienced salespeople looking to integrate into your organization’s processes and culture. Difficult, of course, is far from impossible. With the right priorities and structure in place, you can turn new team members into top sellers without pulling out your (and their) hair. To make it happen, here are ten essential sales training topics you should include in your onboarding process.
10 Essential Sales Training Topics for Onboarding New Sales Reps 1) Organizational Background Information The first thing new sales professionals need to know, regardless of their prior experience, is the type of organization for which they will be working. Part of your sales training needs to include an introduction into that organization, along with its culture, mission, and vision statement. Your sales team will represent the organization to the outside world; their messaging needs to be consistent.
2) Connecting Emotional and Rational Pain Points It may be natural to think that any type of persuasion is possible using rational arguments. But in reality, all of our decision making is emotional (http://bigthink.com/experts-corner/decisions-are-emotional-not-logical-theneuroscience-behind-decision-making). Even if your organization sells to businesses, your personnel needs to understand how to connect rational reasons to become a customer with emotional appeals. Teach your sales team how to find audience pain points, and answer them on multiple levels through your brand’s product or service.personnel needs to understand how to connect rational reasons to become a customer with emotional appeals. Teach your sales team how to find audience pain points, and answer them on multiple levels through your brand’s product or service.
3) Researching Prospects Before the Sale By the time a member of your sales team reaches out to a prospect, they should already be familiar with them. As part of your training, include a section that helps in this research process. Topics should include both internal mechanisms (such as your CRM, which records past interactions with the prospect) and external opportunities, such as LinkedIn and publicly available information.
4) How to Prioritize Prospect Calls and Contacts When the prospects start rolling in from marketing, it can become easy to get overwhelmed. This training topic helps sales staff understand how to prioritize their time, by estimating which prospects are most likely to convert to customers. Depending on your processing, it could include individual subjects like CRM lead scoring.
5) Building Initial Rapport With Prospects When you get a prospect on the phone, how do you build an initial relationship that makes them more receptive to your message? Experienced professionals know that this part of the pitch is an art rather than a science. Building initial rapport is an ideal topic for your sales training, as it helps both new and existing staff find pockets of connection that opens up the prospect for a productive conversation.
6) What Happens When the Prospect Pushes Back? Naturally, not all calls are positive. So what happens when you make your pitch, and the person on the other side of the line pushes back? How does your organization escalate complaints, and what’s the follow-up to a negative conversation? When does it make sense to de-activate a lead? Any comprehensive sales training has to account for these less pleasant questions.
7) Learning When to Let Go and Move On Even without open push back, every sales professional reaches a point at which contact becomes less productive, and the prospect seems unwilling to commit. At that point, it might make sense to move on to more relevant leads instead. Train your employees to find that point, and how to gently end a chain of messages or calls while still keeping the possibilities open for future re-engagement.
8) Leveraging Personal Networks for Better Prospects It’s a simple truth: people trust their personal connections more than an unknown salesperson. But what if that salesperson uses a mutual connection to break the ice? When done correctly, the personal network can create immense benefits for making a connection and closing a sale. At the same time, the nuances involved (such as making sure that no person’s privacy rights are violated) make this a vital training topic for your staff.
9) The Perfect Sales Pitch In many ways, it’s the holy grail of sales: getting your pitch just right. But how do you get there? At least part of your sales training should include best practices, examples, and exercises on how to create the perfect sales pitch. The personalization, relevance to your product, and marriage with the individual sales person’s style required means this training can get quite complex, but it’s crucial nonetheless.
10) How to Conduct the Right Follow-Up Finally, it makes sense to train your staff early on with the understanding that a closed sale is not the end of the customer relationship. Repeat purchases and ongoing service matter just as much, and become an important revenue source. At this point, the sales professional has already built up a rapport with the new customer, so it makes sense to leverage it moving forward. As part of your sales training, educate your team members on how to stay in touch with past prospects, and when to find the right time to follow up for a new contract or purchase.
Finding the Right Platform For Your Corporate Sales Training The above list of sales topics, of course, is only the beginning. Without the right structure in place, you might still find it difficult to not just overload your new team members with knowledge, but engage them and ease their transition. To accomplish that feat, you need to find the right training module for your new employees. Through the right sales training exercises, as well as the availability of online sales training (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/an-lms-can-help-your-organization-solve-itssales-problem), you can make sure that the topics above are not just understood, but internalized for the foreseeable future. Knowledge Anywhere can provide that platform for you. Our Learning Management System helps you build exercises and modules that are intuitive, educational, and engaging. With the right implementation, you can not just encourage, but maximize the potential for sales enablement in your organization. Clients like Siemens, Microsoft, and Starbucks have already taken advantage of the capabilities our LMS can provide. Now, it’s your turn. Learn about our plans and pricing (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/pricing), or contact us today (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/site/about#contact) to start implementing the above training topics and improve the skills and capabilities of your sales team from the minute they walk in the door.
5 Key Benefits of Using an LMS for Online Technical Training By Brandon Farwell September 11, 2017
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Have you ever imagined how wonderful it would feel if people actually looked forward to the technical training initiatives that you offer? Do you consider your learning initiatives a success if trainees can make it through one of your training classes without nodding off? If you are a technical training manager who answered yes to either of these questions, then it is time to consider using a learning management system (LMS) for your technical training. With the help of an LMS, you can transform your outdated training program into an engaging online technical training platform that trainees will truly enjoy.
How can you use an LMS for online technical training? When LMS programs (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/what-is-an-lms) first began to gain popularity in the 2000s, they were frequently used in educational facilities as a means of introducing students to coursework. As LMS technology continues to evolve, training managers in manufacturing, IT, and biotech industries are finding that the ways that they can use an LMS to prepare employees to handle the technical aspects of their jobs. Below are a few of the many industries that are able to use an LMS to facilitate technical training: Biomedical engineering: Instructors are using online learning programs to teach biomedical engineers across the globe how to maintain complicated medical systems (https://www.learningconnection.philips.com/en/catalog/profession/biomedical-engineers). Education technology: Educators are now using LMS platforms to teach problem-solving applications (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814043572) and experimental design components. Product manufacturing: Manufacturers are now turning to online technical training for employees in an effort to minimize interruption to product design and assembly. Online IT training: The emergence of nano-degrees and online boot camps (https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2015/01/21/choose-the-right-online-ittraining) illustrate the growing popularity of online technical training. Device testing and repair: An LMS can effectively break down complicated device testing and repair into simple manageable steps.
What are the benefits of using an LMS for technical training? The advantages of using an LMS to provide technical training extend beyond cost savings and convenience. The ability to use a multi-media approach to keep trainees engaged helps to ensure that they absorb complicated material and master installation and maintenance techniques. Online learning is also advantageous because learning can take place at any point in time. Below are five benefits of using an LMS for technical training: 1) A greater number of employees can receive training simultaneously. Employing an LMS allows technical specialists to acquire new knowledge and skills without disrupting production. This benefit is especially pronounced in manufacturing companies that need engineers, product testers, and biomedical technicians to get up to speed on new products quickly. 2) Trainees who struggle with specific techniques can spend extra time learning those skills. Technical skills are not always easy to master - even for the most technically inclined individuals. With an LMS, trainees can speed through material that they have already mastered and take their time learning content that they find more challenging. 3) Compliance information can easily be integrated into training. Employees of manufacturing firms, IT providers, and medical equipment companies must demonstrate compliance with safety procedures and regulatory requirements. This information can be seamlessly incorporated into an LMS platform and quickly updated to reflect industry changes. 4) Employees can participate in cross-training at any time. Online training allows people to learn new skills as they maintain full-time employment as a technical specialist in a particular area. This is particularly advantageous for employees in the field of IT which includes a host of subspecialties. For instance, IT professionals who specialize in email administration can learn the nuts and bolts of security administration in their spare time. 5) Product updates are easy to incorporate into online training modules. Virtual IT training solutions are growing in popularity in part because of their flexibility. You can update LMS content quickly and easily as new products and features are introduced, helping to ensure that employees remain well-versed on the latest cutting-edge techniques.
Are there any limitations to using an LMS for technical training? As outlined above, there are many benefits to using an LMS to facilitate technical training. However, no technical training solution is without limitations. Before you implement a virtual IT training solution or another online technical training program, make sure that you are aware of the following limitations: Hands-on skills are often difficult to simulate (https://www.slideshare.net/Janna8482/theadvantages-and-disadvantages-of-online-learning): A virtual IT training solution lacks the advantage of having a live instructor present to provide a face to face demonstration. Trainees are unable to engage in productive dialogue with peers and instructors the same way that they would be able to during live demonstrations. Reduced social interaction (http://education.seattlepi.com/advantages-disadvantages-onlineclasses-used-colleges-1020.html): Unlike traditional training courses that often take place in a classroom-type environment, online learning platforms typically do not promote interaction with colleagues. As a result, communication skills for trainees may remain limited when an LMS is used. Limited structure: A relative absence of structure can pose problems for trainees who might be technically inclined but suffer from low levels of motivation. Inefficient trainees might not be prompted to thrive the same way that they would under the guidance of a live instructor.
The Bottom Line Investing in an LMS for technical training (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/industries/technology) is a growing trend across a wide range of industries. In addition to a flexible design, the LMS is easily adaptable, making it a great training platform for rapidly evolving technical fields such as biomedical engineering, IT, and product manufacturing. Contact (http://go.knowledgeanywhere.com/schedule-a-free-lms-demo) the online learning experts at Knowledge Anywhere to learn more about the many ways that an LMS can help your organization provide first-rate technical training that will engage your employees. We look forward to helping you optimize your online technical training program!
How to Build a Winning Talent Management Strategy By Sarah Johnson September 07, 2017
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Hiring new talent can be exciting, but unless your company is growing and you’re filling brand new positions, it’s not something you want to be doing all the time. Each new hire fills the spot of someone you lost, and that loss is expensive, not only regarding the money required to train the replacement but also in productivity and possibly morale. In a 2014 survey from SHRM (https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/talentacquisition/Pages/Onboarding-Key-Retaining-Engaging-Talent.aspx), one-third of respondents said they quit a job in the first six months. When giving reasons for this, 23 percent felt they didn’t have clear guidelines as to their responsibilities; 17 percent were looking for more helpful, friendly co-workers. Meanwhile, 21 percent indicated that “more effective training” would have made them want to stay. In other words, a winning talent management strategy could have made all the difference.
What is Talent Management? (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/whatis-talent-management) Business Dictionary (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/talent-management.html) offers a simple talent management definition:
“An organization’s attempts to recruit, keep, and train the most gifted and highest quality staff members that they can find, afford and hire.” This goes above and beyond recruiting. It’s not enough to simply hire the right people. Training and keeping them is where a good talent management strategy is essential.
Talent Management Challenges Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/larsschmidt/2016/12/16/why-retention-will-be-the-biggest-talentchallenge-of-2017/#3384639f6ae4) called retention the biggest challenge in talent management facing employers this year, citing not only that many companies aren’t prioritizing retention, but also the generational shift: workers who join companies now don’t necessarily even expect to stay with that company for more than a couple of years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/tenure.pdf):
“The median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer was 4.2 years in January 2016, down from 4.6 years in January 2014.” But that’s not all. There are a lot of reasons why retention is a challenge today. Company Culture: According to randstad (https://www.randstad.com/workforceinsights/workforce360/archives/the-5-biggest-talent-management-challenges-for-hr-in-2017_152/), “Younger employees (millennials, in particular) expect a different work environment than their predecessors did.” Meaningful work, the opportunity to work from home, flexible scheduling, and more are important to today’s talent pool. And it might change again: Gen Z is now graduating from college and entering the workforce. How will they fit into your company culture? Smaller Talent Pool: In the ”gig economy (https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2016/article/what-is-thegig-economy.htm)” more and more workers are choosing freelancing and short-term contracts over longterm career paths with companies. Indecision: 93 percent of CEOs (http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/peopleorganisation/publications/ceosurvey-talent-challenge.html) know they need to make some changes in their organization to attract and retain the best talent. However, 61 percent haven’t done anything about it. They don’t even know where to begin.
Building Your Talent Management Strategy What is a talent management process? It can include a lot of different tactics, but the primary objective is to make sure your best workers stay with your organization. Talent management strategy examples might include: Treat Potential Recruits Like Customers: You create an outstanding product and back it up with topnotch customer service to attract and retain customers. You’ve got to treat your potential employees the same way. They’re shopping around for the best place to work. What can you offer them? Align Your Plans: Your strategy for talent acquisition and retention should align with your strategy for the company as a whole. What type of workers do you need to keep your company moving forward? What will it take to make sure your employees are prepared to meet your goals? Each employee should have a perfect fit within your company. Provide Clear Job Requirements and Goals: Employees need to know what’s expected of them, and they need to have something to work toward. Measure Progress: Not every role within the company can be measured the same way. What does success look like for the designer as compared to the receptionist? Schedule regular evaluations, so the employee is clear on how she’s doing and how she can work to improve. Stay Engaged: Employees should feel as though they’re part of the team. It helps to have the entire organization on board with welcoming new hires. Establishing a mentorship program can give new employees an opportunity to learn from and connect with experienced team members. Offer Fair Compensation and Rewards: If someone is doing the same work for more money at another company, your employee’s morale and motivation is going to drop. Competitive compensation includes not only the salary, but also benefits such as health and wellness packages, time off, child care, the opportunity to work from home, and more. Even simple perks, like a weekly catered breakfast, help employees feel valued. And remember: 97 percent of employees want to be recognized for their contributions to the company (https://www.mercer.com/our-thinking/career/global-talent-hr-trends.html). Provide an Outlet for Employees to Share Concerns: If an employee is dissatisfied but feels he has no way to correct the problem, he’ll probably bottle it up until the day he quits. When employees have a place to express concerns and can trust the management to work to correct the problem, they have an alternative to quitting and some control over crafting their ideal working environment. Create a Path for Advancement and Improvement: When employees stagnate in their positions, they’re likely to look for new jobs. Options for advancement and continued education keep employees learning and engaged as they advance their careers with your organization.
Ongoing Training is an Essential Part of Talent Management A focus on training and professional development builds loyalty and increases productivity. It shows you care about your employees and their futures, which makes them more inclined to stay with you. As a result of that training, not only do you save money by not having to replace an employee, the employee you keep is happier and more skilled, better able to do the job you hired her for in the first place. An online learning management system provides an easy way to invest in your employees. You can include necessary job training and optional skill development programs, both of which can be completed at the employee’s pace when it fits in his or her schedule. With e-learning training (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/is-your-elearning-training-successful), it’s easy to assess progress and skills. The best part? You can do all of this without the cost and missed work associated with sending your employees to conferences and seminars. Your online learning program keeps your employees satisfied and allows you to build a stronger workforce, which is what talent management is all about. When talent management activities fall short, companies lose. Taking action not only to attract top talent but to keep them and develop their skills, will prepare your company for a successful future. Start by contacting us (http://go.knowledgeanywhere.com/schedule-a-free-lms-demo). Knowledge Anywhere has been developing customized training solutions since 1998. We can help you implement a program for ongoing training and education that improves employee performance, advances their careers, and encourages them to stay with you because they know that you’re invested in their futures.
The 3 Best (And 3 Worst) Glasses for Virtual Reality Training By Sarah Johnson August 23, 2017
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The fast-emerging concept of virtual reality has opened the door to training opportunities that were thought impossible just a few years ago. Suddenly, you can build content that isn’t just engaging your employees but giving them actionable advice in an immersive environment. At the same time, embracing VR training has to include more than just a fascination with the concept and the development of some great content. You also have to make sure that your trainees have the right equipment to make the most of this opportunity. Especially for larger and dispersed organizations, that means three things: portability, affordability, and scalability. When taking these factors into account, a pair of VR glasses that are perfect for a small group of employees may be unaffordable or difficult to use for larger groups. So without further ado, here are the top three best and worst virtual reality glasses for your VR training courses.
The Three Best Glasses for Virtual Reality Learning 1. Oculus Rift In many ways, the Facebook-owned Oculus is the pioneer of VR. Its signature headset, the Oculus Rift (http://www.pcmag.com/review/343413/oculus-rift), tethers to a PC, allowing you to connect complex and even interactive content to its lenses. That capability, of course, comes with a price. The Oculus Rift is available for $500 per item, making it difficult to scale for larger training initiatives. On the other hand, its interactive opportunities give it the edge for handson professions, while the prestige of the name makes it perfect for executive education.
2. Acer’s Windows 10 Headset Think of it as a more budget-conscious alternative to the Oculus Rift VR glasses. Like its better-known counterpart and as its name suggests, Acer’s Windows 10 headset (https://www.engadget.com/2017/04/12/acer-microsoft-vr-mixed-reality/) will be tethered to a Windows computer to draw its processing power, which allows for interactive content. At the same time, Acer’s alternative comes in at $300 per unit, making it more affordable than most other tethered VR headsets available on the market today. It is also portable, allowing you to ship it to a dispersed workforce.
3. Google Cardboard For learning departments with limited budgets, Google’s Cardboard (http://www.pocketlint.com/review/136650-google-cardboard-review-the-cornerstone-of-mobile-vr) is by far the most cost-friendly option. Available for as little as $15, it offers basic VR capabilities for anyone with a smartphone. The design is consciously cheap and portable, consisting of the material that gives this headset its name. While it is the most scalable option available, one note of caution for this virtual reality training option: interactivity is not possible. Your content will be limited to passive viewings of VR videos, which - depending on the industry and subject matter of the training - may limit your educational options.
The Three Worst Glasses for Virtual Reality Training Courses 1. LG 360 VR Built by one of the biggest smartphone manufacturers in the world, this headset should provide a viable alternative to Google Cardboard as an affordable, scalable training opportunity. Unfortunately, the quality of the product says otherwise. Low video quality is the first drawback many reviews (https://www.engadget.com/2017/04/12/acer-microsoftvr-mixed-reality/) will mention. Due to both light leakage and lagging images, it can induce headaches - an especially big problem for longer training content. Also, this headset has to be connected via a wire to a specific LG phone, making it difficult to use for diverse audiences. The price tag of $99 is not worth it for training opportunities, given that cheaper alternatives like Google Cardboard exist.
2. HTC Vive According to most reviews (http://www.techradar.com/reviews/wearables/htc-vive-1286775/review), the HTC Vive has surpassed the Oculus Rift glasses as the most powerful and capable VR headset on the market. Unfortunately, that advantage manifests itself in a price upwards of $800, making it difficult to scale for most organizations. The capabilities of this option are undoubtedly enticing. But the price, along with the relatively bulky equipment that makes it difficult to ship, should lead most learning professionals to stay away. The HTC Vive is above all a gaming headset, not ideally suited for virtual reality training programs.
3. Google Daydream On its surface, Google Daydream (http://www.techradar.com/reviews/google-daydream-view-review) is at once affordable and capable of some interactivity - making it a potential fit for most virtual reality learning opportunities. That is until you realize that despite its $79 price tag, this headset only works and showcases its capabilities with Google Pixel phones. That in turn, makes scalability an inherent problem. The chances are that the majority of your workforce will either use iPhones or Android phones. Unless you plan to distribute Pixels with the Daydream to engage in training (which drives up costs significantly), a more broadly adaptable headset will be a better choice for your eLearning needs.
Building a Comprehensive Virtual Reality Training Program Choosing the right glasses is a vital part of making sure that your employees can make the most of your VR training courses. You need to make sure that the content is easily accessible and viewable for a wide range of audiences. At the same time, building quality content, and integrating that content into a larger training program, is just as vital. The delivery needs to be just right. Ideally, your employees should be guided by a comprehensive model in which each step allows them to build their skill set and knowledge. Depending on their role and prior experience, they may need to follow different learning paths. That’s where an effective Learning Management Solution comes into play. A platform like Knowledge Anywhere allows you to build customized training opportunities at every level of your organization, built for both local and remote employees. Visit our website (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/) to learn more about the opportunity, as well as your ability to build virtual reality courses (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/solutions/virtual-reality-training) into your training program.
Why Long-term Franchisee Success Starts with Online Franchise Training By Sarah Johnson August 15, 2017
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People own franchises because they’re a sure bet, right? Because long-term success is practically guaranteed? Not exactly. The 90-95 percent success rate you might have heard about franchises is actually unproven, according to Entrepreneur (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/227394). Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2014/05/27/13-mistakes-new-franchisees-make-and-how-toavoid-them/#3818bd465bd6) also confirms that franchises and independent businesses have about the same failure rate. As the franchiser, how can you help your franchisees find success with your business? How can you be sure they’re aware of the guidelines and best practices you so carefully crafted as you launched the franchise? In a word: training. Specifically, online franchise training.
The Benefits of Online Franchise Training While you might have on-site training at your headquarters or the new franchise location, online training gives you several opportunities that you don’t have with in-person franchising training courses. You and the Franchisee Both Save Money: You want to make sure you provide thorough training, but as Entrepreneur magazine (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/77928) points out, “the longer the training, the more expensive it becomes” because franchisees are working with you rather than welcoming customers to their new franchise. Meanwhile, each training you provide requires you to pay a trainer. An online franchise course gives the franchisee an opportunity to continue training while they work (and save money on travel and accommodations) and you save the time you’d spend training or the money you’d spend on a trainer. It Allows for Ongoing Training: If there’s something that doesn’t make sense to the franchisee, he or she can go over that portion of the training as many times as necessary. Providing online franchise training software means your franchisees will always have access to the information they need to do a good job. You Can Assess Competence: It’s easy to track how much of the course has been completed, and tests and quizzes give you the feedback you need to ensure your franchisees are learning everything they need to know. You Can Easily Update It: Changes in company policy? Introducing new products? No need to call all franchisees over to headquarters; simply add the information to your online franchise course. This Is the Future: More and more businesses are turning to online training courses because of the reasons listed above. It’s efficient and economical. In the competitive and ever-changing world of business, it’s essential to keep your practices up-to-date.
The Key Techniques for Online Franchise Training When it comes to developing a franchise training program, you have a lot of options. You’ll want to create modules or lessons to cover a wide range of topics for your franchisees as well as, perhaps, for the people they hire. Operations Manual: This will be a long-term reference for all employees. They can quickly look up solutions as issues arise over the years. Product: Whatever your franchise offers, your franchisees (and the employees they hire) need to know the products inside and out. How to Hire Employees: Teach your franchisees to choose the right people for the jobs. How to Train Employees: It’s one thing for franchisees to learn what they need to know, but do they know how to train their employees? Sales: If you’re in business, you’re in sales. Customer Service: Make sure your franchisees know how to take care of your most precious asset: your customers. Leadership: Essential for the franchisee as well as his or her managers. Safety: This could include food preparation and storage and equipment usage as well as cleaning and maintenance. Marketing: What’s permitted? What’s not? What advertising tools do you offer your franchisees? How can you protect the integrity of your brand? Finances: Teach your franchisees how to budget and where to buy required materials.
When creating your online franchise training software, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind: Keep Lessons Short: In 2013, preliminary research results indicated that student engagement with videos drops off after six minutes (http://blog.edx.org/optimal-video-length-student-engagement), making short videos more effective in an online learning situation. Offer a Variety of Delivery Systems: Some learners prefer videos while others would rather read. Illustrations can help explain a difficult idea. Use a variety of methods to get the point across. Clarify Your Objectives: Before the franchisees begin, they should have a solid understanding of what they need to learn from the training. Have a Way to Measure Progress and Comprehension: You need to ensure your franchisees are not only completing the training but also comprehending what they’ve learned. A good online franchise training course allows you to assess their understanding.
Why You Need a Learning Management System (LMS) With an LMS, you can easily manage your course content, adding and removing material as your franchise grows and changes. You can create custom learning paths that suit your franchisees and their employees. Franchisees can access it all on their own time on any device. Through it all, you have access to the data you need to determine the effectiveness of your program. While you might still do a short training at headquarters or on-site, with an eLearning solution (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/5-benefits-of-implementing-an-elearningsolution-in-your-business) you can provide ongoing training to ensure your new franchisees know everything they need to know to offer them the best chance of success with your business. Training franchisees properly is key to their success and yours. Online franchise training and a learning management system give you more control over the training process. You owe it to your franchisees, who trust you enough to buy into your business, and you owe it to yourself. At Knowledge Anywhere, we are experienced in helping franchises expand their reach through online franchise training. Contact us (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/site/about#contact) and get started today.
5 Steps to Create a Winning Corporate Webinar Course By Sarah Johnson August 10, 2017
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Desperate times call for desperate measures. In an environment with an increasingly distributed workforce who has a shorter attention span than ever before, how can you make sure that you communicate vital training messages and tutorials effectively? Corporate webinars could be the answer. They enable your team members to connect directly, regardless of location. When corporate webinar courses are created the right way, they can also hold your employees’ attention better than any printed or digital document or training manual ever could. The key, of course, is getting them right. From choosing the right software to developing a course that can adjust to its audience’s needs, here are five steps you can take to create a corporate webinar course.
1) Choose the Right Software Given the rapid rise of the medium in recent years, it’s not a surprise to see an increasing number of providers looking to help businesses of all sizes create an effective webinar course. The key, of course, is finding webinar presentation software that suits your unique needs. Here’s what you need to know: GoToWebinar. For a monthly cost of $89, your company can host corporate webinars accessible via recording for up to 12 months and to 100 employees. Larger plans are also available on more expensive plans. Cisco WebEx. Perhaps the closest competitor to GoToWebinar, Cisco WebEx offers an almost identical user experience. The major difference is an indefinite archiving opportunity, along with more social media integration and the ability for multiple panelists to present. Adobe Connect. Not surprisingly, Adobe offers a comprehensive corporate webinar solution. Features like individual breakout rooms, integrated multimedia support, and real-time collaboration opportunities through a live document and video sharing make this option best for collaborative training courses. OnStream Webinars. Compared to the above options, OnStream offers a more customizable solution. Instead of rigid plans, businesses pay per usage. Like Adobe Connect, it offers separate breakout rooms for live webinars - but presentations will only be archived for 90 days. AnyMeeting. Especially for smaller businesses, AnyMeeting can offer a viable and more cost effective digital solution. The emphasis is on collaborative meetings rather than authoritative webinars, but the cost (free with ad support, $18/month for up to 25 attendees - is more flexible than the larger webinar service providers mentioned above. In addition to these options, A number of alternative services (https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/resources/the-15-best-webinar-software-products-from-around-the-web) vie for corporate attention with their offerings. Meanwhile, especially smaller companies might benefit from the more informal Skype video conferencing and Google Hangout tools. It should be noted, however, that these tools are largely conversational, meaning that essential webinar functions (such as archiving a presentation for as-needed use) are typically not included.
2) Focus on Audience Goals and Pain Points Once you’ve found your solution, it’s time to more closely consider how to structure your webinar. Here, a vital step is to not just focus on your training goal, but how that training goal matches your audience’s pain point. Think about it from your team members’ perspective. Why would they want to attend your webinar and further educate themselves about the subject at hand? What tangible solutions can the course offer that will improve their lives and work? Understanding how to create a webinar presentation has to put these questions at the core of content development. Focus the course on your audience tangible needs, and the chances they will not just sit through but also absorb the information will increase drastically.
3) Provide an Annotated Outline Especially longer corporate webinars often suffer from a significant drop off in attention. Everyone’s training needs are slightly different. If an attendee or viewer of the recording realizes that the first 15 minutes are not tailored for them, they might drop off or start diverting their attention and multitask. Fortunately, you can prevent that from happening by using two steps: 1. Provide an annotated outline. If your training course covers more than a single topic, show exactly what sections of your webinar will cover what at the beginning of the presentation. This type of outline helps live viewers understand exactly when they need to pay most attention. Meanwhile, anyone watching the webinar recording after the fact can skip ahead to the sections most relevant to them. 2. Schedule breaks as needed. The chances are that your corporate webinar will be longer than the typical 45 minutes planned for most marketing webinar, simply due to the breadth and depth of material covered. To make sure your audience sticks with you physically and mentally, schedule at least one short break that allows your audience to free their mind before coming back to pay attention.
4) Include Interactive Elements Another ideal way to keep your audience’s attention is through making sure they do more than just watch and read. The more interactive your presentation, the more likely they will be to engage with the content. You can encourage this type of collaboration for your live audience through a number of ways. Most webinar software, for instance, allows live polls that gauge audience attention. You can also ask and encourage questions. And of course, depending on the capability of your software, breakout sessions with a specific goal to come back and share with the group work as well digitally as they do in an in-person setting.
5) Keep it Visual and Varied Finally, don’t underestimate the power of visual content in your training webinar. Studies repeatedly show just how favorably our brains respond to moving and still images, allowing us to pay more attention and better absorb information. The resulting marketing insights (https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/visual-contentmarketing-strategy) from these studies are just as relevant for training your workforce. Videos, images, and graphics work better than text. You should also be sure to keep your content varied, keeping your audience on their toes. In other words, a graphic followed by a video and an image will be more effective in training your employees than three similar-looking images.
Integrating Your Webinar Into a Larger Training Structure Finally, don’t underestimate the danger of isolating your webinar. Each presentation should be part of a larger effort to increase both training and professional development opportunities for your team. In other words, you have to integrate your webinar into a larger training structure. Consider, for instance, the benefits of integrating your corporate webinar into a Learning Management System. That allows you to build up to it, offering your workforce a natural learning path that prepares them for the in-depth education and training that the format can provide. It also helps to build more effective follow-ups that ensure the information relayed in the webinar is retained and put to good use. To make it happen, of course, you need the right learning management software. You need a solution that integrates webinars seamlessly and effectively. Contact us (http://go.knowledgeanywhere.com/schedule-afree-lms-demo) to see how Knowledge Anywhere can become the solution for your all corporate training needs.
How to Create an Impactful Virtual Learning Environment By Sarah Johnson August 01, 2017
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When training moves from a purely in-person format to an online or blended learning model, there is always a concern that learning will become less “sticky” as the human element is removed from the training experience. For organizations that have trained their workforce using an instructor-led or mentor-based format for decades, it might seem impossible for the same concepts to be presented and retained by learners in a virtual learning environment. While there are many benefits to in-person training, there are also many drawbacks. Weaknesses of Face-to-Face Training: In-person training isn’t scalable. Training a large group of employees who are geographically dispersed becomes costly. In-person training lacks flexibility. Since training must be completed within a specific time frame it often interrupts an employee’s workload—taking them away from important tasks. In-person training doesn’t account for different skill levels and diverse needs. Applying a one-size-fits-all training plan to every new employee doesn’t take prior experience, skills or interests into consideration. Oftentimes, this results in repetitive learning and a negative outlook on training. On the flip side of the coin, in-person training promotes deep learning through a personal connection in a way that a virtual learning environment may not naturally be able to emulate. However, there are ways to leverage LMS tools and software integrations to make virtual learning more impactful for your employees. Let’s explore some of the ways you can make the virtual classroom (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/8-ways-to-drive-employee-engagement-in-thevirtual-classroom) more personal and engaging.
Key Tactics to Create an Impactful Virtual Learning Environment Break learning activities into short, video-based modules. If a picture says 100 words, a video says 1,000, and for busy employees balancing multiple tasks, a series of training videos can really pack a punch in comparison to lengthy course modules.
Build “extracurricular” learning paths. Give your employees the opportunity to build skill sets that lie outside of their role and watch them become even better at what they do. For example, a product manager may not regularly pick up the phone to respond to a customer request, but learning best practices around customer service could help enhance their understanding of the business as a whole. It could also help him or her develop a more well-rounded skillset and give him or her a better understanding of the product if they were to put their skills to the test.
Promote employee collaboration & ideation. With learning management software, there is often the opportunity for employees to participate in group discussion boards, leave comments on courses, and share course completions via social media networks. All of these activities will help build a community within your virtual learning environment that emulates the human elements of a classroom.
Try gamification on for size. Badges and leaderboards are great gamification features within many learning management systems that allow your learners to obtain public recognition for their accomplishments. This can create a more engaging learning experience, and give employees a more positive outlook as they complete required training courses.
Encourage employee feedback. Giving your employees the opportunity to provide feedback on the courses they complete will help them feel heard and give you valuable insight into how you can improve your corporate training materials and how they are delivered.
Market new skill development offerings internally. To build excitement around your virtual training environment, promote new course offerings as they become available through regular email newsletters and in-person announcements. This will help you drive participation and showcase your commitment to furthering employee skill development beyond meeting compliance requirements. While the transition from an in-person training program to a virtual learning environment may be uncomfortable at first, you can rest assured that it can be just as impactful as live training. To create an engaging virtual training environment that yields high participation and knowledge retention, try the tactics listed above.
Get started today! If you need help creating a more impactful online education program, the eLearning experts at Knowledge Anywhere would be happy to lend a hand. Contact us (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/site/about#contact) to learn more about our comprehensive eLearning suite,
Is Your eLearning Training Successful? The Top 5 Metrics Your Business Must Track By Elizabeth Lee July 25, 2017
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Rolling out a virtual training program makes your company look more innovative and sensitive to the needs of your workforce, but those LMS benefits (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/how-tomeasure-the-impact-of-learning-in-the-midst-of-competing-priorities) are short-lived if you don’t see tangible business results from it. As you start to evaluate if an LMS is worth the investment for your organization, it’s important to evaluate the right metrics that will help you gauge whether or not your learning management software is a success. From cost reduction to increased customer satisfaction levels, you should be prepared to show the value of your investment in online learning technology across multiple business fronts. To simplify this process for you, I’ve outlined the five most important questions that you should ask as you evaluate the success of your virtual training program. Let’s dive in.
The Top 5 Questions You Should Ask #1 - What Are Your Training Costs? To determine whether or not your eLearning program is worth the investment, you have to start by comparing some basic numbers. You need to know if the expense justifies the results to make sure you’re budgeting wisely. How much does it cost you to provide effective training through your cloud-based LMS? How much were you spending on traditional training methods? In general, most businesses spend much less using an LMS than they do through classic training methods. Set this number aside, and compare it against your other findings.
#2- How Are You Performing in Sales? This is a big one. If your employees can successfully apply the techniques they’ve learned via your eLearning training program, you’ll be able to see the results as profits. Better trained employees can sell more, whether they’re pitching products or services. Sales will rise as your employees become more educated, and they’ll continue to rise with intermediate and expert level training.
#3- Are Your Employees Responding Well to Their Training? It may seem obvious enough, but have you thought to ask your employees if they’re enjoying eLearning? Though they don’t often say that, many employees love the freedom and flexibility offered by eLearning training. It’s more engaging than sitting in a room watching a training video, or listening to a lecture. If your employees have any feedback about their training, be it positive or negative, take that feedback into account and use it to shape future training programs.
#4- What Is Your Customer Service Satisfaction Level? With great customer service come great customers, and great customers build the foundation of a successful business. Customer service is a difficult skill to master, as not all customers are pleasant to deal with. A great eLearning training program will provide your employees with an arsenal of customer service tools, presenting them with valuable scenarios and teaching them to assist customers through a variety of situations that are relevant to your business. It may be time to send out a customer service satisfaction (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/3-ways-customer-service-training-can-help-youwin-customers-for-life) survey to see how your employees are performing on the service front.
#5 - Are Your Employees Sticking Around? Believe it or not, excellent training will increase employee retention. Employees who receive adequate and frequent training understand their jobs better, and that understanding leads to a lot less frustration. With stress levels cut, employees will ultimately be less likely to feel burned out by the pressures of their jobs. Your HR department is already keeping track of retention, so all you’ll have to do is measure your retention rates alongside the onset of your eLearning training programs. If employees are sticking around longer, your training is successful. If your retention rates are the same or worse, it may be time to up your training game. Remember that training is a lifelong process. You can’t train an employee on the basics once, and leave them without refreshers or higher level material. Train well, and train often. You may not see results overnight, but you’ll find that it’s worth it in the long term.
Bio: Elizabeth Lee is a blogger and content marketer involved with the experts at PACK & SEND (http://www.packsend.com.au/) - leading parcel courier and freight reseller from Australia. When not writing, Elizabeth constantly tries to learn new skills and abilities, designing in Photoshop being the most recent one.
SaaS or Custom? The Pros and Cons of a Custom Learning Management System By Sarah Johnson July 18, 2017
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If you are looking into eLearning solutions, you already know how vital regular, software-based training is for the success of your organization. But at the same time, understanding that fact is only the first step toward building online training modules that actually help your employees. The next step is finding the right learning management software (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/solutions/learning-management-system)for your needs. In your search for an online training platform, you will have to make a significant choice early on: SaaS, or Custom? This article will guide you through the various factors you need to consider to find a platform that will be the best fit for your needs (and your budget).
Understanding SaaS Learning Solutions SaaS, short for Software as a Service, has become a buzzword across industries in recent years. The idea is to run a software platform that you don’t have to host, instead of paying a monthly subscription fee for cloud access to an existing solution. Think of it as a car lease: rather than buying (and being responsible for) the platform outright, you take a vehicle the dealership gives you and act as its steward for the duration of the contract. In many ways, SaaS Learning management solutions act the same way.
The Pros and Cons of SaaS Learning Management Systems The SaaS-based LMS is designed to achieve a variety of benefits for your business: Cost effectiveness. The monthly subscription cost of SaaS solutions tends to be lower than the initial fee and ongoing maintenance costs of a customized LMS solution and is typically billed on user-tier basis—meaning you only have to pay for what you use. If you opt to build or buy a custom LMS, there isn’t typically a cost advantage for having less usage on the platform. External hosting. The software will not be hosted on your own server, which means that you will not be responsible for its security, performance, or reliability. Issues such as downtimes or slow loads are managed by the provider instead. This can take the pressure off of your internal IT team. Maintenance and updates. Software becomes outdated, bugs are found, and users report issues. Any software needs to be updated, and for SaaS solutions, these updates are part of the contract. Put simply, your platform will remain updated for the length of the contract. With a custom LMS solution, these updates may not be regular or even available at all. Fast implementation. Because SaaS learning management systems are pre-built, implementation tends to be fast. It’s not unheard of to stand up a workable eLearning solution for your employees within a couple of weeks. However, don’t underestimate the drawbacks of this option. SaaS platforms have become undeniably popular in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that they are the best fit for every organization. In many circumstances, the SaaS-based options available don’t meet all the business needs for the organization, in which case a custom LMS is a better alternative.
The Benefits of a Custom LMS What training needs does your organization have? Chances are that they will be different than those of other businesses, even within your industry. As their name suggests, custom learning management systems allow you to address these issues and optimize your online training platform specifically for your needs. These customizations can come in a variety of forms. For instance, you can fully customize the look and feel of your LMS so that it appears as if it’s an extension of your corporate website. You might also want functionality that SaaS offerings don’t include—requiring you to add additional capabilities to the system or create a home-grown LMS that includes the functionality that you need. The same concept also extends to the delivery of your training modules. Custom solutions allow you to both determine how the content is delivered and how your learners can access it. Depending on your audience, you may find webinars, live video coaching, or other methods to be most effective. Increasingly, companies also move toward non-traditional work environments in which employees don’t work in a centralized office. In that case, your LMS may need to be easily accessible remotely, and especially on mobile devices. Customizing your solution to address these needs becomes vital. Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of relevant integrations. SaaS solutions can be integrated with some content, social media, and analytics systems your company already uses. But if your existing platforms are not on that list, you may need a custom solution that can build the integration bridge for more seamless training capabilities.
Which Learning Management Solution is Right for Your Needs? Ultimately, the answer to that question comes down to three variables: budget, time frame, and IT capabilities. In a vacuum, and given the above benefits, a custom LMS is undeniably preferable to its SaaS alternative. But at the same time, that doesn’t mean it’s right for every situation. Having every feature under the sun won’t help you in the long run if you don’t have a way of maintaining those features, or paying for their development. Budget naturally makes an impact. Building a custom platform will cost more, especially initially—making it difficult to afford for some smaller businesses. In that case, you may need to trade a truly optimized solution for more basic functionality and get an LMS for small business (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/lms-for-small-business-is-it-worth-the-cost). The time frame of implementation also matters. A custom LMS takes time to build, and if your organization does not have that time, an alternative may be necessary. The short implementation time needed for most SaaS solution will mean less customization, but a quicker way to get your trainees started. Finally, your own companies IT capabilities should be a major decision factor. If you have the resources and expertise to maintain and update a custom solution, the long-term costs could potentially be lower than expected after the initial fee to build. These capabilities, of course, can be difficult to acquire, though they are vital for secure and reliable software operation. Or you could go with a solution that, while maintained externally, still comes with the customization options you need to truly optimize your training. From integration assistance to consistent branding, Knowledge Anywhere’s Enterprise LMS can be the solution for your needs.
Why Virtual Reality Learning is the Next “IT” factor in Corporate Training By Charlie Gillette July 11, 2017
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Suddenly, everyone in the tech sector seems to be talking about virtual reality (VR). Many people associate it with games and entertainment. However, it’s been around for some time and has many practical uses. The U.S. military, for example, commonly uses VR technology to train personnel to use equipment and weapons and to simulate combat situations. Similarly, companies in the aerospace and aeronautics industries (http://virtualreality.esi-group.com/industries/aeronautics-and-aerospace) use VR to gain a competitive advantage. VR education gives engineers the ability to economically test products and systems. These are only some of the ways that VR is currently used. One area where VR shows real promise is in corporate training for many industries. Let’s take a deeper look.
Benefits of Virtual Reality for Training Virtual reality learning has some truly revolutionary capabilities when it comes to training.
Here are some of the major benefits: Creates realistic scenarios. Unlike traditional training methods, such as textbooks and videos, virtual reality training courses are the closest thing to real life scenarios you can get. This allows for comprehensive training in many industries. Provides a safe environment to train employees. In many situations, live training is dangerous, either for the trainee or others. For example, inexperienced medical students can’t perform organ transplants on live patients without endangering their lives. In a VR training environment, however, they can safely simulate this and other procedures. Makes remote training possible. Whereas trainees must be physically present for live training, virtual reality training (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/virtual-reality-training-willtake-the-workplace-by-storm) makes it possible to train people who are anywhere in the world. This is cheaper and more convenient for organizations and lets them train more people at a lower cost. Interesting and enjoyable. Virtual reality training programs provide trainees with a captivating environment. Even the most serious and technical subjects can have a fun and game-like atmosphere with VR. This means people are more likely to pay close attention. Improves retention. Evidence shows that virtual reality training is extremely effective when it comes to retention. According to a study at Miami Children’s Health System (http://fortune.com/2015/08/17/virtualreality-hospitals/), retention for VR training sessions is as high as 80 percent, compared to only 20 percent with traditional training. These are some of the benefits of VR that help to make training more effective, interesting, and economical. Now let’s look at some of the specific uses for virtual reality training in several industries.
Industry Use Cases for Virtual Reality Learning Sales Training Effective sales training involves teaching sales reps how to function in a variety of situations. It’s difficult to replicate the complexities of human interaction with traditional training. Sales reps only learn so much by reading about training techniques or watching scenarios on video. With virtual reality learning, however, it’s possible to create an immersive experience that truly replicates the experience of talking to customers. For best results, sales training has to be consistent and ongoing. This is costly for companies, however. It’s expensive and inconvenient to organize training seminars. For larger companies, with staff in many locations, it’s especially cumbersome. With VR, it’s easy to conduct frequent virtual training and updates. Sales associates can attend these sessions remotely, saving the company time and money.
Healthcare The medical and healthcare industries can use VR technology in many ways to improve training. Medical students, nurses, and other healthcare professionals in training can safely learn complex procedures without endangering patients’ lives. In a virtual environment, students can learn without the fear that mistakes will have catastrophic consequences. One facility that’s on the forefront of this trend is the Penn State Hershey Clinical Simulation Center (https://sites.psu.edu/hersheysimulation/), where students get safe and realistic hands-on training for performing medical procedures. VR training is also useful for patient education. Patients can get a realistic idea of what medical procedures and clinical trials involve.
Manufacturing Virtual reality learning is playing an increasingly large role in manufacturing (http://news.ewmfg.com/blog/thefuture-of-virtual-reality-vr-in-manufacturing). As in other industries, VR lets engineers create better products in less time and at a lower cost by testing outcomes in simulated environments. VR is also useful in the area of employee training. VR training helps to make production more efficient while increasing safety. Employees can learn potentially dangerous processes in the safety of a simulated environment. One company that’s showing impressive results in this area is Ford, which has reduced worker injuries by 70 percent (http://www.triplepundit.com/2017/01/ford-virtual-reality/) using virtual reality for training.
Retail and Hospitality Employees in restaurants, hotels, and retail stores are the public faces of their employers. The way they interact with customers has a great impact on the success of these companies. This is another realm where frequent and thorough training is a must. With VR training, employees can quickly absorb the latest information and learn the best techniques for providing optimal customer service. For example, sales reps for hotels, resorts, and cruises can go on virtual tours so they can better explain the benefits to customers. Employees can also learn the best ways to improve customer satisfaction and deal with problems and complaints through simulated interactions. Best Western (http://www.hotelmanagement.net/tech/best-westerninvests-virtual-reality-training), for example, is using VR training to improve employees’ interpersonal skills.
Safety and Risk Management Teaching employees safety procedures and ways to minimize risk is a priority in many industries. In some work environments, compliance training is an important part of training new employees. Virtual reality learning makes it easier and more efficient to train employees on safety measures. Companies can save money on training and reduce injuries. Workers can learn how to use dangerous equipment in a simulated environment. The Raymond Corporation (http://www.sdcexec.com/article/12325029/a-dangerous-work-environment-willcost-you), for example, uses VR training to teach employees how to use forklifts. Transportation is another industry where VR training improves safety. For example, with VR training, engineers working on train tracks (https://www.virtalis.com/blogs/2016/04/28/benefits-vr-asset-management/) can learn to avoid risks such as electrocution and being hit by trains.
Mechanical Training and Repair Employees who perform mechanical tasks and repairs can learn how to perform their jobs more efficiently with virtual reality training. In the automobile industry (https://blog.immerselearning.com/from-today-to-tomorrow-vrtraining-for-the-automotive-industry/), workers can learn to perform many tasks with VR. This is another instance where virtual reality learning saves time and makes training faster and less costly for companies. With VR, employees get familiar with a variety of vehicles or other machines they’ll be working on. VR is useful for training new employees, as in technical schools, or to keep employees updated on the latest equipment. For these and other industries, virtual reality is one of the most effective training tools. It gives companies the ability to train large numbers of employees remotely and expose them to a wide variety of scenarios. VR training is convenient, entertaining, and cost-effective compared to traditional training methods. There’s little doubt that we’ll see more and more uses for VR training in the coming years. If you’re interested in applying the benefits of virtual reality training to your corporate training strategy, Knowledge Anywhere can help you develop immersive virtual reality training courses (http://go.knowledgeanywhere.com/virtual-reality-training). Contact us to learn more!
Should You Outsource Your eLearning Content Development? By Sarah Johnson July 06, 2017
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If you’re responsible for training within your organization, you’ve probably grappled with this pivotal question: Should I create my own training courses, or should I hire an instructional design team to build them for me? If you’re asking this question, you’re probably already thinking about all of the constraints you’d have to manage if you go either route. Namely whether or not you have the time to develop your own eLearning content or the budget to hire an eLearning specialist. If you look beyond the confines of time and money, there are multiple reasons for why you should (or shouldn’t) develop your own eLearning content that should be considered. To determine what the best decision will be for your business, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing eLearning content development listed below.
5 Advantages of Outsourcing Your eLearning Content Development In the last few years, the eLearning industry has expanded drastically (https://elearningindustry.com/elearningstatistics-and-facts-for-2015). That, in turn, has led to an increased availability of external providers for your digital training content, thanks above all to five advantages this route can offer your business: 1. Specialized Expertise. Above all, outsourcing your eLearning content means placing its development in the hands of professionals. The training industry is changing rapidly, and keeping pace with new developments and opportunities (and the skill sets required for them) can be difficult. An external vendor will take care of that for you. 2. Scalability. If your development does not depend on an internal team, it’s easier to scale up (or down) as needed. Should you need more training content, the vendor will simply scale up the team, which can be difficult to impossible to achieve internally. 3. Focused Development. Outsourcing means placing your content efforts in the hands of a partner whose focus rests solely on its development. You don’t have to focus on staffing issues, software tangentials, or anything else adjacent to the development process. 4. Fast Turnaround Times. A vendor you work with will likely place emphasis on fast project turnarounds. Because many of the adjacent issues are taken care of separately, that means better time-to-completion for any eLearning content you are looking to produce. 5. The Potential for Innovation. When you handle the development of training content in-house, you likely have time - at best - to focus on the status quo. An external team, on the other hand, can help you be aware of technology and audience trends, implementing more innovative and forward-looking solutions as a result.
5 Drawbacks of Engaging in Outsourcing Efforts Of course, despite the above advantages, external content development is no magic bullet for your eLearning strategy. Instead, if you consider the possibility of outsourcing your efforts, it makes sense to also keep in mind the potential drawbacks that come with it: 1. Potential cost. If you hire a dedicated content team, outsourcing is less expensive than its alternative. But on its own, compared to utilizing your existing staff, it can be expensive. That’s especially the case if hidden costs, editing rounds, or delays enter the equation. 2. Lack of Organizational Expertise. Naturally, an external partner will not know your training subject or employees as well as you do. Unless a specific information dissemination process is in place, that lack of expertise can lead to less effective training materials. 3. Variable Quality. When you produce training videos and other content in-house, chances are you know exactly what you’re getting. But working with external vendors, especially in a new working relationship, might not be as reliable. Initially, the quality of videos you receive may not be up to your (or your audience’s) standards. 4. Language and Cultural Barriers. Especially if you choose a foreign vendor, you may run into both of these barriers in the course of your relationship. And even domestic partners could lead to cultural differences on a more local level. 5. Loss of Control. Even in outsourcing your content, you will still maintain some degree of control. But that control will not be as complete as it might be for internally developed training materials. For instance, once you have given initial guidance, you may not see a video until it is already produced.
How Do You Know What Decision is Right For You? Ultimately, the best way to square your desire to outsource the eLearning content development process with your available resources is to engage in a cost-benefit analysis for your specific situation. Businesses outsource content across the board for a variety of reasons, from scaling eLearning efforts to taking advantage of increased expertise. With these variables in mind, consider the following decision points for your consideration: What type of content do I need? Simple types of content - such as short corporate training videos (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/how-to-create-the-most-effectivecorporate-training-videos-in-3-steps) - can easily be produced in-house. More complex alternatives, however, can benefit from and even require a vendor with a professional focus on this area of expertise. What are my content expectations? Another axis of consideration should be your quality expectations. Put simply; the more professional your training materials need to be, the greater the need for external expertise. What are my available resources? If you already have an eLearning or content development team in place, outsourcing may not be necessary. If on the other hand, that expertise does not exist in your organization, it makes sense to find it externally. What can a vendor provide that I cannot? In many ways, this question is a summary of the above points. Outsourcing makes sense, as long as you have the resources - and the process adds an element to the process that would not otherwise exist. eLearning can only be successful if the content you provide your trainees is both engaging and relevant. To accomplish that goal, understanding whether or not you should outsource your eLearning content development is absolutely vital. But of course, regardless of your content, you need a solution through which you can present it to anyone in need of more or better training. That’s where we come in. Knowledge Anywhere offers a flexible, customizable, and powerful learning management solution. We also look to assist in course development, helping you build a better curriculum for your employees. We welcome you to learn more about our capabilities, and how we can help you improve your eLearning courses (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/solutions/course-development).
How to Create the Most Effective Corporate Training Videos in 3 Steps By Sarah Johnson June 19, 2017
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Do employees dislike corporate training videos because they distribute knowledge? Or, because the videos just aren’t engaging (or helpful) enough? We’ve all seen great videos that keep us engaged thanks to compelling visuals and relevance, so the latter is probably the truth. As it turns out, employees actually want more training. One study of more than 4,000 workers found that almost three quarters feel restricted from fulfilling their full potential due to a lack of professional development (http://www.thelearningwave.com/survey-shows-employees-want-more-workplace-training/). Couple that with our psychological preference for moving pictures and graphics (https://www.skyword.com/contentstandard/marketing/the-psychology-behind-why-we-love-live-video/) when consuming content, and the need for effective corporate training videos becomes evident. Effective, of course, is the key phrase in that last sentence. How can you make sure that the content you produce to educate your employees is actually beneficial and successful? You can start by following the three steps listed below to learn how to make an impactful corporate training video.
#1: Follow Best Practices for Training Videos Depending on your industry and the audience you are looking to train, your training videos can vary widely. That said, they tend to follow a number of universal best practices. Incorporate these characteristics, and the effectiveness of your content will skyrocket. 1. Know Your Objectives. Any corporate training video has to begin with a thorough understanding of what exactly you are looking to accomplish. For each video, set a central goal that your audience should walk away with by the time they’re finished watching. 2. Establish a Clear Message Thread. Once you know your goal, establish a narrative based on that goal that the entire video can follow. It should thread throughout the presentation; any part of the video that’s not connected to the final goal might be superfluous. 3. Understand the Medium. Where will your employees watch the video? Will they engage with the video online or as part of an in-person training session? Are they likely to watch the video on their work computer, or on a mobile device? Each answer to these questions should guide exactly how your training video is set up to ensure maximum engagement. 4. Keep Your Videos Short. Our attention span, especially when consuming online content, keeps getting shorter. As a result, long videos will lose your audience’s attention after a few minutes. While the exact length should depend on your goal and audience, keeping it short is vital to continued engagement. After two minutes, studies show (https://wistia.com/blog/optimal-video-length) that engagement begins to drop significantly. 5. Ensure a Conversational Tone. Chances are your employees are not ready to listen to a monotone monolog about a generic training topic. Instead, keep your audio as conversational (and informal) as possible within the context. You can even experiment with multiple narrators to increase the perception of collaboration and maintain audience curiosity. 6. Focus on Effective Visuals. Don’t think of your training videos simply as moving, digital PowerPoint presentations. Instead, look to maximize the capabilities of the medium. Use animated graphics and supporting visuals to increase variability. 7. Ensure High Video and Audio Quality. Ultimately, the technical quality of your video will make a significant difference in its success. The audio should be clear, and the volume should be consistent. Meanwhile, the video resolution matters just as much in making sure that your intended training message gets across clearly.
#2: Understand Your Production Options Given the above best practices, one thing is clear: to create an effective corporate training video, you cannot simply use the unedited footage. It requires careful planning, shooting, and editing in order to ensure that your audience actually pays attention and comes away with new knowledge and skills for their job. To get to that point, you have a number of options in order to ensure successful corporate training video production. Here are the three that tend to be most common across organizations: 1. In-house professional production. If your organization has an internal videography professional or department, this could be your most natural fit. Professional production that is completed entirely inhouse will require significant shooting and editing expertise. But if that expertise is available, it is likely to result in a high-quality corporate training video. 2. Hiring external videography help. When the professional expertise is not available in-house, it might make sense to outsource the work. Especially if your training videos are complex, using animations and other visuals that need to be completed in post-production, you might want a professional for the job. Outsourcing your training video production can be expensive, but will ensure quality. 3. Direct production using a personal recording device. Finally, you might be able to simply use your own software and technology to record a corporate training video. This option makes the most sense either for small businesses who might not have the resources for external production, or for simple videos that only require capturing software to get the message across. However, a lack of quality could potentially compromise the success of this option.
#3: Ensure SCORM Compliance Finally, you have to make sure that any corporate training video you produce works with the software you use to distribute it to your employees. In most cases, that will be your Learning Management System software (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/what-is-an-lms), which means that your videos have to be SCORM-compliant. SCORM, short for Sharable Content Object Reference Model, is a set of standards that guides e-learning content. It is part of the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative, a US government program designed to help organizations improve their training opportunities and methodologies. This web page (https://scorm.com/scorm-explained/) gives you an overview of the nature of SCORM, and what you need to do to make sure your corporate training video is compliant. If you want to use it in any type of LMS solution, this step is crucial to making sure it can get distributed and benefit your employees.
Start Making Stellar Corporate Training Videos Today! Ultimately, the best corporate training videos allow you to convey the core piece of information you need to get across in an engaging, visual way. They offer the basis for a better way to train your employees, improving their skills in a way they actually enjoy. And once you have built your videos, why not find an LMS that can help you distribute them? Knowledge Anywhere provides the perfect solution for incorporating videos into your corporate training strategy, enabling your workers to become better employees through better professional development.
Has Online Learning Killed the Corporate Training Seminar? By Sarah Johnson June 12, 2017
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If you’re thinking of decreasing your employee training budget, you’re definitely in the minority. In 2016, 37 percent of companies (https://trainingmag.com/sites/default/files/images/Training_Industry_Report_2016.pdf) increased their training budgets, while a full half maintained their current budgets. And for good reason: access to training is important to employees. Last year, 87 percent of millennials (http://blog.clearcompany.com/5-surprising-employee-development-statistics-you-dont-know) said that opportunities for career growth and professional development were “very important,” while 68 percent of all workers called training and development the “most important workplace policy.” Employee training and continuing education are essential to the success of your company: It improves each employee’s ability to do his or her job. It shows you care about your employees and their professional growth. It builds morale and decreases turnover. It helps you attract and retain top talent. Until fairly recently, corporate training seminars were the easiest, most economical way to train large groups of employees. There are still a lot of good reasons to host or send your employees to seminars, but there are drawbacks, too.
Benefits of Training Seminars Your employees come together as a team toward a common goal of learning new material. If the training is not hosted by your company, it gives your employees an opportunity to network with other professionals in the industry. Employees are face-to-face with their trainers, allowing them to ask questions as they arise and receive immediate feedback on their in-training performance. Teaching methods can be quickly adapted if necessary. It offers a break from the traditional work week, which might boost morale, particularly if the training takes place in a location employees are eager to explore when the training day is over. It’s also inspiring to be around industry leaders who are excited about the future.
Downsides of Training Seminars That time away from the office could create extra stress as employees work to catch up on what they missed while at the training. Seminars require careful planning, and someone has to devote work hours to scouting and booking locations, equipment, and more. Even at a training that is not in-house, you need to book travel and accommodations for all attendees. It can get expensive. Between travel, missed work time, and attendance fees, training seminars need to be a major part of your budget each year. Employees don’t feel like they have control over their learning. They attend when told to attend and try to absorb the material as it is delivered, whether or not the teaching method suits their learning styles. Those who learn quickly grow bored and disengaged, while those who are struggling with the material have a hard time keeping up. While the benefits are nice, they don’t always make up for the cons of a corporate training seminar. For that reason, more and more companies are looking to online training and blended learning opportunities to train their employees. In 2015, 38 percent of businesses (http://www.business2community.com/humanresources/state-corporate-training-7-surprising-statistics-part-ii-01798509#x29IzPZSMTdj3duI.97) were intending to invest in learning management systems; 37 percent were eager to purchase other e-learning programs and training software.
The Rise of Online Learning Online learning has certainly changed the world of corporate training. It’s no longer necessary to send your employees out of the office to attend a seminar, hoping they pick up the information that will make them better at their jobs and increase your yearly revenue. It’s no wonder hours spent with online or computer-based learning systems increased from 26.4 percent in 2015 to 30.4 percent in 2016 (https://trainingmag.com/sites/default/files/images/Training_Industry_Report_2016.pdf). Meanwhile, classroom learning hours dropped from 46 percent to 41 percent. Online learning has some major benefits: Employees can control the pace of their training. They can spend more time on difficult subjects and breeze through the topics they already understand. They can access the material when it works with their schedules. Online training decreases costs associated with travel, event fees, and time away from the office. Employers can easily assess comprehension and progress. An online learning management system gives your company an opportunity to protect the environment by cutting down on paper as well as the gasoline that would be used in travel. It’s easy to customize the program to suit your company’s specific needs. Online learning (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/why-you-should-invest-in-cloudbased-corporate-training) has been growing steadily and shows no sign of slowing down. As it does, the need for classroom learning and seminars will continue to decrease.
Should You Continue to Invest in Employee Training Seminars? Depending on your industry, certain employees might benefit from occasional seminars and hands-on learning opportunities, especially since it is a good way to connect with other industry leaders. However, the money spent on training like this goes further with a computer-based learning management system. If you’re not ready to totally eliminate corporate training seminars from your strategy, you could consider a blended learning approach that combines both in-person seminars and online learning. Either way, an online learning management system should be a part of your training program. Staying on top of the online learning trend now means your company will be ready as corporate training continues to evolve. It’s no secret that the world of technology changes quickly, and falling behind could induce struggles that are difficult to overcome. At Knowledge Anywhere, we have been ahead of this curve since 1998 with learning management solutions that have made it more efficient and more affordable to train your employees. We’d love to customize a program that allows you to shift to an online learning strategy to help you save money, increase productivity, and prepare for the future of corporate training.
What Are the Best Employee Training Methods? By Brandon Farwell June 06, 2017
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Imagine all your employees sitting in a lecture hall, pencils in hand, eagerly awaiting the knowledge that is about to rain down upon them. Of course, they absorb it all and return to work more productive, savvier, and (why not?) happier, too. If that doesn’t sound familiar, it could be that you haven’t found the best employee training techniques (http://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/resources/article-detail/how-to-create-high-impact-employee-training). There are a lot of reasons you might be seeking out education for your employees. You have new hires who need to learn the ropes. You want to introduce new software or a new product. You want to give your people the edge they need to stay competitive in an ever-changing industry landscape. All of these reasons are good motivators to put employee training methods in place that will help you improve organizational performance and retain top talent. After all, training is good for your employees, and it’s good for business. But when you do training, you’ve got to do it right. If you don’t have a clear objective for training, don’t follow through to ensure competence, or aren’t using employee training techniques that are effective you will waste precious time and money. No matter why you’re offering the training opportunity, there are a lot of training techniques for trainers to consider. These include: Presentations Videos Tests Discussions Demonstrations Group Projects Mentoring or Coaching Webinars Virtual Reality Online Courses Each of these fit into at least one of five broad categories: classroom, interactive, hands-on, computer-based, and online, which can be on or off the job. You might offer off-the-job training in the form of seminars, classes, or at-home studies; for on-the-job training methods, examples might include presentations, discussions, or webinars. Choosing the one (or the combination) that’s right for your team depends on your training goals, budget, time, and audience. Let’s take a closer look:
Instructor-Led Training The classic student-teacher scenario is still popular today for many reasons. The classroom brings you together with your trainees, offering time for connection. It allows for a wide variety of teaching techniques, including: Large and small group discussions Tests and quizzes Videos Stories and presentations Role-playing and trainee-led presentations Creative classroom learning can be especially effective when it incorporates several of those techniques. Low Budget: Keep it in-house by hosting the class at each office location and having a manager make the presentation. High Budget: Hire an engaging speaker, or pay for the entire team to travel to a seminar or other event. Best for: Classroom training is great if you’re teaching relatively simple material (or material that can be taught in a few hours) to a large number of employees. Downsides: It can be hard to get everyone together. You need to make sure you have a dynamic presenter, otherwise, you run the risk of your trainees’ zoning out. Shy employees might not engage with the group. How to make it More Effective: Add gamification elements to your classroom setting to encourage collaboration and a little friendly competition.
Interactive and Hands-On Learning Hands-on learning experiences give your employees a chance to practice while they learn. In fact, this is a great way for the trainer to assess whether or not they’ve acquired the necessary skills. Interactive activities can be fun, and they allow the employees to get involved and excited about the new material. Low Budget: If you are training on equipment or software you already have (or needed to buy anyway) and can have a manager conduct the training, you can save considerably. High Budget: A specialized instructor can raise the cost. Best for: Those who need to learn a new skill or how to use a new product. This might be best for smaller groups of employees, depending on whether or not you need special equipment or a large space for each trainee. Downsides: Hands-on learning can take longer because not everyone learns at the same pace. You might have to slow down to allow some trainees to complete the task or project. If your interactive approach uses coaching or mentoring, it could disrupt your employee’s work, although it is worth noting that mentoring can greatly reduce your yearly training expenses (https://www.inc.com/yoav-vilner/3ways-to-cut-employee-onboarding-and-training-costs.html?cid=search). Make it More Effective: A peer learning program allows you to use the resources you already have to spread skills and knowledge throughout your team. This makes training opportunities incredibly accessible for your employees on an ongoing basis. That coaching element can also help your employees retain new skills and information.
Online Learning As evidenced by the number of universities offering online degree programs, computer-based learning continues to grow in popularity, and for a good reason. You can create one training program that can be used again and again, and employees can access it on their own time (and review the material to deepen their understanding). It’s easy to track what your trainees have completed and learned. Short lessons appeal to the learner’s busy schedule and short attention span, and the ability to control the FREE LMS EVALUATION CHECKLIST
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