Does Your Company Need to Offer Online Learning?

A plunging customer satisfaction rating, a red budget sheet, an increase in employee turnover etc. are the key things organizations are afraid of. Unfortunately, most of the organizations have not added “untrained and inexpert employees” to this list; and that shows how online learning and training is one of the lowest priorities of these organizations.

Here at YourTrainingEdge[1], we empower our corporate clients to know all the elements about their business. Knowledge is power and being updated and learning novel skills keep the businesses going ahead of the competitors. Regularly upgrading and enhancing your employees’ skill set is important for the business owners, in particular, in the fast-paced online space. To improve the employees’ satisfaction at the workplace, polish their skills in innovative and easier-to-access ways, motivate them for better engagement and productivity and increase company’s profitability, online learning makes the most effective, cost-friendly and interactive choice. This article highlight why does your company offer online learning, by explaining some of the key outstanding benefits it brings to the company’s workforce and to the company at-large.

Many businesses of today are reporting that online learning, or eLearning, is the second most meaningful training approach they are using. There are valid reasons behind; eLearning saves companies at least 50% of their training cost, replacing traditional, classroom-based, instructor-led training with virtual tools and space. eLearning has been found to cut the instruction time by up to 65%[2]. Still, one factor that prevents many companies from adopting online learning is the cost. Is online corporate learning and training worth the investment? Are the advantages significant enough to balance the HR budget? For the leaders, especially HR managers, who are still wondering whether or not an online learning strategy will be fine for their bottom line, we thought it wise to explain some convincing benefits online learning offers. Here we go.

1. You Need Online Learning if your Company Wants to Reduce Training Cost

One of the most debated and prominent benefits of online learning and training is that it does reduce the corporate training cost[3]. With online training, there is no need for printed or published training content or even on-site facilitators, provided that all of the material the employees need is available within company’s online learning platform or portal. Though there is an initial investment to be done, the upkeep costs of the online learning platform are usually minimal as compared to conventional face-to-face corporate training methods. The only costs that you would incur include the up-front online learning course design, development expenses and periodic maintenance cost[4]. As online learning has become more likeable in the employee-training scenario, the advantages of cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS)[5] have become prevalent for the companies seeking flexible and cost-effective training methods.

2. You Need Online Learning if your Employees Want Flexible & Easy-to-Access Training Resources

Online learning doesn’t have any boundary. One of the key features of corporate online learning is that employees can participate in the online courses from anywhere. They just need a desktop or mobile device with internet connectivity. This saves much energy consumed in coordination as gathering the entire team on one location and time is not easy, and never efficient. Online learning provides both the manager and employees higher flexibility to pursue important “just-in-time” learning and training as requirements fluctuate[6].

Secondly, there are the times when any of the employees require immediate access to some information, even if there is not a scheduled online training class on that agenda. This is where online learning serves as an asset. Rather than waiting to get new knowledge or master the skill, the employees can login to online training platform anytime and access all content and training resources. This way, they can get trained at their very own pace and assimilate and retain information in a better way[7].

3. You Need Online Learning if your Company Wants to Provide Personalized Training

Without any doubt, one of the most important benefits of online learning is that it lets your employees follow their personal online training pace. Each member of the team has different training needs, objective and improvement requirements. So, what’s the point to provide “one-size-fits—all” training program if you can offer them completes personalization via online training?[8] For instance, customer service employees can take part in online sessions that train them for their communication skills and problem solving, while the management members can access materials and simulations that emphasize conflict management methods. Online training better caters specific training preferences and needs even in highly diverse organizations.

4. You Need Online Learning if Your Company Believes in Strong Feedback System

To ensure better employee satisfaction, productivity and motivation, timely feedback on their performance is mandatory. Your employees are valuable feedback assets you have at your disposal. Provide them with assessment opportunities like tests, quizzes, practical demonstration session etc. to determine what they are learning. Let them complete questionnaires and surveys at the end of the training sessions to find out their online learning experience, the things they liked the most and the things they want to see improved and more personalized. The strong feedback maintained all through the online learning strategy helps employees reaching the performance objectives and goals you have set for them. Appreciating the top performers and encouraging low scorers to do better is a source of employee motivation and higher productivity in future. The same also lets you know the effectiveness of the online training programs and online training strategy at large.

5. You Need Online Learning if your Company Has Evolving Training Needs

The best thing of online learning is that the courses here can be revamped and repurposed based on the evolving training needs of the organization. Since all the content is in digital form, it is easier to customize it in every sense. For instance, if you are including a new product line in the course, you can update it with features, specs, demos and benefits. There are Learning Management Systems (LMSs) that can automatically send notifications to the relevant employees when new online training modules or upgraded content becomes available to access.[9]

Online learning strategy and its effective implementation benefits both the employers and the employees. If you still doubt whether to invest in online training, consider the benefits mentioned to convince yourself. Your managers, staff and customers would thank you.

[1] https://www.yourtrainingedge.com/

[2] https://elearningindustry.com/top-10-e-learning-statistics-for-2014-you-need-to-know

[3] http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/trainingcosts.html

[4] http://elearningindustry.com/?s=eLearning+Budget

[5] https://elearningindustry.com/8-top-benefits-of-using-a-cloud-based-lms

[6] https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/benefits-of-online-training/

[7] http://elearningindustry.com/?s=Knowledge+Retention

[8]https://elearningindustry.com/5-tips-develop-custom-elearning-improves-employees-performance

[9] https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/insider-the-value-and-importance-of-online-learning

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