What To Consider When Deploying Learning Technology
Technology has revolutionized Learning and Development in recent years, ushering in the ability for Learning and Development to grow from a necessary evil to a powerful way to create a culture of learning at your organization. Learning has moved out of the classroom and away from ineffective weekend sales retreats. The new classroom is everywhere and allows learning to happen anytime. A recent study by learning technology analyst Brandon Hall Group provides 4 key findings that show how and why your organization should utilize these new technologies to strengthen the link between learning and performance.
1. Learning Technology Improves KPIs
Organizations are increasingly investing in learning technology. The "why" is simple; investment pays off. The study showed that organizations which invested in learning technology were rewarded with improvements to KPIs across the board. Better sales enablement and general training raised revenues. Blended learning and relevant content increased engagement and productivity. As employees became more productive and better engaged thanks to better training, costs dropped and turnover rates decreased.
If your organization has no plans for learning technology investments in the future, you should consider the possible outcome. Under-trained sales people will under-sale. Poorly trained customer support personnel will misrepresent your brand and provide a poor customer experience. Poor employee performance could lead to the eventual path of termination or resignation. Poor training can ultimately lead to a vicious cycle of constant employee turnover.
2. Satisfaction Lags In The Learning Tech Market
Despite the proven link between learning and performance, organizations aren’t finding the right tools for the job. They know the power of blended learning and how learning technology can help create a practice of constant learning; they just can’t find the tools that offer these solutions. When asked about their current satisfaction levels with learning technology functionalities, most responders painted a grim picture. The majority were overwhelmingly unsatisfied with how their current Learning Management System handled informal and experiential learning opportunities.
Poor user and administrator experience is behind much of this dissatisfaction. An astounding 88% of study responders sighted poor user experience as a reason to research a different learning management system.
If you want your organization to see the improved KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) mentioned above, you have to give them the right learning opportunities and make sure they are easily usable. Even the best tools are a wasted opportunity if no one knows how to find or use them.
3. New Technologies Are A Top Priority
When asked about top Learning and Development priorities, an overwhelming 48% of responders said they were exploring new learning technologies. Why are so many organizations exploring these new technologies? The third top priority provides the answer. 42% of those polled said they were attempting to create a stronger link between learning and performance.
Learning and Development isn’t just important, it’s mission critical for your company’s success. Failing to take advantage of these new learning technologies isn’t just a missed opportunity for you, it’s a clear opportunity for the competition to get a leg up over your organization.
Also consider the reporting capabilities as well. Empowering your employees means little if you can’t judge the value of these new resources. A good Learning Management System will allow you to prove the link between learning and performance.
4. Social/Mobile Tools To Power Learning
Almost half of the organizations polled are seeking better mobile and social learning tools. Why are these tools so important to so many? Because social and mobile learning are two of the most powerful ways to re-think Learning and Development. These two tools alone can transform the entire way an organization enables employees.
Social learning allows organizations to utilize intra-organizational knowledge. When a salesperson needs product knowledge, they don’t want to go through learning and support departments, they want to get that knowledge from the source; social learning tools allow for this possibility. Social learning tools can help create a knowledge base from internal sources that is peered review for accuracy.
Mobile learning can allow knowledge to be delivered at the point of need and create a culture of constant learning. Instead of delivering training in long winded training seminars with poor retention rates, learners have constant access to the knowledge they need. Microlearning opportunities can be used to create short teaching lessons that generally have much higher retention rates.
It’s clear from Brandon Hall Group’s research learning technology has a clear value for organizations willing to invest in it. That doesn’t mean spending big money as much as it means a time investment to develop a good learning plan. There are several new learning technologies opportunities that don’t just improve on old learning standards but create a new culture around learning. Finding these opportunities is critical to the success of your organization.
Download Brandon Hall Group’s report from Docebo to gain more insights into what learning technology your organization needs to strengthen the link between learning and real business results.