Is eLearning A Perfect Fit For The Telecom Industry?
The global telecommunications industry had a value of around 1.4 trillion U.S. dollars in 2017 and is predicted to grow to almost 1.46 trillion U.S. dollars in size by 2020. It is a complex industry, and due to recent changes like privatization, deregulation, technological innovations and competition, its mode of conducting business has changed completely. Telecommunications conglomerates like Vodafone Group and AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. have hundreds of subsidiaries spanning across all five continents, and hundreds of thousands of employees. The technology involved in running such a huge industry includes tons of layers, protocols, standards and moving pieces, which, in turn, require thoroughly trained employees. This is where eLearning comes in. eLearning can help telecommunication businesses address all of their training needs in the most cost-efficient as well as time-efficient manner. In this article, we’ll discuss how.
1. Scalability
One of the notable features of the telecom industry is that each organization employs hundreds or thousands of employees. Classroom training cannot be scaled to train more than 100 employees at one time (what’s the maximum number of people that can fit into one classroom?). eLearning, however, has no constraints of space, as learning takes place on devices like PCs, laptops, tablets or smartphones. Thus, it can be scaled to an unlimited number of employees. eLearning doesn’t have any constraint of place either and can cater to employees residing in different cities, countries, and time-zones. If this isn’t the ultimate scalability, I don’t know what is.
2. Standardized Training
The telecom industry is in itself, the very definition of standardization. It is heavily regulated, and the same technologies are used everywhere. Subsidiaries present globally must conform to the regulations, procedures as well as values laid down by the parent company, maintaining uniformity. What better tool to deliver the same learning content to all these subsidiaries and stores in an efficient way than eLearning? eLearning can offer on-the-job training for both new recruits as well as old hands to lay stress on work culture, company policy, processes, etc. It is easy and saves the organization a good amount of money.
3. Flexibility And Freedom
Of course, one of the biggest benefits of eLearning is that it eliminates the need for hiring an instructor or trainer, thus saving the organization money. It also eliminates a lot of energy spent coordinating where and when a course will take place, while also saving money on rental and maintenance charges. But, what does it do for the employees? It offers them the ultimate flexibility and freedom. Employees can access eLearning courses through personal devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops, anytime, anywhere as they like. This saves valuable time which would have been otherwise spent on attending classroom training. It is a win-win situation for both the organization as well as the employees!
4. Enhanced Customer Service Training
Customer service plays a huge role in the telecom industry. Customer service is a company’s opportunity to connect with customers, solve problems, and show they care. And when customer service is executed well, it can resonate with customers for years to come, which builds brand loyalty. eLearning can be used to train the front office/back office customer relations staff on how to enhance customer satisfaction. This includes teaching said staff important skills such as communication, motivation, product knowledge, listening, problem-solving and body-language.
5. Targeted Learning
Customer service, however, isn’t the only department in the telecom industry. There are several other types of personnel working in the industry, all of them with different training needs. For example, the sales personnel require a crisp understanding of various telecom technologies in order to sell better to the customer. For the call-center personnel, it is important to understand the same concepts in a more detailed manner, with a special focus on problem-solving. For a manager handling corporate sales, it is crucial to understand the concepts in detail in order to make a successful sale at a big corporate. eLearning can solve all the problems by targeting learners by departments. This helps learners from various different departments achieve their key result areas.
With more and more players in the market, the competition in this industry is fierce. But don’t worry, a well-trained staff is the most crucial element of any organization, no matter which industry it is involved in.
