3 Reasons Why Your LMS Should Be Mobile Ready
Once the realm of sci-fi fantasy, a la tractor beams, and replicators, mobile device internet access is now a reality of day-to-day life. In fact, it’s the dominant way Americans go online. In 2015, mobile searches eclipsed desktop searches for the first time. Today, 85% of Twitter users access the social media platform via their smartphones or tablets. Consequently, it’s more important than ever to make sure your content is mobile ready.
As more and more users adopt mobile devices, desktop sales are plummeting. Even though it might be a few years before your organization retires traditional computers entirely, experts agree that the day is coming. In fact, desktops are predicted to disappear in the next decade.
The Mobile Ready Workforce Is Here
With the proliferation of affordable internet access and portable computers, telecommuting has also surged in popularity over the past few decades. In fact, in the United States, the number of employees who clock into their companies from home (or the local coffee shop) has grown 140% since 2005. That’s nearly 10 times faster growth than the rest of the workforce. And these are full-time, work-from-home positions. More than 4 million employees (about 3 percent of the U.S. workforce) report that they work from home at least half the time.
And even though your regular office worker bees continue to file into their cubicles and log onto their desktops, they’re still turning to their mobile devices to help them work. In fact, 91% of people consult their mobile device for ideas while completing a task, and 74% of people check their work emails on a smartphone or tablet.
In fact, you’re likely reading this article on a mobile device, so these statistics may not surprise you—but have you considered what this all means for your company’s Learning Management System (LMS)? Whether they’re working down the hall from you or halfway around the world, your employees are relying on portable technology more and more. It’s time for your LMS to keep pace.
Despite the surge in the popularity and reach of mobile devices, a 2016 LinkedIn survey found that 78% of 500 Learning and Development professionals still rely on in-person, classroom training as their primary methodology and only 12% of corporate learning is available via mobile device. So, if you’re not already offering on-demand training that’s mobile ready, this is your chance to get ahead of the curve and start exploring.
3 Reasons To Get Your Learning Management System (LMS) Mobile Ready
1. 24/7 Access To Skills And Processes
In-person training can be a great way to learn, but it has its limits. For instance, after a few days or weeks on the job, a new employee might struggle to recall a bit of information passed on in an hours-long onboarding session.
That employee could spend valuable time digging through a pile of three-ring binders provided by in-person trainers or searching a hard drive for PDF worksheets. However, the necessary information is just mere few taps away in a mobile-ready app or training website.
The speed and ease of on-demand training not only makes life easier for your employee trainees, but it can also save your company time and money and reduce risks in the event of an emergency. Imagine an employee quickly pulling up a standard operating procedure for handling hazardous materials versus just winging it because the particulars of the initial training course are long forgotten.
2. Accommodating Different Learning Styles
Aside from preparing for the downfall of desktop computers as we know them, on-demand training that’s mobile ready is simply a smarter way to meet your employee trainees at their level while catering to multiple learning styles.
For example, according to research, some learners do better when they can slow down, take their time, and dive deeper into the subject matter, while others who learn more quickly can get easily bored in a classroom setting paced for the average learner. With on-demand training, employees can go at whatever pace is best for them.
One training method that seems to capture the attention of most employees is video. A whopping 95% of businesses report that video helps them train employees better and faster – and employees seem to agree with 79% saying they already use video solutions at work and 75% reporting that they’re more likely to watch a video than they are to read emails, articles or documents.
Whether an employee is a visual or auditory learner, or simply prefers to read information in a straightforward manner, on-demand training can be there for them whenever and wherever they need it.
3. Increase Employee Engagement
The top reason people give for leaving a job is that they weren’t given a chance to advance. Indeed, employees who feel like they’re not getting the ongoing development they need are 12 times more likely to leave a company than those who say they’re receiving enough training.
When training content is available anytime, anywhere, you give your employees the opportunity to get a helping hand or learn something new whenever the need, or simply curiosity, strikes. Of course, not every employee will take the initiative to learn how to create a Gantt chart or write CSS code. But some of them will! And, simply providing the option fosters strong employee engagement, which means higher productivity and loyalty.
Maybe you can’t promise everyone a path to the very top, but with so many on-demand training options available, you can certainly give each of your employees a way to hone their skills. And that strategy could not only help you reduce turnover, but also attract top talent, as Learning and Development is a top priority for today’s job seekers.
Getting Your LMS Mobile Ready
Getting your employee training mobile ready doesn’t need to be an arduous affair. There are numerous resources to help transform your current content into a mobile learning powerhouse. However, make sure to do your research before deciding on a mobile LMS platform to make sure that your LMS is secure with fast loading times and meets your learners’ device needs and is adaptable to continue to evolve with your organization.