Top 9 Reasons To Develop Custom eLearning That Engages Employees

Why To Develop Custom eLearning: Top 9 Reasons Learning and Development Professionals Should Know

You do care about your employees, right? After all, they are the driving force of your company. You want to bring the best out of them, so that they can be the best at their jobs. You know exactly what you want them to learn during your online training course; but which is the most effective way to transfer this knowledge and ensure that your employees are engaged enough to absorb and retain all the information to be presented? How can you create an engaging online training experience that breaks the routine of work, satisfies your employees’ unique needs and provides them with opportunities for better job performance? Developing Custom eLearning is the answer to this question and in this article I will give you 9 key reasons why.

1. Custom eLearning is focused on employees' needs.
   Your company and your employees are unique; so are their learning needs, which means that rather than using generic eLearning courses that cover a broad range of subject matters, there are cases that custom eLearning may be a better solution, as customized online courses are specifically designed to meet the needs of both the organization and the employees. Also keep in mind that not all learners need the same type of online training. Some employees may need more, though others less guidance. In addition, novices may need different eLearning courses from more experienced learners. If learners are not able to understand the subject matter, because they find it too difficult or too easy, they simply won’t be motivated enough to actively participate, and they may even decide to quit the eLearning course. By integrating a diverse range of eLearning activities, multimedia elements, and assessments to cater to a variety of learning needs, you give all employees the opportunity to be equally satisfied from the eLearning course and enjoy personalized online training experiences that facilitate comprehension and knowledge retention.
2. Custom eLearning motivates employees by giving them the tools they need to succeed within the organization.
   Developing custom eLearning equips employees with specific tools and information they need to do their job effectively, which leads to improved performance, as it provides them with job-specific examples and interactive scenarios that ideally reflect their daily tasks in their actual working environment. By integrating activities that mimic your actual workplace and help your audience to put their skills learned into practice, without feeling that they are wasting their time with irrelevant or impersonal online training content, you can boost employees engagement, as they are able to establish a direct connection of what they learn and problems they may face on-the-job. Knowing that the eLearning course can give them the opportunity to climb the corporate ladder can be a major motivator!
3. Emphasizes the real world benefits and applications of the learning material.
   It’s a proven fact that learners are more engaged and more motivated to learn when they are aware of the real world benefits and applications of the subject matter. Custom eLearning development gives organizations the ability to tie every element of the eLearning course into on-the-job situations, challenges and processes that the learners might encounter on a daily basis. Case studies, simulations and real life examples can all be incorporated into the custom eLearning course in order to show learners how they can apply what they are learning outside of the virtual training environment, as well as the benefits they can expect to receive by becoming active participants. In short, they can directly see how their newly found knowledge and skills will impact their professional lives, which naturally makes them more willing and ready to engage in the online training experience.
4. Custom eLearning makes learning meaningful.
   We all agree that the more meaningful and relevant is something to us, the more we engage in it. Custom eLearning that has been designed specifically for the needs of your employees can bridge the gap between their current state of capabilities and the desired state, that is on-the-job practical application of what they have learned. When your employees are able to relate to your online training content and directly see that it has a positive effect on their job performance, it's more likely to get engaged in the learning process, fact that increases knowledge retention. All in all, developing custom eLearning is a learner-centered activity which makes your employees feel that they are valued enough to be offered an eLearning course specifically designed for them, addressing their unique professional needs.
5. Renews interest for veteran employees.
   Truth be told, employees who have been with the organization for many years aren’t usually thrilled about the training process. They’ve most likely taken the same training material, such as a compliance module or company policy refresher course, year after year. This brings about boredom and frustration. However, custom eLearning can be fun and entertaining even for veteran employees. When experienced employees sit down to participate in the custom eLearning course, they aren’t met with the same run-of-the-mill course that they have taken in the past. Instead, they have the opportunity to engage in new scenarios and participate in simulations that test their real knowledge.
6. Custom eLearning makes your employees feel appreciated 
   Speaking of your employees feel valued, developing custom eLearning offers your learners the invaluable feeling of having someone investing in them. Because tailored eLearning can be designed exactly the way you want it, i.e. to address your audience’s unique needs, it creates the sense of self-worth and self-satisfaction to your learners. Psychologically, when your employees know that their company values them enough to create something specifically designed from them, they feel the need to return the compliment by engaging in their online training experience and try to become more productive. From the employees' point of view, tailor-made eLearning solutions create a sense that you not only acknowledge, but also respect their contribution to your organization. It is therefore a win-win relationship: deciding to invest in custom eLearning courses, optimizes employees performance as it motivates employees to do their job properly, and at the same time, employees appreciate the organization's efforts to facilitate the learning process and help them being more well-prepared and productive.
7. Custom eLearning allows your employees to measure their progress 
   Personal achievement is a critical factor in your employees’ motivation and engagement and custom eLearning development allows your employees to do just that: measure their progress, assess their job skills and have the opportunity for recognition and reward. When you are offering your employees concrete and objective feedback throughout the online training experience, you give them the chance to assess how much they have learned, learn from their mistakes and be motivated for better performance. With a tailor-made eLearning solution you can select the ways in which you want to determine whether your eLearning objectives are met, while your employees are offered the opportunity to measure their skills and mastery. Integrating a reward system into the online training process can be particularly valuable, as it  motivates your employees to try harder in a risk free environment. Such a reward system will not only engage employees by raising their levels of involvement, satisfaction and commitment, but also will boost your employees’ engagement because of the positive feedback, skills recognition and constructive challenges they receive.
8. Custom eLearning empowers your employees’ sense of belonging and pride.
   A custom eLearning course can be fully customized to incorporate branding. By customizing your online training course to reflect your company’s image and brand, you help your employees not only gain a better sense of the branding message you have worked so hard to create, but also develop a stronger connection to their company’s organizational identity. Developing custom eLearning that is brand-aligned offers your audience a sense of belonging in the corporate learning community. Each and every component of your custom eLearning course reflects the integrity and credibility of your organization and encourages your employees to get excited about the fact that they are members of your team. They feel a sense of pride that the organization is projecting a polished and cohesive image, and that you’ve taken the time to create an online training course that falls in line with that image. Being aware of the fact that the company values skill development and knowledge base expansion will encourage employees not only to fully participate  in the eLearning experience, but also to do their best to contribute to the company's success. A tailored eLearning solution offers you the chance to protect and promote your brand integrity and makes your employees feel as they should be feeling: being the driving force of a company that really stands out.
9. Custom eLearning can be really fun 
   I saved the best for last: what is the most effective way to engage one in doing something? That’s right; by making sure they like it. Developing custom eLearning offers you the opportunity to create online training courses that are not only as entertaining as you want them to be, but also ideal for positively affecting the way your employees respond to their online training. Make sure that you create a visually appealing design that will stimulate your employees’ visual interest, attractive multimedia and eLearning games that will provide an antidote to their boredom, and a variety of interactive opportunities that will intrigue their curiosity and offer them a positive and certainly memorable online training experience.

Keep in mind that these are just a few of the ways that custom eLearning development increases corporate learner engagement. If you want to keep your employees immersed in the eLearning experience and boost their on-the-job performance, then developing custom eLearning courses may be your best return on investment.

Now that you know all the reasons of why to develop custom eLearning courses in order to increase your employees’ engagement, you may be interested in what motivates them to perform better. Read the article 6 Tips To Motivate Your Employees in Online Training and learn all the tips that will allow you to create interactive and motivating online training experiences for your audience.