Learning and development technologies, such as e-learning platforms and resources, are growing in popularity as more and more businesses realise the value of incorporating them into employee induction, training and development programmes.
These approaches to training are widely-regarded to be better at engaging the interest of learners and are in many cases favoured by staff. And, it’s a well-known fact that if a business offers a more robust L&D programme, one that incorporates online technologies, it’s more likely to attract the right candidates, and retain them.
Interestingly, the rise of L&D technologies is not confined to any one industry in particular, with eLearning Industry predicting the global online corporate training market will keep growing universally by 13% per year up to 2017. This growth in the market symbolises the increasing realisation by businesses that this technology is helping to add value.
But companies weren’t always so quick on the uptake of e-learning technology. In fact, when it was first introduced as a corporate training method, many feared that computers would replace trainers and thus the human element of training would be lost. However, just as technology has been integrated into most other aspects of our daily lives, e-learning has too become accepted as a natural progression in the training world.
So, with increasing numbers of companies and their employees taking advantage of the benefits of L&D technology, it’s time to examine just what these are.
Empowering staff
With e-learning, staff are empowered to take more responsibility for their own training and development – a great tool for motivation, as employees who can see a clear path of development and career progression in front of them, are more likely to be engaged. Courses can be tailored to each individual learner and delivered at a time and in a format which suits them. E-learning is also more flexible as staff do not need to congregate together at once – they can learn in their own time, independently. This is extremely useful when it comes to resource management in busy business environments, such as contact centres, which are often open around-the-clock.
Engaging staff interest
E-learning courses usually incorporate video content, interactive slides, and some even offer learners the option to work their way through a system in ‘training mode’. And, it’s no secret that learning by physically doing a task is a more engaging method and makes for better information retention and recall. If staff are engaged during training, and can see the value in what they’re learning, improvements in performance are a likely occurrence.
Reducing costs and saving time
Learning and development technology allows for resources to be hosted online which saves on printing costs that can rack up over time. It also means these materials can be updated quickly and regularly and are kept accurate and relevant at no extra cost. And, as an online resource, e-learning also allows for real-time feedback when courses are complete which saves trainers time having to manually mark tests or coursework. And, by saving time on laborious marking, e-learning gives trainers and managers more capacity to deliver one-to-one coaching and feedback sessions, which can be invaluable to staff development.
How has learning and development technologies helped our business?
At Echo Managed Services, recognising the need to continually innovate, we recently revamped our in-house e-learning platform – ePOD. This has ensured that ePOD offers tailored training programmes for our employees which are in-tune with our business’ current needs and requirements.
It’s crucial that our staff always have the most up-to-date campaign information at their fingertips and so we have created, in collaboration with our clients, an online campaign library where information is updated regularly. We’ve found this, as well as keeping a list of good calls on file which employees can access and listen to at any time, as well as video content, to be a very effective training method.
Given that we provide customer contact for a range of clients, our staff are often working across a number of campaigns and so need to be multi-skilled as quickly as possible. E-learning grants our staff the independence to skill themselves on the latest campaigns, while the engaging content makes this process a lot quicker and flexible. It also helps staff take more initiative and ownership of their personal development which is positive for those wanting to progress up through the business – a good incentive to those joining the company during our recruitment intakes.
And, while L&D in itself is a great tool for employee induction, training and ongoing development, it is imperative that this is overseen by a skilled team. Overseeing the direction of the programme, as well as developing engaging materials and resources, means that employees have a support network to help further empower them with their development.
As a contact centre business, our people are our greatest asset – they’re the frontline in dealing with our client’s customers. Our culture is to develop a workforce of knowledgeable, informative and empowered customer service individuals who can quickly move from campaign to campaign while delivering the best service possible. For us, learning and development technology has provided the ideal platform to ensure this continues to be a reality.
