Did you know that companies who are able to engage their employees effectively are 21% more profitable than others? Yet, over half of employees readily admit to being unproductive at work? This means that employers have a problem. Higher profits depend on engaged and productive employees, but companies are struggling to equip their teams with the tools they need to excel.
Employee training software has emerged as a game-changing solution for addressing this challenge. Smarter training tools that offer streamlined workflows, micro-learning modules, and mobile access are more engaging and can significantly impact a company’s bottom line. This blog will explore how innovative employee training tools can drive better results and help businesses achieve more.
The Role of Training in a Productive Workplace
Well-trained employees work more efficiently, make fewer errors, are more confident and are better equipped to tackle complex challenges as they arise. A recent survey revealed that 80% of employees believe that better training directly impacts their productivity.
While many employers understand the importance of training employees, traditional training methods often fall short of reaching the desired goals. Long, boring, irrelevant in-person or online sessions are time-consuming, disengaging and fail to address individual learning needs. The perfect recipe to create disengaged and unproductive workers!
When businesses invest in better, smarter training tools, they will find that the use of innovative technologies like AI and gamification can help deliver tailored, engaging experiences that align with organizational objectives. The result is a workforce that is properly trained as well as empowered and motivated to contribute more effectively to the success of the company.
What Sets Smart Training Tools Apart?
It’s easy enough to suggest that companies seek out smarter training tools, but what exactly defines a smart tool? In contrast to traditional corporate learning platforms that tend to contain large blocks of text to read and long, drawn-out videos to watch, newer tools stand out because of their adaptability, interactivity and ability to deliver measurable results.
Some of the key features that make these tools so effective include:
- Personalized Learning Paths Powered by AI: Not everyone learns the same way. Smart training software leverages AI to analyze individual performance and create tailored learning paths based on preference and need. This ensures that each employee can focus on the area where they need the most knowledge or improvement, saving time and maximizing effectiveness.
- Gamified Training for Engagement: Many of the current generation of workers have grown up on video games. Incorporating game-like elements such as badges, leaderboards and challenges, makes learning fun and rewarding for employees, and presents it in a format they are used to. Gamification increases participation and also improves retention, as employees are more likely to engage with content presented in an interactive format.
- Real-Time Performance Tracking and Feedback: Even the most well-designed training program is useless if people aren’t completing it, and sometimes programs need to be updated as circumstances or policies change. Traditional corporate learning platforms often lack visibility into how employees are progressing. With real-time performance tracking, managers can monitor individual and team progress, identify skill gaps and provide instant feedback to keep employees on track.
The features available in smart employee training tools go beyond merely teaching skills to employees. They help transform the way employees approach their work, driving motivation and productivity.
How Smarter Tools Impact Your Business
The most obvious benefit of smarter training tools is employees who are better trained and able to do their jobs. Having well-equipped workers has a ripple effect, creating tangible improvements in productivity and overall company success. Here’s how:
- Faster Onboarding for New Hires: Traditional onboarding processes can take weeks, delaying the ability of new hires to get started and contribute to the company. On the flipside of that, not offering any onboarding process at all also limits the ability of new hires to be productive. Smart training tools streamline onboarding by providing personalized, role-specific modules that help employees get up to speed quickly and hit the ground running.
- Reduced Skill Gaps Through Targeted Training: Skill gaps are a major drain on productivity, but they often go unnoticed until it’s too late and employees have already wasted significant time trying to keep up with tasks that are beyond their knowledge. Modern training platforms are able to identify these gaps quickly and address them with targeted content, ensuring employees have the skills and knowledge they need to excel.
- Enhanced Employee Satisfaction and Retention: Employees who feel supported and invested are more likely to stay engaged and loyal to their company. They will work harder and make more of an effort to perform, and they tend to stay in their positions longer. Training tools that offer engaging, relevant content are huge contributors to job satisfaction and can significantly help to reduce turnover.
Unilever Israel has close to 2,000 employees, many of whom are required to undergo compliance and safety training at regular intervals. In the past, these trainings were conducted face-to-face, requiring work to stop for 2-3 hours. Employees would often lose focus and only retain about 20% of the material – a trade-off that was not worth the lost time in productivity.
When they started a pilot program using Bites, almost all of the users completed the training within 24 hours, and around 30% left comments in the discussion section expressing their thanks and enjoyment of the training experience. Following the successful pilot program, Unilever used Bites to deliver annual compliance training to employees worldwide. Within 24 hours, 80% of the target group had completed the training, and managers used the dashboard to track and contact those who hadn’t completed the training. The reminders worked and after a few days there was a 96% completion rate.
Steps to Find the Perfect Solution
It can be overwhelming to choose the right training platform. You can use the step-by-step guide laid out below to help you select a solution that aligns best with your needs:
- Assess the Unique Needs of Your Workforce: Consider your team’s size, roles and learning preferences. Do you need training tools for remote workers or is everyone on site? Is compliance training a priority? Will everyone require the same information out of your employee training software or do you need to personalize based on roles? These are just a few questions to consider in order to understand the specific requirements that your business has.
- Compare Software Features and Pricing: Once you’ve assessed your needs, make a list of features that will help meet those needs such as personalized learning, gamification abilities and analytics. Then look for learning management systems that offer these features and compare prices. Balance functionality with budget considerations to find the solution that provides you with the best value.
- Test Platforms Using Free Trials or Demos: It’s always good to try before you buy whenever possible. Many providers offer free trials or live demos which give you the chance to evaluate the platform’s usability and effectiveness before making a commitment. Make sure you involve all key stakeholders in the testing process to ensure that the tool meets everyone’s expectations.
Empower Your Team for Greater Success
An investment in smarter training tools is an investment in your company’s future. Leveraging modern technology and combining it with engaging content is key to helping employees learn faster, perform better and stay motivated.
The result will be a more productive, satisfied workforce that drives better business outcomes. Don’t let outdated training methods hold your team back – be in touch with Bites today and upgrade your employee training!