Employee training and development is very important for the success of any startup or corporation. More and more organizations globally are now replacing their outdated instructor-led, on-site training programs for modern e-learning programs. E-learning allows organizations to equip their staff with specialized expertise using the latest technologies, while cutting down on overheads.

Here are some of the advantages your company will enjoy from adapting e-learning programs:

1. Lower costs

Classroom training comes with expenses such as travel, training venues, accommodation and catering. Creating, updating and reproducing training materials can also be time-consuming and costly. E-learning allows participants to attend from any location, thus cutting down on all these costs. In addition, online course can be updated easily and quickly. As a result, e-learning provides a better ROI for companies than traditional training methods.

2. It’s contextual

Every organization has unique learning and development needs. The different departments within the organization have varying learning needs as well. An e-learning program can be easily adapted to meet all these needs. In addition, this program can be customized to cater for individual learning needs at different stages in their life cycle. For example, a new employee will require a different training program from a long-time staff member that wants to upgrade his skills.

3. Measurability

The learning outcomes of online courses should not just be measured based on how many people completed the course, their quiz grades or how much time they took to finish. An e-learning platform allows you to measure the impact of the training program on your company’s Key Performance Index (KPI). Before initiating any online course, decide what outcome or objective you want to achieve. This could be anything from faster onboarding of new clients to increased sales and lower support calls. Check your position before e-learning, and then evaluate the metrics after the online course. Any improvement in those areas could be attributed to your training program.

4. Boosts performance and productivity

When attending traditional training programs, employees find themselves spending hours, days or even weeks away from their work stations. As a result, they end up wasting precious time that would have been spent doing more productive tasks. With e-learning, employees can take online courses from anywhere and at any time. As a result, the learning does not interfere with other time-sensitive and crucial work responsibilities. In addition, employees can always revisit the information in the course whenever they need it.

5. Timely feedback

Since everything is online, the company management can get real-time feedback on how e-learning programs are performing. In addition, they are able to monitor the progress of individual staff members. Online courses also eliminate the need for manual evaluation of quizzes. The e-learning management system will automatically grade the tests and provide instant feedback to employees and management.

6. It’s engaging

Learners process information in different ways. While some prefer reading written materials, others learn more effectively via video. E-learning makes use of a wide range of formats, from animation, interactive slides and text, to gamification and videos. This allows participants to select their preferred method of learning, therefore improving retention of information received.

7. Standardized training

Many companies have offices in different locations locally and internationally. In such cases, it is almost impossible to provide the same level of training using seminars, workshops and other traditional training methods. E-learning programs allow you to offer standardized training to all your employees regardless of their location, culture and language.

Charles Mburugu is a HubSpot-certified content writer/marketer for B2B, B2C and SaaS companies. He has worked with brands such as GetResponse, Neil Patel, Shopify, 99 Designs, Oberlo, Salesforce and Condor. Check out his portfolio and connect on LinkedIn.

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