How enterprises can improve employee training programs through tech-driven contextual learning

Companies are increasingly leveraging digital solutions to their advantage. 44 percent of businesses have already adopted a digital-first strategy in their operations. As part of this widespread digital transformation, organizations have to reskill and upskill their employees and ensure that their staff are capable of maximizing their technology investments.

Companies are already spending significant sums on the necessary employee training. In 2018, large enterprises spent an average of $19.7 million for learning and development which included instructor-led classroom training, online training, and training-outsourcing.

Unfortunately, 70 percent of employees report that they still do not have mastery of the skills needed for their jobs. Because of this, enterprises must look beyond these traditional methods and adopt tools that will allow their employees to keep up with the current pace of tech evolution.

Fortunately, modern learning solutions such as digital adoption platforms have emerged to help businesses improve their training programs and empower their employees to confidently use their new digital solutions.

Challenges in enterprise learning and development

Despite their increasing spending, many companies are not seeing results from their workplace training. This is partly due to the use of conventional training methods which require employees to remember an overwhelming amount of information from their training prior to their actual work. However, employees forget about 80 percent of the information they’ve received after a month.

For example, there are companies that still conduct employee trainings in traditional classroom settings, through thick binders of instruction materials, and via lengthy webinars. Apart from finding it challenging to process and retain all the information needed to manage complex systems, employees can also find these lessons tedious and boring, especially when sitting in sessions and reading manuals take away from their work hours. They also face the challenge of retaining all the information they learned and applying these when the need arises.

Given the amount of information needed to navigate the tech-driven workplace, these methods are ill-suited to meet the demands of the fast-paced and information-driven enterprise environment.

Contextual learning can help

Modern enterprises are now looking into more advanced training tools such as learning management systems (LMS) and apps that offer more interactive and even gamified experiences. These programs offer more content and better fit the preference of today’s workforce for more independent learning.

But aside from these new learning technologies, businesses must find ways to provide guidance and training to their employees in the specific moment they need it. This is where contextual learning comes in. Contextual learning enables learners to digest and retain information by applying their newly acquired knowledge in real life situations.

Rather than simply teaching employees how to navigate an application’s interface, contextual learning can focus on the various tools and processes involved in doing their actual work such as properly and securely entering customer data, generating reports, and automating invoice creation.

Tech-driven solutions like digital adoption platforms greatly help deliver contextual learning. These tools have the capability to integrate with and display information and instructions right on top of an enterprise solution’s interface. This approach can then be used to walk employees through the comprehensive steps to navigate and operate digital tools.

Users can also customize these interfaces like changing the color, font, animation, and shapes of callouts based on their preferences. Users can also go through the walkthrough again if they need refreshers.

Benefits of a digital-driven employee training

These new solutions drastically reduce the time needed to learn a skill and allow employees to focus on the specific skills that they need to learn all at the comfort of their own workstations. Data analytics features also allow management to monitor employee performance and progress and provide timely guidance to employees whenever they need help.

Conducting proper guidance and training can prove to be beneficial to both organizations and their employees. The contextual learning delivered by digital adoption platforms can break down the barriers that traditional training methods face in achieving positive results. Employees are not pressured to retain an impossible amount of information. They can also acquire the skills they lack at their own pace. This approach also helps organizations cater to the preferences of their diverse workforce.

Providing sufficient support and training also mean an increase in employee satisfaction. When employees are happy in their workplace, they are more likely to stay and work more effectively. According to a study, satisfaction made employees 12 percent more productive.

Through careful implementation of such learning and development initiatives, organizations can also avoid putting up expensive training programs that don’t satisfy their businesses’ needs.

Keeping up with the times

With widespread digital transformation come the evolving needs of the modern workplace. It’s about time organizations realize that traditional training tools and methods are not enough. Enterprises must embrace new approaches and tech-driven solutions to bridge the gap. The emergence of digital adoption platforms that allow for contextual learning capabilities can help companies ensure that their employees are capable of using digital tools to their advantage.

Image Credit: DepositPhotos

Peter Davidson works as a senior business associate helping brands and start ups to make efficient business decisions and plan proper business strategies. He is a big gadget freak who loves to share his views on latest technologies and applications.

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