17 Jan 2023

Blogpost, eLearning creativ technologies 0 comment

What are the challenges in a VILT course?

VILT might be a cost-effective proposition for companies because so many employees don’t have to be assembled at the same place. They get taught virtually, and anyone can come other than arranging a venue for them. Apart from not arranging a venue, the organizations are also saved from the hassles of arranging accommodations for traveling students and teachers. This is advantageous for the company.

There is also a work-life balance for employees because their time to travel to the training venue is eliminated. They can easily attend the training from any place.

But since the employees are logged in from their homes, they can also get distracted by family members. There could be guests arriving at their homes and children who want their parents’ attention.

These are the ways in which the problems of a VILT session can be mitigated:

Onus on teachers:

So it’s the teacher’s responsibility to ensure employees concentrate completely during VILT sessions. The trainers can ensure that the employees turn their cameras on during work. If they don’t, they can be during other activities during the session.An employee can mute himself, turn the camera off, and do something else while attending the session.

The trainers can also ask employees questions to know whether he is present or not. The trainer should also include games and polls so that the learners don’t feel bored in the sessions. Instead of lecturing the learners, the documents should be used in teaching them. They can be explained with the help of a whiteboard where the teacher can draw on them. This way, the learners feel engaged throughout the session.

Another way is to use infographics that contain the information in brief. Even animated videos shown during a webinar/VILT session are a better way to get the learner’s attention.

VILT should not be long sessions because this way, the learners’ attention can deviate.

Hence it’s better to have short sessions.

A trainer must be best prepared for the session and know the learners’ first names. If the trainer feels that the learner is not paying any attention, then he should be asked to explain all the concepts to the whole group. This is known as the teach-back option.

The organizations also have much software, allowing them to easily manage employees for such webinars. They can notify them in time and also schedule the trainers.

Companies’ Responsibilities:

VILT allows you to deal with a colossal workforce living in distinct parts of the world. They can’t reach the venue at the same time due to traffic and other constraints. But can definitely attend the webinars.

However, VILT does not do away with the difference of time zones, and learners have to attend the session even if there is a night in their country.

If the learners don’t feel they have the best possible concentration during a certain time interval, they can watch the recorded session.

Although the learners might be willing to take the lessons in different time zones, this may lead to a compromise in their quality of work due to lack of sleep. Hence it’s the company’s job to ensure that such learners can log in late for work if they have attended a VILT at night.

If still, it’s not feasible, then the company must be willing to provide housing arrangements for those who have to travel to another time session.

Conduct sessions in the UCT (Universal coordinated time):

It’s also better that sessions are conducted in different time zones for both kinds of participants. The native and the foreign participants should have VILT sessions conducted at their convenience. This is only possible when the participants are willing to collaborate with one another.

Instead of using the IST or the EST for holding such sessions, it’s better to use the universal coordinated time. Using such time is better because it does not mean sacrificing any sleep for both kinds of participants, i.e., those living on either side of the equator. Therefore, attending sessions per the UTC is feasible for all participants.

Also, all participants should be ready for the VILT session because if they are not, it means explaining things to them. This means wasting the valuable time of the other participants who might have to leave for a business meeting after attending the VILT session.

27 Dec 2022

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What is the future of elearning in 2023?

Elearning will see a big change in 2023 because it will tremendously involve virtual reality now. So far, elearning has been used in a linear format with hurdles.

In this format, the learners must attempt a quiz before reaching the end of the module. Such tests are important to ensure whether the users have learned anything. After every 3–4 modules, there is a knowledge check to verify whether the learner has absorbed anything. When the learners are unable to clear any quiz, they can’t proceed to the second lesson consisting of more modules and hence have to go through the first lesson all over again. Including such tests can only ensure that learners can be trusted with work because they have completed a certain elearning assignment. In the future, following trends will be a part of the L&D:

Classroom training will be extinct:

Self-paced training will be the need of the hour because the employees prefer to work and learn from home. This has also become easier with so many elearning authoring tools becoming available so that the learning can be designed as per the course’s difficulty levels. Therefore, elearning is the need of the hour, and the days of classroom training are over.

If there is a problem with the computer, the employee can access the learning courses rather than sitting idle and zoning out. The scope of zoning out is even more in classroom training, where the environment is noisy, and not everyone can focus.

Necessary implementation of elearning due to a hybrid work culture:

We have embraced digital literacy since a long time now. Employees have started realizing that being digitally literate is no longer just a privilege but a necessity because companies are using hybrid work ways. Companies are now shifting to using more digital technologies at work, due to which employee training is also necessary.

Companies had to adopt a hybrid work model in 2022 despite the pandemic taking a backseat because the employees were not willing to rejoin the offices. In fact, they were leaving their jobs when asked to come to the workplace. 49% of employees consisting of millennials were not ready to rejoin offices, and the companies had to shift to a hybrid work approach because these people form a majority of technical employees.

When the employees don’t have any knowledge of the new software used to facilitate a hybrid work model, the companies can suffer. Hence, empowering employees is the only way before companies.

This is a serious problem because the employees seek those opportunities which provide them with growth opportunities. When the employees can’t get the knowledge they need to perform and grow in a job, they can quit. Every large-scale organization is providing employees with learning opportunities, either through an external vendor or a tie-up with an elearning partner that prepares the course. If the companies don’t focus on training the employees and retaining them, they are very much capable of doing it on their own.

Use of immersive technologies in elearning:

In 2023, extended reality(XR), which involves using AR, MR, and VR, will be used more. It’s because, in the coming year, employee experience will be at the center of learning. Employee training will be done using this technology for all kinds of industries.

In fact, since customer training has taken so much importance in these years, XR will be used for this purpose too. This kind of technology is useful when teaching people about dangerous jobs because it does not involve inflicting any harm. It is also less expensive, unlike actual equipment, getting used to training people for jobs such as operating flights.

Spread of gamification and mobile learning :

Moreover, mobile learning applications will increase because the consumption of mobile phones will enhance even more now. Even language learning applications are now using mobile phones.

Due to such easy accessibility of smartphones, gamification will assume increasing popularity in 2023. Games also provide a person with rewards, which is why people engage with them more to win points, which boost their pride also. It has been popular with people irrespective of age, a trend that will strengthen in 2023.

Immersive Games are getting used now to make people learn any foreign language. For example, gamers can see the background color of an environment change once they guess a new word. Since this involves a color change effect, the gamers are able to retain the word.

Cybersecurity training:

The elearning will become more employees centric in the future because employees are quitting jobs when not allowed to work from home.

With increased digitalization of processes, there will also be a high focus on cybersecurity training because the systems contain much more data than before. The entire customer and employee data is now present in a system that was not the case earlier. Hence, when a company’s systems are compromised, its servers can be used to get the payment information of customers.

Although employees will be trained in using digital processes, they will also be trained on how to keep the systems safe from any attacks. Due to this, cybersecurity training will form a major portion of elearning now. Companies can’t ignore the need for mobile learning solutions because they can be easily accessed by the work from home employees.

When its courses are not accessible in such a format, the work-from-home employees can feel that they are secluded, and the organization does not treat them as equal to the work-from-office employees.

Extensive focus on soft skills training for leaders:

Companies have to make employees stay and provide them with appraisal so that the former doesn’t bear the brunt of quiet quitting. It’s a troublesome scenario for a company when the employee is not willing to perform more than what is needed on the job. The employee has not resigned, but he is doing the least just in order to preserve his job and not be fired. In a Gallup survey that happened in 2022, 50% of the workforce was of quiet quitters.

Companies need productive employees who are willing to do more for them in times of recession rather than just stick to the job. Hence, when the company invests in the elearning of an employee, it’s a win-win situation for them because the employees feel associated with the organization.

Companies will also have to focus on leadership training so that they can prevent this trend of quiet quitting. Employees must get a positive environment at a workplace where the seniors are willing to listen to their problems genuinely. In that case, they can expect them to stay longer rather than leave at the first opportunity. So, leadership training, which ensures employees have positive and compassionate experiences at the workplace, is necessary.

19 Dec 2022

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What are the major hurdles in rapid elearning development?

Rapid elearning is as good as classroom training. Every course can be taught through rapid elearning these days.

Therefore, rapid learning solutions are so necessary for every company, but they are not delivering the best results because of wrong output. Hence, there needs to be careful planning by the business and elearning vendor before they are purchased by a company.

Although rapid e-learning reduces development costs by using authoring tools, it does not have the same quality levels as a professional e-learning course. Hence, a business should not sacrifice the quality levels when it comes to rapid elearning.

If there’s a need for games and formative assessments, they can be a part of such an e-learning course.

It’s because even if it needs communication, with social media, rapid elearning provides an opportunity for it, too, like classroom training.

That’s why rapid e-learning has replaced classroom-based training in every sense of the word because learners also don’t miss any opportunities for interaction. The ability to integrate social media platforms with a course depends on which authoring software is used by your vendor to develop the course.

If there is the question of whether the learners can test their theoretical skills or not, it’s possible through virtual reality simulations. Checking whether the learners can practically use what they have learned theoretically is crucial to many jobs like nursing and flying airplanes.

These are the following issues which a business needs to address to ensure that its rapid elearning output is of the desired quality levels.

Challenges in rapid eLearning content development for a business

No clear strategy:

It could also be because it has not communicated clearly with the vendor. The business can’t leave everything to the vendor and needs to provide feedback at every stage.

Rapid e-learning is not about completing deadlines when the vendor is just supposed to deliver, but about creating something useful for the business. And that’s where the latter has to play a major role too.

The problem can arise when the business does not prioritize the elearning project and nobody from the company is assigned to manage the project.

So, allocate specific people to deal with the vendor’s queries, and have a single point of communication. With a project manager in place, the vendor knows that he has to get in touch with the former.

Also, with the project being developed and executed in stages, the project manager must be ready to review the vendor’s work after every step.

Not enough resources:

The business might not have enough resources for the project to succeed. For example, although SMEs from a company can do rapid e-learning because it’s done on an authoring tool, they can’t produce professional output.

For that, taking instructional designers’ help is necessary because the rapid elearning module needs interactivities and quizzes to test a learner.

Subject-matter experts can use the existing gaming templates; they can’t tweak them to create what’s best for the company’s needs.

The same rule applies to the content templates, which must be customized according to the company’s color scheme. Without professional multimedia developers of an elearning vendor company, businesses can be clueless about how to do the same.

Their designers are experienced in using graphic designing tools such as Photoshop to redesign the templates as per the required colors. He can even drag and drop elements on the template to modify their layout for a different look.

Unacceptable deadlines set by clients:

Also, if a vendor is not happy with the deadline, he will not give his best. Therefore, make sure that the deadline is established after the consent of both parties, so to avoid hassles and half-finished output. In the worst-case scenario, the vendor does not want to have any communication due to lack of time.

Cons of not hiring professional eLearning content development companies:

Lackluster training:

The companies need to rectify their rapid eLearning when the employees are not doing their jobs properly. It is causing problems for the other employees also. The content needs to have a sense to it because if the employees can’t put all the pieces together, it can lead to a lack of coherence for them.

The companies also must have the need-to-know information included in the eLearning module because otherwise, the employees feel bored with irrelevant data.

Irrelevant content:

When the employees are made to remember too much data than what’s pertinent to perform their job duties, it means cognitive overload. They might end up forgetting the things necessary for their job duties. Hence, including not more than contextual information is quite essential for businesses that need elearning content development companies.

Unorganized content:

The learners also need clear directions through the elearning module. The businesses can’t assume that the learners know how to go through an elearning module. They might not know how to proceed to the next module. Hence, there should be narration in the video, which can include instructions on how to move through the video, including attempting the assessments.

There can also be subtitles in the video containing instructions on how to attempt quizzes or what the next slide contains.

Adult learners need a reason to learn something. They won’t be interested in training when they are not given any reason. Hence, there is a need to have sessions with mentors/leaders to explain to the learners the importance of how attending a training module can benefit them because it will fill their performance gaps. Hence, this is how organizations can attain the best results with rapid elearning development.

Hence this is how organizations can attain the best results with rapid elearning development.

12 Dec 2022

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Six benefits of using storytelling in elearning

Storytelling is an intrinsic part of human culture. Generations have shared stories as heirlooms. So, it’s no doubt that it has become an inevitable part of elearning. The learners may not remember graphs and charts and their assimilated data. But they can remember a story because of its structure.

Moreover, storytelling is an interesting way to engage the audience because it takes the learners to a different environment. Employees are enthralled through simulations as they get some time away from the monotonous office environment. It’s also easy to get someone’s attention through a story because they have an element of intrigue in them.

Elearning content development companies also help organizations cash on this benefit of stories by curating those pertinent to their work processes.

Stories ensure people remember facts better; in fact, 63% of learners imbibe the data better in their minds when it’s interwoven with stories: These are the advantages of using storytelling in elearning:-

Get the audience hooked:

The elearning content development companies can prepare interesting storytelling scenarios for their clients.

Employees today face a lot of pressure at work for upskilling. But when the elearning module is not interesting enough, they don’t gain any knowledge. The learners’ interest can be grabbed at the beginning of the lesson when a story is told to them about another learner’s experience.

When learners listen to this story, they can learn how a subject working in a similar position faced a challenging situation.

The scenarios can help learners understand how complex situations can arise at the workplace because they contain relatable characters, or such stories can come straight from the horse’s mouth. When learners listen to someone’s experience who works in the same role, this has a profound impact on them.

Anecdotes can also be used in a module to inspire the learners because they can ensure that employees can learn how their seniors overcame problems. When senior employees share their experiences about solving problems by following a solution, they take an interest in upskilling themselves.

Explain facts:

It has been found that when facts are put into stories, learners retain them better; the retention rate is as high as 20 times. You can’t attempt to influence the learners by just stating facts to them through PowerPoint slides. Therefore, storytelling is an effective medium when the management has to affect the learners to modify their behavior radically.

With genuine stories, the learners are likely to be persuaded rationally and strongly to change their work practices. The company can narrate facts to the learners about how a certain skill can increase their productivity, but when they listen to someone’s similar experience, their perception of the same skill changes.

When seniors come out in the open about professional mistakes, the learners have the highest retention. The leaders and seniors inspire others to adhere to the company’s values.

Sharing such experiences is a positive way for organizations to make employees bond with each other. Employees prevent others from committing the same errors they did through such experiences. Hence, storytelling is the best way to teach others to escape such situations scot-free.

Spread awareness:

News can also be used to inspire learners. Such news can be any compliance lapses, including cybersecurity events in any organization, and have led to serious consequences for them. They can be video clippings of any real-life incident. You can teach compliance training interestingly through such videos because once learners have the backstory of how not following rules can cost a company; they are bound to be interested.

Explain the relevance of laws:

Detailed videos can also be shown to the learners, which let them know why a law came into place and how it can prevent negligence.

For example, a law regarding cybersecurity can be introduced to the learners about how it can prevent hackers from accessing the systems. It can prevent unauthorized access by only allowing designated personnel to use certain systems.

Through news bytes, the learners can learn how not following such rules has led to ransomware attacks in organizations.

Instill an understanding of the company’s values:

Stories can also be used to let the learners understand why an organization follows a certain set of values. There is always a reason why an organization believes in a specific value. When the organization’s history is portrayed through simulations, employees become empathic about the values and start believing in them. Sometimes certain values of an organization are very valuable for it because they have led to its success and hence should be followed by employees at all levels.

Stories spread easily:

Also, stories do get a word of mouth publicity rather than data. Once an employee attends a training session, he is bound to let others know about it, giving an incentive to the upskilling initiatives of the company. An organization can’t give data to people and expect them to remember it. But they will always remember it if data has been interspersed with a story.

21 Mar 2022

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How can retail training increase the sales for a business?

Companies are facing pressure to meet sales targets because pandemic has negatively affected the businesses. But now, since the lockdowns are over, there is so much scope for them to get ahead. But then the competition in the market is so high, how the companies can sell.

Retail training has assumed much more significance because the brands are now selling on their websites and apps. Hence the customers buy directly from them rather than visiting the shops. But retail training can help you make a difference provided you are supportive to customers. It’s because the offline shopping experience is quite personal for a prospect, unlike online shopping.

The retail training can ensure that a salesperson can churn out some commendable numbers. However, being a successful salesperson requires you to have excellent soft skills. A salesperson in the company might have such skills, but how to ensure that the entire sales team gets such skills. This salesperson beats the sales targets month after month, and hence he needs to be made an inspiration for all. Such employees must also act as leaders, ensuring that the juniors listen to them and deal with customers effectively.

The hiring process already leaves those who are not suitable for the job. Everyone who is considered fit for the role has got retail training. But how to make sure that sales targets are met repeatedly.

But what, when the sales team is not getting good leads

Not being able to meet the targets is not always the sales team’s fault. The marketing didn’t provide them with good enough leads, and conversions didn’t happen.

The sales team can be given lead scores, which means they must not waste efforts on inconvertible leads. Every lead deserves a specific endeavor in terms of time because it might lack other attributes such as income, need, etc. So, specific leads deserve more time from the sales team because they have higher chances for conversion. However, apart from providing more guidance to the sales team, it’s also crucial to see that the quality of leads is desirable, and the marketing department should see to it.

Retail training, however, checks that the efforts of the sales representatives are up to the mark.

It’s the job of the retail trainer to ensure that the customer buys from the sales representatives. This is how retail training can help the sales team:

Product features training
One of the crucial aspects of retail training is providing in-depth knowledge about the products to the prospects. When the sales representative can do that, he wins the customer’s confidence ensuing that the latter has a clear idea about how the product can serve his needs or not. In addition, all his doubts about the product usability must be cleared. When sales representatives are given product training, it has been shown that it causes a 5% increase in sales. But to check the level of knowledge of sales representatives, a competency test is essential.

The product knowledge training not only includes knowledge of the product’s features but also for whom the product is meant for or not. If the salesperson is aware of all the situations, he won’t try to sell the product to someone for whom its not worthwhile. Product knowledge training also teaches them about other products in the marketplace and how your product scores over them.
Empathic listening
Retail training can only help sales employees effectively convince customers to purchase products. Soft skills training is also crucial for prospects because if they can’t be greeted well by the sales employee, they won’t feel welcome to make a purchase.

The sales employees must have the skills to listen to the customers and not lose confidence even when the customers don’t seem eager to buy. Moreover, there are challenging situations before the sales employees, like an overcrowded store, and they must know how to tackle such situations.

The reins are in the hands of a retail person in the case of an offline shopping experience. The prospects who have come to the store are willing to buy something; otherwise, they have not stepped out of the house. Retail training is essential because, unlike online shopping, the salesperson has no clue about the prospective shopper. The latter has not entered his information in an online form, and hence the salesperson does not know what his wants are. In the case of online shopping, a prospect has added so many options to the shopping cart, and hence the retail salesperson knows his preferences. The online prospect also has much better product knowledge than an offline shopper. An offline shopper does not have much knowledge about the product, and it’s the job of the salesperson to convey that information understandably and pleasingly to him.

So, even if an online internet browsing person who has some knowledge about the products has come to the store to get them, he must not return empty-handed or at least write negative reviews about store sales staff so that they don’t attract further customers.

How to convince the management about retail training?

The L&D department in a company must ensure that the training gets the nods of the CEOs because they decide the funds. Once they are not included in the project, they can be appalled by the cost, unwilling to approve it, or even have some impractical expectations.

Similarly, managers also have to support the project because they will train new employees. Once they are convinced that this program will be helpful for the company, they will provide their full-fledged support in even creating the e-learning content. Such retail programs are beneficial for managers who don’t have to train the employees personally. Instead, they enroll them and supervise their progress. When such programs are implemented, managers are saved from the hassles of training juniors and can focus on their targets. In addition, managers don’t have time to provide individual coaching to hires during peak seasons, and these programs act as their alternative.

The manager’s job is to see that more and more people enroll in the training. Telling them that they will face adverse consequences like termination won’t lead them to train. Hence the metrics of the training participants like the number of units sold and conversions can be provided to encourage enrolment.

The employees also might not have the will to apply the training skills. Hence the management has to see that the employees wholeheartedly go through training and use it too.

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