10 Ways to Lose at Selling Learning Systems: For LMS Vendors

LMS vendors, I owe you a post.  It’s hard to believe nearly two years have passed since I last shared tips for selling learning systems.  But since the LMS market is on fire, you’ve probably been too busy to notice.  I hope you’ve been too busy winning.

We’ve been busy.  This year, in addition to launching “The Talented Learning Show” podcast, writing 20 in-depth articles, hosting 5 webinars and developing several commissioned industry reports, we’ve been up to our eyeballs in an endless series of comprehensive LMS selection assignments.  In fact, we just concurrently completed two full-scale LMS selection projects in the last couple of weeks — one for a corporate extended enterprise client and another for an international professional association.

In the Talented Learning selection process, we always work with our clients to first accurately define their requirements and then we recommend 4 super-qualified, matching vendors to evaluate in a formal RFP selection process.  (Learning systems buyers are always more successful when they invest their time evaluating qualified vendors for their business situation vs. qualifying vendors).

With 8 total finalists, my head is still spinning from analyzing a thousand plus pages of RFP response documents, sitting through 24 hours of demos and critically (sometimes ruthlessly) evaluating a diverse cast of sales characters as they pitch their solutions.

The LMS Sales Process: What Counts?

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As you may know, this isn’t my first sales rodeo.  Before founding Talented Learning, I was an LMS sales guy for 13 years and competed in hundreds and hundreds of learning systems sales opportunities.  I won and lost my fair share but was unaware of my level of effectiveness in relation to my sales peers.

Sales reps rarely get a chance to see peers in action, so it’s difficult to compare your sales prowess based on anything other than annual sales volume and the tidbits shared by the common solution architects.  Now as a selection consultant, I have a better view than most of the best and worst sales people from all over the world.  It’s fascinating side benefit of my job.

What do I notice?  The list is deep, wide and critical.  For example:

• How quickly do sales reps respond to inquiries?
• How deeply do they understand my client’s business needs?
• How thorough are their questions?
• Do they seem fully prepared for demos?   How do they demo?
• How candid and honest are their answers?
• Are they on time?
• Are they leveraging their executives – circling the wagons?
• Are their clothes pressed, shoe shined and hair combed?  (Yes, I really need to say this unbelievably).
• What is their level of knowledge about their own solution?

That’s just a small sample from my thousand point checklist.  I may be a tough critic, but when I see a stellar sales performance, I’m quick to give credit.  On the other hand, when I see a train wreck, I’m equally quick to notice, chuckle and not invite them to compete for awhile.  I rarely share criticism directly with vendors unless I’m asked, or unless I’m in the mood to write.  Lucky for you, today I have plenty of fresh feedback from my recent experiences!

Why Sales Performance Should Be a Priority

Selling learning systems was and is never easy.  The quickest selection processes take 90 days and require a ton of work.  There can be only one winner and second place is worse than 40th.   With 700+ learning management systems as competition, continuous sales improvement is the hidden-in-open-view key to a learning systems company’s future.  Sometimes, a salesperson can do everything right in the sales process and still lose, but that doesn’t happen as often as salespeople like to think or tell their executives.

It also turns out that buyers are picky.  Go figure.   They are going to spend a few hundred thousand dollars and put their professional reputations on the line with the ultimate vendor selection.  The reasons why they buy and don’t buy are often subjective are much deeper than any feature, function or cost.

Top 10 Ways to Lose an LMS Deal:

The problem about winning though is that it is time consuming.   Both during the sales process and after.  If your organization is winning too many deals and as a result you are too busy, here are some top ways I’ve seen work recently to efficiently lose a deal.

1) Rather than customizing your RFP response, just reuse a boilerplate proposal.  Be sure to avoid specifics about the opportunity at hand.

2) Skip the spellcheeck.

3) Structure your pricing in an overly complicated manner that does not address the specific requirements in the RFP.  Don’t forget to itemize plenty of low-cost options that are actually mandatory, so buyers are forced to untangle these features and debate the merits and cost of each.

4) Avoid research to profile your buyer.  Don’t bother investigating their industry, their business strategy, their positioning, their brand names and other publicly available information.  Ignore LinkedIn information about their organization and leaders.

5) Don’t illustrate a deep understanding of the business need in your RFP or product demonstration.  Instead, assume all purchasing scenarios are essentially the same and you’ve seen these challenges before.

6) In the final demo, ask lots of discovery questions and try to tailor your demo on the fly.

7) Freely use the phrase “you can have anything you want,” or “that will require a slight modification,” but forget to note that your proposal doesn’t include the time or cost to satisfy any of these requirements.

8) If you don’t meet a requirement, purposely misrepresent it.  This is one of my favorites.  It often plays out like this: “Yes, we meet this requirement…”  (And from this point forward, drone on with a convoluted-confusa-answer that describes something else entirely, hoping the buyer isn’t reading or listening closely, or an LMS selection consultant isn’t working on their behalf).

9) Deliver a “spaghetti-on-the-wall” demo where you throw every feature of your system at the buyer and hope something sticks.  You know this is happening when the presenter says, “I don’t know if you need this particular feature or not, but let me tell you all about it just in case.” and then describes it excruciating detail.    

10) In the final demo, when prospects ask a question that exposes a requirement gap, promise you’ll follow-up with an answer – then conveniently forget to close the loop.

Conclusion

Selling learning systems has always been challenging, but it’s even more so now.  With so many niche players and so many ways to apply learning platforms, you’re likely to face stiff competition from across the spectrum.  It’s impossible to keep ahead of every potential competitor, so selling against competitors if fruitless.  You have to be selling for the client through the lens of solving their business needs.

The best salespeople approach their performance like elite athletes, systematically defining then optimizing their abilities for each and every of the many elements in the sales process.  You can’t win an LMS deal by excelling in only one step, but if you continually improve each step, eventually you’ll win more than your fair share.

Finally, be ruthless in qualifying opportunities – in or out.  If it’s “out,” don’t stretch.  But if it’s “in,” don’t waste the lead by making junior sales mistakes.  Aim for the win every step of the way.  Chances are you will stand out from the crowd and achieve your goal of being too busy winning.

Thanks for reading!

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Want more LMS insights? Check this on-demand webinar:

Insider’s Guide to LMS Selection Success

The LMS landscape is crowded, complex and difficult for potential buyers to navigate. What should learning technology buyers do?

REPLAY THE WEBINAR NOW!

Join Talented Learning Lead Analyst John Leh and Docebo North American Sales Director Corey Marcel as they explain what you should know before you choose the right LMS for your organization. You will learn:

• What an effective LMS selection process looks like
• The factors that matter most in choosing a learning platform
• Where to find the most reliable LMS vendor intelligence, and
• How to avoid common LMS selection missteps

If you’re selecting a new LMS this year (or are only thinking about it), replay this on-demand webinar, and start putting your selection strategy to work!

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Need Proven LMS Selection Guidance?

Looking for a learning platform that truly fits your organization’s needs?  We’re here to help!  Submit the form below to schedule a free preliminary consultation at your convenience.

• First Name*
• Last Name*
• Email Address*
• Company

Photo credit: Michael Lorenzo via FreeImages 

The post 10 Ways to Lose at Selling Learning Systems: For LMS Vendors appeared first on Talented Learning.

10 Ways to Lose at Selling Learning Systems: For LMS Vendors original post at Talented Learning

Podcast 9: Association LMS Trends – With Linda Bowers of WBT Systems

WELCOME TO EPISODE 9 OF THE TALENTED LEARNING SHOW!

To learn more about this podcast series or to see the full collection of episodes visit The Talented Learning Show main page.

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EPISODE 9 – TOPIC SUMMARY AND GUEST:

Associations everywhere are reinventing the way they engage and educate their members, thanks to ecommerce and LMS advances that help them drive new revenue streams from these strategies.

Today we talk with an expert who has been at the forefront of this movement for years – Linda Bowers.  Linda is Chief Technology Officer at WBT Systems, a Dublin-based software company that focuses exclusively on association learning and certification solutions.

Because Linda spends much of her time gathering intelligence and feedback directly from customers, we often compare notes about industry issues and opportunities.  We recorded our most recent discussion, so others who share our interest in association LMS trends can follow along.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Many associations are seeking new sources of revenue from training and certification programs.  Selling content to corporate customers through volume licensing is one increasingly popular approach.

• This kind of B2B opportunity promises significant upside.  However, it can be complex to implement – with multiple business, process and technology considerations.

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Q&A HIGHLIGHTS:

Your role as CTO is different from the traditional CTO role.  It’s broader.  Can you tell us about that?

My background is in LMS implementation.  So as CTO, I’m obviously responsible for the roadmap, but I’m actively involved in the sales process because I like to learn directly about the problems organizations are trying to solve.  I also reach out to our existing customers fairly regularly to ensure that they’re happy and successful with their LMS implementation and to gather feedback about various aspects of our product.  That’s important because customers are really the experts in what we’re trying to accomplish.

What do you see that’s different in 2018, from last year or even 2016?

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Several things:

• More associations are extending their business models beyond delivery of training to individual members.  Now they’re also selling content in bulk to businesses.  Those are quite different models.

• In addition, associations are expanding their range of products and they’re enhancing the services they offer.  For example, more organizations are offering certification programs and tying them to their learning programs and core offerings.

• We’re also seeing interesting techniques like gamification, digital badges and personalization moving forward quickly in the last few years.

When an association sells training to a business, how does that work?

Let’s say Company ABC has 100 employees, all of whom need similar training.  So the association will contract directly with that company to provide learning content.  And that brings a whole slew of considerations from an ecommerce perspective.

For example, will you need to agree to a contract in advance?  What does that business model look like?  Will you give them access to a library of courses … or will they pay as their users go … or are they buying content in bulk, as a bundle?  There are many ways you can approach it from a contractual and pricing standpoint.  And of course, your systems must be flexible enough to support whatever business rules you choose.

Anything else?

You also have to look at things like how they’re going to pay for it.  Is it an upfront payment?  Do you have an agreement where they pay you retroactively?  Is it staged?  Do you want them to pay you separately through a financial system, so there may be integration points into the LMS?  Or do you want the ecommerce system (if it fits into the LMS) to handle all of these payments?

Wow.  And that’s just for the ecommerce piece of this.  So how would Company ABC get users in the system?

User provisioning can certainly be a challenge.  There are numerous ways to approach it.  For example, ABC Company could be given access to a “corporate administrator.”  This administrator can see available courses in the LMS and can send email invites to any employee.  So when a recipient clicks on a link in the email, it lets them effectively self-register, so they have immediate access to the system and the course.  Whenever someone self-registers, it claims a seat from the bulk license.

And another scenario…?

You can swing from full self-service to a fully integrated approach.  In that case, if you have an AMS or CRM, the users may all be preloaded.  Or you may receive an integration file from ABC Company, so you can preload the users into your AMS or CRM and have them dynamically called into the LMS, so they’ll be preregistered and email notices will automatically be sent to those users with course log-in details.

That makes sense…

You may also want to go a step further and offer a custom integration service.  It really depends on the volume of corporate users and what level of self-service they desire.

So, can these bulk corporate transactions happen directly in the LMS, or does a representative finalize the contract, and then it’s entered administratively?

I’m seeing that capability moving online more frequently, particularly when associations are targeting relatively small businesses – say, when you want to bulk sell 50 seats, rather than 2000.

So, say we’ve sold 100 training paths to ABC Company.  How is that tracked?  Can an admin see that of 100 total licenses, 3 are assigned and 97 remain available?

We have a license tool that lets organizations set-up any licensing rules they wish.  When users sign-up for courses, a dashboard tracks their status and content consumption.  You can see how many people have claimed seats, and how many are actively consuming content within a specific license.

One simple thing people like about this is the ability to manage overflow.  So for example, you may initially sell 100 licenses to ABC Company, but you can also agree that the license will accept additional users and ABC will be notified if demand exceeds their expectations.

So, say my association has sold 100 of these bulk licenses, and each has 100 learners.  What does that delegated administrative responsibility look like?

Requirements vary widely.  It could be as simple as administrators needing to assign training to each user and a basic dashboard to see user status.  But it can go much further.  The more associations get into this model, the more they find they’re not just selling courses to ABC Company, but they’re providing a mini-LMS solution, as well.

At that point, customers may need a domain within your LMS where they have access to content they’ve purchased from you, as well as the ability to import their own content and offer their own private dedicated catalog that incorporates their own branding, custom notifications and other functionality beyond the initial bulk content license…

TO HEAR EVEN MORE ABOUT B2B LICENSING MODELS AND RELATED TRENDS, LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST NOW!

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WANT TO LEARN MORE? JOIN OUR MAY LIVE WEBINAR:

How to Drive Online Learning at Scale: Corporate Market Strategies for Associations

RSVP FOR THE MAY WEBINAR NOW

Selling online learning content to individuals is challenging enough. But selling that same content in bulk through corporate customers or partners can be even more demanding.  The business models are fundamentally different.  Plus, business-to-business relationships require specialized content management functionality.

What does it take to succeed?

Join John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning, as he hosts a live virtual panel with experts who have developed and managed profitable B2B online education programs:

• William Hold, Chief Development Officer, The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research
• Linda Bowers, CTO, WBT Systems
  

In this dynamic one-hour roundtable, you’ll learn how to:

• Build a viable business model for bulk sales
• Develop effective pricing and marketing strategies
• Compare tradeoffs of selling through sales reps versus online channels
• Delegate content administration, reporting and user provisioning
• Integrate core learning systems with CRM platforms and other operational applications
• Achieve internal buy-in, drive project momentum and maintain organizational alignment

All live webinar attendees will receive 1 credit toward a Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential application or renewal.

RSVP NOW!

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WANT TO LEARN MORE?

If you haven’t already subscribed to The Talented Learning Show, you can tune-in now with whatever method you prefer:

• Receive an email whenever we publish a new episode.  Subscribe now.
• Listen to the show with your favorite podcast channel.  See the list on the sidebar of this post or on our podcast main page.
• Get The Talented Learning Show via RSS.

Thanks for listening!

The post Podcast 9: Association LMS Trends – With Linda Bowers of WBT Systems appeared first on Talented Learning.

Podcast 9: Association LMS Trends – With Linda Bowers of WBT Systems original post at Talented Learning

Association LMS eCommerce: How to Lift Online Learning Sales

I genuinely love helping associations select learning management systems (LMS).  Here’s why:

• As non-profit entities with a mission, associations aim to improve the world in countless ways by advancing ideas, people and professions.  Lifelong learning and collaboration are at the heart of their organizational decisions.

• Once the only place to go for continuing education, associations now face serious competition from for-profit learning providers. This new landscape affects the status and influence of every association in its respective profession. Since organizational survival is at stake, association LMS projects are usually strategically driven by senior executives with a long-term perspective.

• Association LMS projects generally focus on solutions that generate income and profit by leveraging useful learning content, certifications and test prep to attract and engage both new and existing members.  This is vastly different than a cost-savings mindset.

• Audience engagement and learner experience are paramount.  The purchasing process and online learning environment should mirror popular digital experiences (e.g. Netflix and Amazon).  In other words, they should be mobile, social, global, gamified, effective and highly accessible at the learner’s convenience.

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Of course, these sophisticated needs also translate into a super complex set of extended enterprise LMS requirements.  It’s easy for decision-makers to become overwhelmed and choose a solution that doesn’t rise to the challenge.  But for me, confusion is where the fun begins.  I enjoy untangling complexity and following its trail to a viable solution, each and every time.

Association Learning eCommerce:  Why So Complex?

In my experience, the toughest association LMS requirements involve ecommerce capabilities.

At first blush, ecommerce seems easy, since most LMS vendors claim that it’s built into their system.  But like all things in the learning systems universe, there is much more below the surface than meets the eye.  Associations may have individual members, organizational/corporate members or both.  Each of these scenarios demands a very different set of ecommerce requirements.  And as it turns out, different kinds of LMS vendors specialize in each of these scenarios.

Not confused enough yet?  Let me add another layer.  Every association has some kind of association management system (AMS) in place.  This is the technology backbone that manages member records and the organization’s business activities.  AMSs are confusing enough on their own, because there are so many different brands with a dizzying array of capabilities that often overlap with association LMS functionality.

One critical area of overlap is catalog and ecommerce functionality that many AMS platforms include.  For example, an AMS usually supports online purchasing of various “products” such as memberships, event registrations, workbooks and journals.  However, this typically doesn’t extend to full support for learning programs.

Depending upon your organization’s existing AMS infrastructure and learning requirements, the ideal solution may be one of four AMS-LMS integration strategies:

1) Deploy a second ecommerce store via the LMS to feature learning products

2) Deploy learning product selling capability via the AMS storefront, and upon purchase provide single sign-on access to content via LMS

3) Deploy the learning product catalog in both AMS and LMS, enabling purchases from either system

4) Deploy the learning product catalog in both AMS and LMS, and when a purchase occurs in the LMS the workflow “hands off” ecommerce functions to the AMS at checkout

Each of these strategies involves increasing levels of complexity, cost and risk.  If you’re making this kind of AMS-LMS ecommerce decision for your association, you’ll want to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of each, so you’ll avoid potential missteps and years of dissatisfaction.  This is not easy stuff.  Associations can’t afford to rely on generic LMS providers for solutions to these unique challenges.  That’s why a new specialized “association LMS” category has emerged in recent years.

I find it easier to think about ecommerce features independent of the LMS or AMS.  First, focus on understanding what you need to accomplish as an organization.  Next, clarify what your AMS can do to help you accomplish this objective.  Once you know what’s missing in your current infrastructure, it will lead you to one of the four AMS-LMS integration scenarios above.

Association LMS eCommerce: B2C versus B2B

Perhaps it goes without saying, but transactional features alone are not enough to ensure success.  You also need to consider the interests and motivations of your audience – existing and potential members who are buying learning content.  Are you selling to individuals in business-to-consumer mode (B2C)?  Are you selling to corporate partners or other organizations in business-to-business mode (B2B)?  Or perhaps you need to support both models.  Below are key LMS features you’ll want to consider for each audience type:

1) B2C Features for Association LMS eCommerce:

Associations often sell courses, test prep, training plans and workshops to individual members.  The workflow is similar to Amazon or iTunes.  Many LMS vendors offer these B2C features, but only association LMSs can offer some or all of these capabilities in seamless conjunction with an AMS:

Basic Features

• Deep-linking directly to content from anywhere outside the LMS
• Browse the content catalog before logging in or creating an account
• Sell any type of learning content uniquely or in a bundle with a training plan
• Product reviews and ratings
• Coupons, promotions, tokens and discounts
• Add to cart, checkout and integration with payment gateways for credit card authorization
• PayPal and/or Stripe payment gateway integration
• Immediate access to purchased content
• Email receipts, notifications
• Fiscal reporting, sales analysis, reconciliation reporting
• Integration with Salesforce.com CRM

Advanced Features

• Embed code to advertise products on external sites
• Sell monthly subscriptions for some or all content
• User-specific content recommendations
• Dynamic grouping of users, based on actions recorded in LMS or CRM
• Sell physical products, manage shipping rules, fulfillment and inventory
• Recurring and automated billing
• Language localizations and multi-currency support
• Manage unlimited tax rules, including global VAT
• PCI-compliant LMS (versus only payment gateway)
• Support for mobile app purchases

2) B2B Features for Association LMS eCommerce

Selling content in bulk to organizational members is a different ballgame.  For example, let’s say a financial consulting firm wants to buy 100 seats of the AFP CFP certification.  Do they buy the 100 seats from the association business development representative externally, or can they buy it online?  In either scenario, how do they point members to the LMS so they can access the content?  This learner provisioning piece alone causes administrative nightmares if an LMS provider hasn’t developed an appropriate workflow to support it.

To further complicate matters, the actual ecommerce transaction can happen in the AMS and be passed to the LMS via API integration as discussed previously.  Here are B2B ecommerce features you should look for in an association LMS:

Basic Features

• Client domains and branding
• Bulk content purchase, with the ability to upload learners and assign content to those individuals
• Credit account – organizations are invoiced after content is consumed
• Prepaid debit account – organizations prepay for content and account depletes as content is consumed
• Tokens (registration codes, enrollment keys, vouchers) purchased in bulk and distributed to each learner for one-time use, timed use, per-course access or per-organization access to LMS and content
• Bulk purchase discounts
• Purchase order support

Advanced Features

• CRM, ERP or AMS integration to create accounts, users and content assignments when organizations purchase in a third-party system
• Content licensing and sublicensing management
• Central content library that can be shared with organizational clients but managed centrally
• The purchasing organization can provide content updates to shared content
• Tight integration with existing corporate order fulfillment, ecommerce, taxation and data warehouse ecosystem
• Delegated client-level administration and reporting
• Third-party content sponsorship, ads and promotions
• Bill-me-later capabilities ala Amazon, electronic invoicing, paper invoicing

Conclusion

Association learning technology is on fire, and the need to sell online learning is fanning those flames.  Specialized association LMS ecommerce solutions have emerged to fill the “for-profit” gap in the non-profit world.  Now member-base organizations that sell content with a for-profit business model are outpacing associations that remain tied to a generic or employee-focused LMS.

Yet, with increased opportunity comes increased risk.  Many future-minded associations are struggling to define precisely what they need to increase learning and certification program revenues, and they’re unsure about how to find the right LMS specialist.

If you’re among those who haven’t yet made the move, I have two recommendations:

1)  Fully develop your business model, map out your LMS use case scenarios and document your requirements before you engage LMS vendors.  This way, you can be more confident that you are focusing on the best-qualified solutions to drive your online learning business.

2)  Or, if you’d prefer to rely on an experienced association LMS selection consultant to help you save time, money and risk, I’m always at your service.

Thanks for reading!

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WANT TO LEARN MORE? JOIN OUR MAY LIVE WEBINAR:

How to Drive Online Learning at Scale: Corporate Market Strategies for Associations

RSVP FOR THE MAY WEBINAR NOW

Selling online learning content to individuals is challenging enough. But selling that same content in bulk through corporate customers or partners can be even more demanding.  The business models are fundamentally different.  Plus, business-to-business relationships require specialized content management functionality.

What does it take to succeed?

Join John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning, as he hosts a live virtual panel with experts who have developed and managed profitable B2B online education programs:

• William Hold, Chief Development Officer, The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research
• Linda Bowers, CTO, WBT Systems
  

In this dynamic one-hour roundtable, you’ll learn how to:

• Build a viable business model for bulk sales
• Develop effective pricing and marketing strategies
• Compare tradeoffs of selling through sales reps versus online channels
• Delegate content administration, reporting and user provisioning
• Integrate core learning systems with CRM platforms and other operational applications
• Achieve internal buy-in, drive project momentum and maintain organizational alignment

All live webinar attendees will receive 1 credit toward a Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential application or renewal.

RSVP NOW!

---

Need Proven LMS Selection Guidance?

Looking for a learning platform that truly fits your organization’s needs?  We’re here to help!  Submit the form below to schedule a free preliminary consultation at your convenience.

• First Name*
• Last Name*
• Email Address*
• Company

The post Association LMS eCommerce: How to Lift Online Learning Sales appeared first on Talented Learning.

Association LMS eCommerce: How to Lift Online Learning Sales original post at Talented Learning

Benefits of eLearning Compared to Instructor Led Training [ILT]

Technology is evolving at a faster rate today than it did 20 years ago. With this, the traditional skill set for the common worker is facing obsoletion. People are striving to study more to complete for education. They must compete to get better jobs so they can earn more. Today, technology-based jobs are taking over employment. This need has helped facilitate the development of online training courses and options for delivering the training. While some companies have yet to embrace the benefits of eLearning, there is evidence that modern eLearning technologies are taking over the delivery for higher education and employee training. Here are some of the benefits of eLearning.

eLearning Flexibility

Not everyone can afford taking time from their life or their desk at work to attend a regularly scheduled class in a classroom. Furthermore, some situations require learners to take the course and study at their own pace. With eLearning, learners can take training in their own language and at a time that is convenient for them or their employer. These are just some of the aspects of eLearning flexibility. This flexibility enhances the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of professionals around the world. Learning can be conducted anywhere, anytime, and for the busiest of people.

Consistency of eLearning

The human aspect of interacting with other people when learning new concepts cannot be underestimated. However, it is a well-known fact that people make mistakes. Human error is a factor to consider. Even if there isn’t necessarily any mistakes or errors, an instructor will not teach the exact same way, using the exact same words or methods for each different class. With eLearning, each learner is consistently given the exact same online training. Learning Management Systems (LMSs) can help achieve this consistency by delivering the same training material and experiences to every learner, every time. This simply means that the learning objectives of learners can be consistently matched against compliance and completion.

Updated Materials

Some industries, such as technology, medicine, and energy, keep evolving. This is typically due to ongoing research or regulation. Therefore, concepts that had been taught as benchmark truth only a few weeks ago could become outdated in a very short period of time. If the training material is not kept up to date, professionals in the company, country, or even the world would be learning and operating on outdated or possibly obsolete information. eLearning is a technology that can be the link between current information and learners. This ensures that the everyone has the opportunity to have current and relevant information regarding their job, skill, regulation, or technology. Additionally, it creates the opportunity for refresher courses with updated material. This is great if the need for continuous training and communication is required.

eLearning is Cost Efficient

Cost efficiency is relative and in this context, we are comparing it to Instructor Led Training. The cost of having several human instructors standing in a classroom teaching 10 to 30 students at a time to deliver knowledge can also be very time consuming. In addition to the cost for a physical classroom and facilities, the time required to teach students can be enormous. Furthermore, imagine if you had new company policies or production methods and needed to train 10,000 employees. Now only that, but you have to train them by the end of the quarter. This would be extremely difficult to do with Instructor Led Training (ILT). However, eLearning makes it possible to pass on knowledge quickly, efficiently, and to as many people as needed. In some instances, you could train all 10,000 employees in just a single day.

Conclusion – Benefits of eLearning

From these examples, it is clear that there are many Benefits of eLearning compared to Instructor Led Training. eLearning technology is very flexible and can be implemented to suit any company’s training needs. It also helps keep the training consistent for the students or employees taking it. eLearning is easy to update using a Learning Management System (LMS) and extremely cost efficient compared to traditional Instructor Led Classroom Training. It is no surprise that more organizations are implementing eLearning technology.

Do you have any additional Benefits of eLearning that YOU would like to add? Give us your comments below:

The post Benefits of eLearning Compared to Instructor Led Training [ILT] appeared first on E-Learning Consultant - E-Learning Engineer, ISD, and Developer.

Benefits of eLearning Compared to Instructor Led Training [ILT] published first on https://www.InstructionalEngineer.com