An eLearning platform (also referred to as a Learning Management System or an LMS) is an essential part of modern workforce training — an LMS provides managers tools to fulfil a varied set of learning methods like informal learning, collaborative learning and social learning together with online courses and quizzes which form the large part of eLearning products in the market today. Progress tracking, and reporting have also become effective ways in not only delivering training but also measuring its success, fine tuning it along the way. With instant feedback tools, managers can also ask their teams what they think of their training and what they’d like to learn more of. Without a doubt, an eLearning platform takes a company’s learning initiatives to a whole new level.
With so many benefits, companies big and small are integrating elearning tools within their software ecosystem to maximise their team’s potential and boost business performance – but like any other game-changing tool, there are lessons to be learnt and good practices that will solidify the benefits of an LMS in your company.
So here are a few pointers for managers implementing an eLearning platform today.
1 Avoid an over-night implementation
Tempting as it may be, avoid switching your workforce from traditional learning to eLearning without clear internal communication and a simple transition plan. This is where blending the tool with your ongoing training programmes will help. Introduce features gradually, until people understand how the tool works and begin to become familiar with the new system.
Remember, for learning to happen people need to be relaxed and at ease with both the content and its delivery.
2 Work with the training programme you already have
Your ongoing training sessions can be the best way to implement eLearning. Rather than putting these aside, use them to introduce the new platform to your staff. Start shifting some of the content into the tool by building Learning Paths and forming Classroom Sessions with Quizzes that require the platform to be accessed.
Blending eLearning with traditional training is a healthy way to transition seamlessly, while collecting feedback and learning about your team’s requirements.
3 Use ready-made courses when you can
The best eLearning tools will provide you with good content that can be shared with your team with a single click. Making good course content can be time consuming, so if you need to initiate your training and haven’t got the courses on the system yet, using ready-made courses and quizzes can be the best way to kick things off.
4 Ask your employees what they want to learn
Sounds like a no-brainer, but this step often goes under-appriciated. New eLearning tools like Innform offer hospitality managers the opportunity to learn about their workforce. Imagine how better training can be when having the answers to questions like “What do you want to learn more of?”, “We are thinking of offering Public Speaking courses, what do you think?” and “What did you think of the Public Speaking course?”.
These questions can shed light on your employees’ ambitions and inform their overall training trajectory.
5 Automate repetitive training tasks like Inductions
As you develop your eLearning tool and start working on your Learning Paths, it will sooner or later become apparent that focus is everything. To truly reap the benefits of an LMS like Innform, managers will need to identify repetitive tasks that can be automated within the tool. Powerful tracking and reporting features will do the rest, and managers need only take action when people fall below the set standard.
A great example of repetitive actions is the Induction (otherwise known as Onboarding an employee). With automated inductions, trainers can create an induction routine which is then simply assigned to an incoming employee. Everything else is handled by the system. This doesn’t mean the human element is not important during induction – employees can refer to frequently asked questions, but also have direct access to their mentors or line managers within the tool itself.
6 Connect mentors with trainees for ongoing development
Year on year, companies accumulate infinite levels of knowledge in the form of experienced employees. Nowadays, managers understand that this power can be harnessed and made part of the overarching learning initiative within the organisation.
By connecting mentors to trainees, companies are guaranteeing day-to-day support to their new inductees, alleviating pressure from trainers and empowering senior staff.
7 Keep your eyes on the numbers
With so much data flowing into the system, a good eLearning product will work for you in building a clear picture of progress within your team. It will highlight where your efforts are bearing fruit, and where they can be improved and why. Managers can pinpoint strong employees and others who require some more development.
Knowing who is doing well, why and where they are in the company is invaluable information for managers, especially when training a global team.
8 Integrate the elearning tool with internal platforms like Office 365
To truly super-charge your training, eLearning software can often integrate with your existing platforms like Office 365, Yammer etc. This is a great step for learning platforms: it eliminates your IT overheads, makes it super easy for everyone to login using their existing Yammer or Slack logins and most importantly it allows managers to reach their workforce instantly by using their favourite communication channels.
Sending learning material or quizzes instantly via email or Slack unleashes an all-new power for trainers, and is also a welcome convenience by staff.
9 Choose a specialised tool for your industry
Specialised eLearning tools are optimised for specific industries and can provide companies with tried and tested content for trainers to hit the ground running. This is a big plus – not only is it cheaper (content creation sucks up a lot of valuable time) but it also takes away the hassle of building a library of courses which must exist before any significant training can take place.
Specialised tools grow and evolve with industries and their unique requirements, so when you invest weeks and months into an eLearning tool (and you will!) it is good to know that the tool is focussed on your challenges, and is being proactive in preparing you for what’s to come.
10 Communicate the benefits of the tool to your workforce
This is by far the most important step for hospitality managers working with eLearning today. Communicate the introduction of the new training system internally, ahead of its introduction. Explain its benefits, why the company chose to implement it and how the workforce will benefit. Product uptake can be challenging, so start familiarising your team with their future learning experience, today!
Innform is the eLearning tools for hospitality businesses and launches in FREE beta this July 2018.
To learn more about its powerful features like automated inductions, reporting, integrations, blended-learning and ready-made hospitality courses go to innform.io
To signup for you free beta account visit innform.io/sing-up