How to Build an Online Corporate Training Program

Learning online has become the new normal. A lot of people learn better on their own time and retain information in the same ways they interact with social media. Online and in micro-content form. 

Corporate companies have begun to make the switch and create training programs that can be accessed anytime and anywhere. These programs are interactive and promote more engagement. In return this creates produces higher retention of information and better performance. Not to mention these training programs are more cost-efficient and have a fantastic ROI.

 eLearning and in particular micro-learning will make your training much more engaging and useful to all of your trainees. 

What is Online Corporate Training?

Corporate training online is the practice of training employees using strategies created to be used over the internet. 

Online corporate training is gaining a lot of popularity because of its convenience and ability to deliver high-quality information evenly, across the board. 

Ease of access and versatility are some of the biggest draws to online corporate training, and once it is implemented it is extremely easy to access and track progress. 

Benefits of Online Training

Learning online has become commonplace, especially for younger generations. With the right implementation, online courses can have better results than in class learning. Here are some of the benefits of online training. 

Customization and Personalization of Online Training Content

E-learning programs encourage personalization and learning at your own pace. Every person learns and retains information differently, with some needing more structure, while others require a more creative approach. 

One of the advantages of corporate training online is that it is customizable and can incorporate anything from videos to interactive check on learning activities. . 

Online training is very agile. Therefore, you are able to customize and personalize it much quicker than offline training. You can easily roll out standardized trainings to all of your employees mixed with customized trainings to individuals roles.

Just remember the most important things to customize and personalize is the learning experience itself. And how do you decide how to do that? Ask your learners, they will tell you how they want to learn.

Access Anytime and From Anywhere

Being able to access online corporate training on demand is extremely important. This allows your employees to learn in the moment and saves time for all staff members. Look at it like a repository of knowledge that can be accessed as simply as a Google search or YouTube query.

Having an online training program means trainees can access the information from anywhere and whenever it is most convenient for them. Whether they are comfortably sitting in their home office or commuting to work, they can access the same information. Flexibility is key to having a successful online training program. 

Data Doesn’t Lie

Having a detailed record of how well employees perform and how quickly they are completing training is hugely beneficial. Corporate training online has built-in data tools that measure everything from performance to completion. The data is then stored for easy access whenever you are ready to retrieve it.

The best way to know if your training is working is to keep data on key performance indicators. This allows you to see where your learners are struggling and what the most popular pieces of learning content are, so that in the future you can address these challenges further and double down on the most successful learning modalities. 

Interactive Content

In-person training can be highly effective, especially for those who learn by doing. However, it is not always possible to teach large amounts of people in one sitting. That is why the interactive forms of online training can be extremely efficient. It incorporates the necessary interactions that all participants can be a part of. 

Engaging content, like videos (especially micro-learning video), are effective ways to show trainees what needs to be done. Interactive content, like games, are useful for those who learn better by engaging. Having the flexibility to choose how to learn is a massive asset to online corporate training. 

Save Time and Money

Over time, training online eliminates so many other costs associated with corporate training. There are no physical materials required, and there are no venues needed to house the training. 

There is no need to make sure there are no conflicting schedules when everyone can learn on their own time. Also, materials can often become outdated, and updates can become time-consuming and costly. Again, this is a non-existent issue with online training because updates are quick and easy with the software.

There is no need to wine and dine your employees from across the country and world by flying them out to a fancy hotel and conference. And when they forget what they learned, now they can easily access it in the system instead of complaining that the conference taught them nothing.

How to Build Your Corporate Training Strategy

The key to a successful strategy is knowing what goals you want your trainees to achieve and the logistics of how to get them there. Only after this is established do you move on to creating content. 

Employee Requirements

To build a successful online learning strategy, you need to know how your employees learn, and what will be valuable content to everyone. Setting goals and requirements will make it easier to create the appropriate content. Defining these goals and requirements in each section will make it straightforward for trainees to understand what goals they need to reach as they progress. 

In the online corporate training programs eLearning Partners produces, we make sure that all of the goals, or milestones, that your employees need to complete are clear and actionable. 

Logistics

Know when, where, and how your employees are going to train. This is crucial to creating a successful corporate online training program. Make sure you are incorporating deadlines and limitations to your training programs to ensure all employees complete within a specific timeframe. 

Being knowledgeable about your learning management system will help you answer the "How" your team will train. If you want to incorporate videos, interactive games, or webinars, you will have to make sure you are operating on a compatible LMS. 

Know Your Budget

Crunch the numbers and know what you are willing to spend. The initial cost of creating an online program can be pricey, but the ROI is impressive. Consider how much it will cost to implement the software, and how much you will need to spend per employee if this training ends in a certification. 

Plan, Research, Plan

Creating content requires a lot of time and research if you want it done correctly (unless you embrace the LISO method we use at eLearning Partners). Once you have decided how and where you will need to consider what your trainees will be learning. Decisions will need to be made on the course content, then that content will have to be heavily researched, so the information is in-depth and accurate. 

In order to push the process forward as quickly and efficiently as possible at eLearning Partners we teach and help you create what we call your “Minimum Viable Course.” This simple one page outline speeds up the entire process on its own. 

Then, finally, the content can be created! You must take all the steps so that the course is supported by rich and engaging information. 

Choose the Best Software

Choosing the best learning management software (LMS) for your corporate training program is just as crucial as creating the right strategy. For your program to be successful, your LMS must perform all the tasks you require of it. 

Ensure your LMS has all the capabilities you require and more so you can have useful eLearning content. The following are the most necessary capabilities you should look for when choosing your corporate training software. 

Gamification

Gaming aspects of learning can encourage more engagement and retention in your users. Make sure you can gamify your LMS if you want your employees to get the most out of your corporate training.

Mobile Learning

Mobile learning is one of the most used forms of online learning. You will want your trainees to have the ability to access your training from anywhere at any time. 

Not only should the training be able to be accessed on a cell phone or tablet, but it needs to have the same quality as a computer will. You don't want your mobile users to be limited and miss any information or learning opportunities. 

Just like your employees use Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google and TikTok, you want them to be able to interact with your training content the same way. This means that in addition to mobile learning, corporate training programs should match the user experience of these popular social and search platforms.

Social Learning

Learning from each other is a great asset to many users. Having a platform where users can interact with each other and learn in a social atmosphere can be extremely beneficial. 

Intuitive Interface

The interface of your corporate online training needs to be modern and simple. It is vital that your users don't feel like they are using outdated modules and technology. This can decrease engagement and make the lessons more complicated if it is not streamlined. 

As previously stated, don’t reinvent the wheel. Your learners are already on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google and TikTok. So meet them where they are and match the user experience. Check out Teachable for a simple LMS that is able to match this experience pretty well. 

Instructor-Led Classrooms

A lot of learners perform best when an instructor is leading the course. Many people seek leadership and retain information well in a classroom environment. That is why if your LMS doesn’t have the ability for live online classes, you should pair your corporate training program with a streamlined Zoom or Teams video training process. This is very easy to do and the video coaching calls can all be recorded and repurposed into micro-learning content later down the road in your LMS. 

Rich multimedia

E-learning requires all types of multimedia. The LMS you choose needs to have the ability to host any multimedia you require. Not only does your LMS need to be able to host all of your videos and images, but it also needs to be compatible with all types of content formats. Being well rounded will enhance engagement and user satisfaction. 

Log Reports

As we stated earlier, having access to employee reports is one of the best online corporate training features. Having access to progress and completion is a great way to see how well your employees are doing on the training. This is a crucial feature of your LMS.

Do you want to get started developing your eLearning strategy? Click here to learn how to create the most effective approach.

Ease of Use

Keeping things simple is the best way to have a successful online training program. If it is difficult to log in to the course, trainees will be put off from the start, limiting engagement and success. 

Collect User Feedback

Before you go live, it is always best to get feedback from the people who will be using your training system most, your employees. 

Test out your content with your users and see how they feel! There may be aspects that employees deem complicated or not beneficial. Get their feedback and let them help you make the decisions that will make the training beneficial to everyone. 

Feedback is also a great way to learn what your employees get out of the training you have created. Having the participating employees take a survey and testing their knowledge can gauge how practical it is. 

What Are Your Next Actions?

Building a corporate training program takes a lot of time and planning, but it is incredibly effective and saves valuable time and money once it is implemented. When deciding on your strategy and LMS, keep your users in mind and how they all learn. Online corporate training programs should be tailored toward the engagement and success of all the learners involved. 

If you take all of these points into consideration, you will create a successful and engaging online corporate program that your users will enjoy and grow from.