:: ‘New American University’ Fueled by Scale, Speed and Diversity Arizona State President, Michael Crow, sees an inclusive, tech-heavy higher ed model for a new time. Read more.  Republican Rubio Urges Overhaul of U.S. College ‘Cartel’ Read more.  On the same day Rubio made this remark, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, released the budget in which he wrote that "we’ll open whole sector to new entrants who can deliver the highest standards". More information here: Osborne accused of picking on young people with "earn or learn" budget. What If Authors Were Paid Every Time Someone Turned a Page? The way we value and pay for digital content continues to shift. Unbundling of content has moved to a new level with Amazon’s pilot program to charge readers by page. Read more.  Unpacking "Career Readiness" ACT takes on the challenging subject of defining career readiness. Worth a read. Read the report. Academic Innovation Incubators: Emerging Models and Strategic Considerations for Leaders The rise of incubators in higher education has been fast and furious. Great information on the subject from Huron Consulting. Read the report.   US Colleges with Fastest Rising Tuition The U.S. Department of Education is out with its annual list of colleges whose tuition and net price have risen the fastest in recent years. (Four-year public colleges where tuition rose the most, as a percentage, from 2011-12 to 2013-14.) Read more.

:: The first instalment in this series on internet economics, Internet Economics and Online Higher Education (Series Introduction), can be found here. :: The "iron triangle" of cost, quality and access in higher education has seemed, at times, unbreakable. The sector has frequently operated under the assumption that improving one of the three objectives - access, quality or price  - is necessarily at the expense of one or both of the others. Like health care,  costs in higher education rise faster than in other industries where technology can be more easily deployed to increase productivity. Breaking the iron triangle has become more pressing issue for higher education’s stakeholders as student debt hits record highs, institutional costs rise faster than inflation, and access to higher education becomes a social and economic imperative for nations struggling with challenges of global competition. "We can’t allow higher education to be a luxury in this country. It’s an economic imperative that every family in America has to to be able to afford." President Barack Obama, February 27, 2012. In this context, the task of finding smart ways to "scale-up" and improve economies of scale is generating more attention. Historically, institutions of higher education have used a number of tactics to increase scale, including: Large, lower-level courses that enrol hundreds of students at a time. While much maligned, the "lecture" course is very economical; Greater reliance on adjunct/sessional instructors, which allows institutions to adjust supply quickly as demand rises and falls, at a far lower cost that full-time faculty; Mega-universities. While not common in Western nations (save for Open University UK), these institutions, according to an analysis by Sir John Daniel, have a lower per-student cost; By simply creating more universities: many Western nations funded a new crop of all-purpose universities in the mid-twentieth centuries to serve the first of the baby boomers and feed an increasingly post-industrial workforce. Participation in consortia with the hope that sharing resources, rather than going it alone, reduces costs. (My own analysis of online consortia found that this objective often remains elusive.) :: The impact of technology-mediated learning in higher education on costs, quality and access has been, to date, moderate. While the online format has added significant value, particularly through convenience for adult and working learners, it has not led to downward pressure on tuition or significantly increased participation rates. And certainly online education’s scalability pales in comparison to the new breed of Internet-born companies we hear about so often these days. (Instagram was sold for 1 billion dollars when it had only 13 employees.)  For our purposes here, let’s set aside the terrifying labour implications of this particular example. The challenge of scale in higher education is not merely technological - it’s organizational and social, as well. While achieving scale is fundamental to most enterprises, it can be deleterious in higher education. Increasing access and reducing price can actually hamper an institution’s value in the marketplace.  Value is based, in part, on maximizing exclusivity: an institution’s reputation typically increases when it admits fewer applicants than competing institutions. When we tell friends that our daughter "got into a good school" we mean, in effect, a school that is relatively difficult to get in to. The recent statements by Peter Thiel about the unique economics of higher ed, who made his fortune through highly scalable Internet-based businesses, are amusing in this context: "[Higher education admissions is] a crazy tournament. It’s a zero-sum tournament. If you were the president of Harvard or Stanford and you wanted to get a lynch mob of students, alumni, and faculty to come after you, what you should say is something like this: We live in this much larger, more global world. We offer this great education to everybody. So we’re going to double or triple our enrolment over the next 15 to 20 years. And people would all be furious, because the value of the degree comes from massive exclusion. And what you’re really running is something like a Studio 54 night club that’s got an incredibly long line outside and a very small number of people let inside. It’s branded as positive sum, everybody can learn, but the reality is that it is deeply zero sum." The same claim can be made about price: Increasing tuition levels can increase exclusivity, which in turn, increases perceptions of value. New York University and George Washington University have taken this tactic to heart according to Daniel Luzer (see The Prestige Racket). :: The good news is that educational technology has matured to the extent that it can now have a major impact on costs, access, and quality.  It scales. Some of the more promising applications of technology include: Software that generates automated, real-time feedback to students on their performance. This instructional technique frequently increases student retention of the curriculum and ensures that the student doesn’t proceed to the next unit of curriculum with misconceptions about the curriculum; Sharing common instructional content across as many courses and programs as is suitable in order to ensure (a) the lowest possible cost per student and (b) access to the highest possible quality (at a given price); Adaptive, personalized learning that identifies and responds to student differences - an instructional tactic that’s not feasible in most mid to large size courses due to the demands it places on instructional staff; Course authoring applications with instructional intelligence embedded within the software. LMS typically don’t seek to guide instructors/authors toward best (better practices). But new, more sophisticated applications have been developed that make it possible to generate learning activities that are beyond the capacity of what most instructors can achieve independently. (In this respect, educational technology will become more similar to other, time and labour saving technologies, such as desktop accounting software that, for example, directs the user toward adhering to accounting standards and rules, or blogging software like WordPress that makes it possible for content creators with stunted design sensibilities to create beautiful, easy-to-navigate sites.) Most importantly, each of these applications of technology reflect what educators have told us is valuable to students. The technology isn’t dictating the instructional method; rather, it reflects our best thinking and practices while allowing us to scale education, one of most important and precious resources.

:: How Big Data has Transformed Research Guardian Higher Education speaks with four researchers that are using data to enhance research. Excerpt: "Illustris is a computer simulation of the evolution of the universe, through which we study how galaxies and their constituent stars and black holes form and evolve over cosmic time." Read more.  :: For Americans Seeking Affordable Degrees, German Schools Beckon Excerpt: "Looking to escape the staggering costs of a university education in the United States? You are not alone. And German education officials say a growing number of Americans are heading to the land of beer and bratwurst to get one. At last count, there were 4,300 Americans studying at German universities, with more than half pursuing degrees, says Ulrich Grothus, deputy secretary general of the German Academic Exchange Service. "We’ve seen an overall increase in international students in this country over the last 10 years, but the increase for Americans has been much faster," he says. Between 2003 and 2013, he says, the number increased by 56 percent." Read more. :: Don’t Make These Common Higher Education Mistakes Excerpt: "There is a strange disconnect happening in discussions about college prices. On one hand, there are stories and data illustrating how low- and moderate-income families are experiencing ever-growing living costs in the face of stagnant wages, including the rising price of college. On the other hand, there are arguments that the actual out-of-pocket price of college is quite low or even free for the lowest-income students. The radically different presentations of college affordability reflect the ways in which language and vocabulary around higher education can lead to wildly different assumptions. Those who say that college is affordable use the word "price" to mean tuition and fees. Those who say that college is increasingly unaffordable are referring to a larger definition of price that includes room and board, transportation, and other expenses students accrue in order to complete college." Read more. :: Connecting Credentials, a Lumina Foundation Initiative Excerpt: "Connecting Credentials is a group of collaborating partners who share the commitment to build large-scale use of competency-based credentials by businesses, educators, and learners/workers across the nation. The purpose of this initiative is to support the growing number of stakeholders who are becoming involved in improving credentialing in the United States. The website is being managed by the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) and the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), with support from Lumina Foundation." Read more. :: Adults, Computers and Problem Solving / Report from the OECD Abstract: The report provides an in-depth analysis of the results from the Survey of Adult Skills related to problem solving in technology-rich environments, along with measures concerning the use of ICT and problem solving. The Nordic countries and the Netherlands have the largest proportions of adults (around 40%) who score at the higher levels in problem solving, while Ireland, Poland and the Slovak Republic have the smallest proportions of adults (around 20%) who score at those levels. Variations in countries’ proficiency in problem solving using ICT are found to reflect differences in access to the Internet and in the frequency with which adults use e-mail. The report finds that problem-solving proficiency is strongly associated with both age and general cognitive proficiency, even after taking other relevant factors into account. Proficiency in problem solving using ICT is related to greater participation in the labour force, lower unemployment, and higher wages. By contrast, a lack of computer experience has a substantial negative impact on labour market outcomes, even after controlling for other factors. The discussion considers policies that promote ICT access and use, opportunities for developing problem-solving skills in formal education and through lifelong learning, and the importance of problem-solving proficiency in the context of e-government services. Read more.  :: Why Is The University Still Here? / Searching For The Next Wave Of Education Innovation Two short articles on technology and innovation in education by Danny Crichton. Read Why is the University Still Here? & Searching for the Next Wave of Education Innovation  ::      

:: The first and second instalment of this series on Internet Economics can be found here and here. :: Most people are familiar with economies of scale, which we discussed in a recent post. The Network Effect, sometimes called "Metcalfe’s Law", is less well-known, but equally relevant if we want to understand how the unique economics of the Internet are influencing higher education. Economies of scale is concerned with the impact of increases in volume on cost - specifically, cost per unit. Network Effects, on the other hand, concerns the impact of volume on the perceived value of the good or product. When the Network Effect is present and positive, the value of the good or product increases as more people use it. Social media is the clearest example: the value of Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and other peer-to-peer technologies increases as more people participate. As participation rises, the volume of interactions, possibilities for new connections, and the range of available content increases - in turn, so does the value to each participant. The Network Effect and Online Higher Education At first glance, the Network Effect seems to have little relevance to higher education. Value in higher education is conventionally thought to correspond to low volume: smaller classes and more exclusive institutions, for instance. But the continued migration to Internet-based learning and services in higher education has the potential to change the dynamics between volume and value. Consider, for example, MOOCs. Critics argue that students won’t learn or persist with an educator-to-student ratio of 50,000 to one. But advocates point out that by using peer-to-peer learning in this context, we may be able to actually complement the traditional educator-student model. If properly designed, an increase in the number of students participating in the MOOC will actually increase its value to each student. Ironically, the application of social media to higher education often fails to leverage the Network Effect, highlighting the importance of context on the value of technologies.  Social media thrives when there are thousands, if not millions, of users within a single, overarching community. The high volume of users provides online communities with enough activity and content to ensure that each user finds what and who they want with sufficient frequency to make participation worthwhile. Twitter and Linked In now have over 300 million active users. Higher education instruction, by design, typically restricts participation to a single class (e.g. 40-100 students per course). As mentioned, exclusivity and small class sizes are equated with quality. When More is Better Not surprisingly, the concept of Network Effects is most often often associated with products and services that involve networks in which people or objects are connected in some fashion, such as telephone systems and, as mentioned, social media. But many writers expand the concept to include other types of product or services in which the value for each user increases as the number of users climbs - regardless of whether the people or objects are connected. As the number of people and organizations that use Microsoft Excel increases, for example, the application becomes more valuable for job-seekers. Learning analytics is an example of this expanded use of the Network Effect. As we define it at Acrobatiq, learning analytics concerns the granular, real-time measurement and estimation of student learning. When guided by a deep understanding of learning theory, this use of technology generates new insights into what leads to better learning outcomes. The data our clients capture concern a single student. And this is the core of its value:  it provides the necessary insights needed for accurate customization and evidence-backed continuous improvement. But new kinds of insights can also be generated by aggregating data across a larger number of learners. By reviewing student performance data across a number of institutions we can identify patterns based, for example, on socio-economic status or high school GPA. This kind of information is an important aid to institutional strategy (e.g. recruiting tactics, financial support, student services), and better government policy and funding. :: The first and second instalments of this series on Internet Economics can be found here: Internet Economics and Online Higher Education (Series Introduction) Internet Economics: Scale and Online Higher Education ::

Sales team training is a long-term investment with a number of challenges that multi-national corporations, SMEs, start-ups, sales directors, managers, and decision makers must overcome. But as technology has become more prevalent in the workplace, organisations have figured out that mobile sales teams - that is, sales teams which are spread across various regions of the world - can benefit massively from online software and mobile applications, online software and mobile applications which are designed to turn employees into experts with quality training programmes that benefit existing development initiatives. Although the number and quality of applications for training sales teams has grown, though, there are core challenges with training a mobile sales team to consider. Let’s take a look at these core challenges to raise awareness and to better your understanding of the experiences training a mobile sales team will bring.   1. Cost The true cost of training a mobile sales team is hard to determine; every organisation will differ, but all organisations will face the same challenges - flight/ other transport costs, accommodation costs, and loss of communication/ potential sales from a salesperson leaving their territory. The true cost of these can only truly be determined through experience and bringing a salesperson, salespersons, or an entire sales team from across one region to one location for training multiple times. Of course, this challenge can be overcome simply and easily by providing training on mobile devices through a mobile app or web app. By giving employees the ability to learn from their smartphone or tablet, you will empower them with the ability to train at their own pace and when it is convenient for them and your organisation. This will cut costs dramatically and free up internal business resources.   2. Accessibility Right now, there are over one hundred smartphones on the market, over fifty tablet computers, three main mobile operating systems, and over 30 versions of those operating systems. As such, it is not always possible to deliver training to employees through a mobile application, as not all applications have been developed for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone, or the latest versions of those OSs. This potential lack of accessibility can negatively affect training and inconvenience the user. This challenge can be overcome by implementing a company policy for compatible devices, aided with funding/ partnerships with carriers, to limit the expense (if any) to employees. Another option is to develop a web application, which can be used from anywhere in the world with a web browser. One thing is for sure, the smartphone is not going away and mobile learning will become an essential component in the employee training playbook of any savvy learning and development professional.   3. Change Organisational cultures change, products and services change, consumer behaviour changes… sales team training has to adapt to constant change to survive, and it is critical that the company they work for is able to communicate new product information, competitor information, promotions, and other things to them as soon as possible. This is one of the biggest advantages to training a mobile sales team through a mobile or web application - training and resources can be instantly updated and changed, which makes mobile training more efficient and flexible. For example if a new product is introduced, a salesperson can simply take out their smartphone and complete the most recent and relevant training module.   4. Knowledge gaps Organisations invest a lot of resources into analysis to determine knowledge gaps and training needs for employees, and mobile sales teams are particularly vulnerable to this behavioural trait. The knowledge gap was defined in 1994 by George Loewnstein using but one word, curiosity, a feeling which stems from a lack of understanding and the unknown, or in a sales teams case, a lack of training and education. Mobile training applications are an ideal solution to filling knowledge gaps among salespersons, for they can include any level of information about customers, brand philosophy, basic sales techniques, product/ service information, promotions, plus much more. Wranx has been designed to plug knowledge gaps and areas of difficulty through Spaced Repetition, a scientifically-proven algorithm for optimising the order of questions  for advanced knowledge retention.   5. One-to-one coaching Considered by some to be the best way to empower employees with the skills needed to sell, one-to-one coaching can be nigh on impossible to achieve with a mobile sales team, as the very nature of the mobile sales role demands employees to travel and not stay in the same place for extended periods, or stick to a region as the sole contact for customers which limits coaching potential significantly. Thanks to technology, employees no longer have to come into head office for one-to-one coaching, though. Employees can experience one-to-one coaching on a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone from anywhere in the world by using Wranx, our fully optimised and science-driven learning platform for sales teams which is designed to deliver advanced knowledge retention and accelerated learning for all levels of sales professionals.   Ultimately, one-to-one mobile coaching is going to educate and train employees in a consistent way, and sales teams are going to feel incentivised and supported during the sales process. Share this post with your own audience

Know what you sell, sell what you know Every sales guru in the world will tell you the same thing: Your sales staff will do better if they know the products they’re selling and truly believe they are the best choice out there. Sending a salesman into the field without full knowledge of the product or service he’s selling is a recipe for disaster. In many companies, the solution to this problem is to sit the sales team in a corporate classroom for a knowledge cramming session. However, this isn’t the most effective way to educate your team. Understanding how to educate your sales team, and why traditional methods don’t always work best, can be the first step to increasing their sales performance. Looking at other learning techniques, it is possible to boost your sales team’s performance and make them really enjoy the process. Of course, it can also help your company’s bottom line!   Knowledge is power Whether your sales team is familiar with Francis Bacon’s idea that ‘knowledge is power’ or the GI Joe version of the concept, that ‘knowing is half the battle’, they probably have a basic idea that they need to have a good grasp of what it is they’re meant to sell. Knowing the product inside and out, and having a firm understanding of it, is the only way they’re going to be able to sell at their best level. When a salesman joins your team, they probably don’t know much about your product. They enter with the same knowledge one of your potential customers might have. It’s your job to bring them up to speed so they can go out and educate others about the merits and USPs of your product. Having full knowledge of your products will also help in tricky sales situations. If a salesman is asked a question about your product and they don’t know the answer, it will undermine their confidence, the product, and the sale. Every salesman needs to be your field expert, knowing what your product does, how it does it, and why a customer should pay for it. This means having to know everything there is to know about it, even the most obscure details.   Teaching the details Most companies understand that their salesmen need to have a good working knowledge of their product and their company. The way this is achieved is usually through the corporate classroom. Sales staff are gathered together once a month, once a quarter, or once a year. They sit in a room together, either at the office or at a conference centre, and are lectured about new products and changes to old ones. New sales staff are often given a large document about the products they’ll be selling. They’re told to go home and learn all they can, ready to present the company’s offerings to potential customers. The problem with both of these methods of learning is that they replicate the school environment. While some of your sales staff may have loved school, thriving in the classroom environment and relishing in every piece of homework they were assigned, it’s likely that most of them weren’t that student when they were younger. Even the past lover of the classroom may have outgrown that mentality. They don’t want to learn through a lecture, they want to be out there selling. Knowledge cramming has been shown over and over again to be an ineffective way of learning. Much like trying to cram before a school exam, getting your sales team to cram over the course of a corporate education session simply won’t result in retained knowledge. They might be able to quickly recall some of the facts in the days following the cramming, but in a few weeks or months, when they’re actually out there trying to sell your product, the finer details will have escaped them.   An alternative method Rather than sitting people in a corporate classroom and hoping they stay off their mobiles while the products are being presented, you can achieve a better quality of learning by offering continuous training. Learning things in bite-sized chunks over a long period is much more effective than knowledge cramming. This takes learning beyond simple memorisation. When your sales team learn something by rote memorisation, they can only recall the facts. If a customer asks them a tricky question, they won’t be able to come up with the answer. However, when they have learned about your product in a different method, they will have a fuller understanding of it. While there are many different approaches to learning, one that works particularly well for sales training is spaced repetition. This learning technique involves presenting small pieces of information on a regular basis. Each piece is repeated over a period of time, reinforcing the knowledge of the information. It is a method that is frequently used for learning languages and other things that have a lot of pieces that need to be remembered indefinitely. One way of thinking about spaced repetition is recalling flashcards. These education tools from your younger days were an invaluable resource for learning vocabulary, basic mathematics, and many other simple lessons. Each flashcard limited the amount of information you were working on - usually only a single word or equation - and offered an easy, on the go way of studying. The knowledge you gathered in this method stuck with you and is accessible to you even now, however many years have passed.   Applying spaced repetition to business Your sales team probably won’t want to carry around a stack of flashcards about your product. It wouldn’t look professional and would be cumbersome. However, you can apply spaced repetition learning to your business using software such as Wranx. Spaced repetition software offers you a way to continuously educate and train your sales team. Wranx takes the information you want your employees to learn and packages it in a way that is made for spaced repetition. These bite-sized, flashcard type pieces are delivered to any device, anywhere. This means your employees can learn while they travel, at home, or in the office. Using a spaced repetition program like Wranx also gives you something flashcards can’t - reporting on how employees are doing. With regular reports delivered to your inbox, you can see how employees are doing with their learning. You can then address any weak spots that need to be handled. By making the information more easily digested, it also reduces the amount of time your employees have to spend on this education. Rather than taking full days to learn all they can, the information is presented to them in small pieces that only require a few minutes. The end result is that the actual time spent learning can be reduced significantly. Rather than spending huge amounts of time for hit and miss results, you can have a sales team that have spent less time on learning but gathered much more lasting knowledge.   Making learning fun Another element that can help with employee education is making it fun. By adding in an element of gaming, Wranx allows your employees to compete for the top ranking. This is something that any sales team will really enjoy, and keep them motivated to learn more. While your salesmen try to outdo each other in their learning, you can also be sure that nobody is going to be left behind. If there’s a particular part of the product that a certain salesman just isn’t getting to grips with, Wranx will help focus their learning. Much like using flashcards you were able to quickly weed out the easier ones and focus on the ones you found more difficult, spaced repetition software will use an algorithm to do the same for your employees’ learning experience. This all results in a highly effective learning method that encourages advancement while managing problems. If you’ve ever run a corporate classroom, you know that these are two elements that are often missing. Classroom environments tend to breed boredom and force employees to go at a single speed. This holds back more advanced salesmen and makes things more difficult for newer salesmen. The end result is usually a lack of enthusiasm on both ends of the spectrum.   Improved sales through education At the end of the day, it’s all about the bottom line. Having a well educated sales force is great, but the reality is that it needs to result in more sales. When a salesman understands a product, he’s more likely to show and recommend it to customers. One of the most effective ways to boost your sales is through education. An educated and excited salesman can’t wait to tell others about a product. He is enthusiastic in the field, and able to clearly explain what your product and your company have to offer that your competitors don’t. An enthusiastic salesman is more convincing and will close more sales, simply by being able to demonstrate things in such an effective way. Many studies have shown that robust and comprehensive retail sales training is an important area that delivers a measurable return on investment. Enthusiasm isn’t an innate thing when it comes to your product, though. Your sales team will come together without any previous knowledge of your product. It’s your job to turn them into experts who can recommend your product to others. Word of mouth advertising is extremely effective — just think of how many purchase decisions are made based on online reviews by other consumers who aren’t even personally known. When you give your sales team full knowledge of your product in a way that is retained over the long term, they can offer this word of mouth type of pitch. Spaced repetition effectively turns your sales team into experienced users of your product. They know everything there is to know and can recall it in an educated manner. They aren’t simply repeating a few key phrases they remember from that weekend retreat. Instead, they know your product intimately and can tailor their sales message to each new customer.   Making spaced repetition work for you Spaced repetition software is one of the easiest ways to bring this system of learning to your company. It doesn’t need to replace other learning methods, either. In fact, combining it with existing methods, including corporate classroom techniques, can make them more effective. This is because the group learning becomes a refresher course for your sales team. It gives them a way to interact with each other, ask further questions, and really engage with what you have to offer. Another benefit of spaced repetition is that it offers the ability to constantly update the information. If your products and services are changing on a regular basis, you don’t want to have to keep calling your sales staff in for more and more classroom meetings. It isn’t cost effective and will detract from their ability to be in the field making money.   The financial benefits of spaced repetition software are also significant. As an education solution for your team, Wranx offers a customisable package that reduces the amount you need to spend to bring your employees up to speed. This is particularly good for new hires, since it certainly isn’t a good value to pull together a corporate classroom situation every time somebody joins your team. Your sales team is with you to sell, and you need them to sell in the most effective way possible. This means fully understanding your product and what you offer customers. While traditional learning methods can be a good way to present some types of information, they often fail to get a sales force fully engaged and knowledgeable. Adding spaced repetition to your employee education can be a way of boosting their understanding, confidence in the field, and, most importantly, their sales volume. Corporate education is vital, and finding a technique or mix of techniques that works for you and your employees is the first step to improving your overall sales. If you’ve tried classroom education and not had the results you wanted, it isn’t time for a new sales team. It’s time for a new mode of educating the team you have. Share this post with your own audience

Depending on which online resources you read, the skills gap is either real or it isn’t. At Wranx, we’re of the belief that the skills gap, a term used to describe the disparity between those who are unemployed looking for a job and organisations with jobs that can’t find skilled candidates to fill them, is very real, and that it’s something organisations need to overcome in order to solve the biggest organisational challenge of the 21st-century; filling open positions with suitably qualified and skilled employees. According to last year’s Talent Shortage Survey conducted by the Manpower Group, 35% of 38,000 employees reported some difficulty filling jobs due to a lack of knowledge, skills, and talent. So, closing the skills gap is something organisations should work on immediately. But how should they go about it? A quick search online will reveal plenty of stories about the skills gap with US-based figures and examples to back them up, but there’s few UK-focused articles that discuss the skills gap and what organisations can do to close it.   So, here’s our thoughts. If you’re looking for ways to close the skills gap, the answer to all of your problems might be more obvious than you think; learning and training. A culture of learning should be integral to your organisation as it is, not just because an organisation’s culture is the one thing that stands between an organisation’s results, but because suitable learning and training gives you a huge level of flexibility when it comes to filling those vacant job roles that are stacking up with human resources. Imagine, for example, that your organisation has a marketing department and that you have a vacant position for a marketing assistant. Chances are, you want to fill that position with a graduate with a suitable degree, but you also require specific skills that can only be gained from experience, such as SEO, copywriting, inbound, split testing websites, etc. The only way around this, without learning and training, is to employ an experienced worker who will a) cost more and b) probably be older. With learning and training, you can take on whoever you choose and close the skills gap with new employees.   The reality of recruitment though is that there’s no such thing as the perfect employee. All we can do as an organisation is have a culture of learning from the employment stage and do the best we can for new employees to help them excel within the organisation with a road-map to advancement. It’s also important to consider that while some people believe that UK unemployment rates are due to a lack of skills, there’s no major link between the supply of skilled workers and today’s unemployment. This creates confusion among those who try to pinpoint why the skills gap needs to be addressed quickly, but the fact is that an organisation will benefit in the long-term from learning and development initiatives that benefit new employees and promote a culture of learning and development. Image by: Climate and Ecosystems Change Adaptation Research University Network - CC BY 2.0 Share this post with your own audience

The world of retail, whether it be on the high street or online, and mobile technology go hand in hand. Now more than ever before, consumers turn to their smartphone or tablet to locate nearby stores, find out information about the latest trends or to make a purchase. There can be little to no doubt that mobile devices will be an integral part of the retail industry. But while this is all well and good for consumers, what about the companies and people that work in this increasingly digital environment? Thankfully, mobile sales training technology is on hand to help them too… Smartphones that feature digital wallets are making transactions a remarkably straightforward process while tablets act as an all-in-one POS system, personal shopper and inventory database. But mobile devices can also be incredibly powerful training tools for retail staff, especially when you consider the nature of the industry and the people who tend to find themselves in these positions. Even though retail employs around 14.4 million people in the US, the industry also has the highest rate of employee turnover. Ask any college student or university graduate what career they want to pursue and few will long for a life behind the sales counter. However, seeing as 36 per cent of the workplace will be made up of millennials by the end of 2014, there is an increasing need for the retail industry to appeal to this generation. And one of the best ways to do that is via mobile…   Limit impatience and increase interest As mentioned previously, several people that enter the retail industry aren’t in it for the long term. A lot of the time, these individuals will be from the millennial generation, a group of active and ambitious youngsters that have grown up with technology, want more from a job than just money and believe the work-life balance is of the upmost importance. With a 35 per cent underemployment rate, lots of millennials find themselves in retail jobs as a simple stopgap to something better. Even though they still need to be trained, a lack of interest, concern or enthusiasm about the role can make this undertaking rather tricky. But by taking advantage of mobile devices, which are used by almost all millennials and generate a fair amount of enthusiasm and interest, training becomes a lot easier. Especially when you introduce accelerated learning and spaced repetition. By giving employees the power to make their own decisions and actively participate in learning, they are more likely to absorb information. This is enhanced when training materials are studied a few times over a longer period of time. Wranx Drills for example are short quizzes of 10 questions a day that display both the question and answer, which is proven to improve long-term memory.   Audio and visual stimulation Although several traditional retail-training techniques remain effective and successful, the majority of millennials require a little bit more stimulation than just reading off a whiteboard or answering the teacher’s questions. But training via mobile introduces audio and visuals that are much more interesting and engaging. What’s more, employees are bound to be familiar with these devices and will have no trouble responding to questions or tasks. They are going to be more receptive to an interactive learning technique too.   Entertaining training In addition to stimulating sights and sounds, gamification is another training tactic that can be used in a retail environment. Some retailers might set themselves sales targets or bonuses based on commission, but there is no reason why competition can’t be introduced to training scenarios too. Wranx uses science driven techniques that have been proven to increase an employee’s learning capacity by introducing and enhancing competition, engagement, accomplishment and gratification. Our gamification model gives members of staff the opportunity to attain over 300 different achievements, which are won by demonstrating knowledge about certain topics. By explicitly telling employees know what is required for each award, every individual will know exactly what to do. They will also be able to compete on a leader board against colleagues and associates.   Train on the selling floor Most of the time, retail-training takes place away from the sales floor in the manager’s office or a back room somewhere. In addition to being fairly uninspiring, it also means that employees aren’t spending time where they are needed most. But if you train your staff using a mobile device, they can be in the right place at the right time. During busy periods, employees can help out customers, be of assistance and ultimately make more sales. But when things get a little quiet, they are able to utilise their smartphone or tablet and start learning on the job. This also provides more scope for real-life scenarios and role-playing in the actual working environment.   Multi device flexibility While several employees prefer to undertake training during working hours, many would rather acquire new skills in their own time, at a time and place where they feel more comfortable. In a retail environment, certain members of staff might not be at ease or fully focused on the teaching in front of them, which is bound to have negative results. On top of that, information might not be retained and training could well be a waste of time. But here at Wranx, we believe training should be flexible and adaptive for all employees. By letting staff learn when its convenient and appropriate for them to do so, favourable outcomes will undoubtedly be achieved.   By making our solution available on smartphones, tablets and desktops PCs, employees can start, pick up and put down their training schedules as and when they feel like it. However, as an employer you’ll also be able to update content remotely and track individual progress. With our entire solution hosted in the cloud, there is no need to download client software either. Therefore, even if retail members of staff aren’t interest in long-term employment or an enduring career, training via mobile has benefits for every party. Smartphones and tablets keep individuals engaged, entertained, interested, alert and above all else, successful in their jobs. 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Even though ‘the customer is always right’ has been challenged a fair bit in recent years, loyal purchasers and patrons still need a huge amount of attention, care and consideration. Loyalty is incredibly important in today’s highly competitive world and can mean the difference between success and failure. If you happen to have a group of devoted consumers, there are several advantages. They’ll act as brand ambassadors and be able to promote your business to family and friends without you having to spend a penny. What’s more, if they’ve got honest and reliable feedback about your products or services, they’ll be sure to tell you as well. Competitors won’t pose as much of a threat even if their prices are lower and you’ll be able to allocate budgets that were previously reserved for attracting new customers elsewhere. After all, it is 6-7 times more costly to attract a new customer than it is to retain existing ones. Unfortunately, faithfulness and fidelity isn’t an easy thing to achieve. It can sometimes take years for a company to form strong and long-lasting relationships with its customers. And even when this landmark has been realised, it only takes one false step or wrong move for a trusted bond to break. Nevertheless, follow these five tips, tricks and tactics to create loyal customers and you’ll be able to reap the profound rewards.   Create incentives and reward your customers One of the best ways to keep customers coming back is to acknowledge repeat purchases, introduce ways of encouraging further sales and reward their brand allegiance. You probably have a fair few loyalty cards for your favourite supermarket or coffee shop. Spend enough cash at these outlets and you’ll receive money off your next grocery shop or a complementary drink. The trick here is to acknowledge and appreciate the fact that consumers are choosing to ignore the competition, regardless of quality and price. If you neglect your customers, it won’t take long for them to look elsewhere. On top of that, rivals are bound to be to on the lookout for new clientele too. Here at Wranx, we know how important rewarding people is and this is why it is integrated into our gamification training solution. If an employee gets a question right, they unlock a new achievement and strive to achieve more awards. This keeps motivation levels high, enhances engagement and increases their chances of learning. If a member of staff is engaged with training, they are more likely to be actively interested in customers, which is another way of increasing loyalty.   Be transparent about company news and announcements Not long ago, if a company was involved in an embarrassing, delicate or tricky situation, it could probably sweep it under the rug fairly easily. But now things like social media means almost everything is out in the open and any organisation can ill afford to hide away or twist the truth. So, when it comes to reporting news and announcements, whether it’s good or bad, remember to be honest and transparent. This honourable and morally correct stance will be greeted with continued faith in your business and ultimately, ongoing sales. Just remember, if you are unveiling a new promotion for recently acquired customers, don’t forget existing clientele too. They are just as pivotal to the success of the business.   Communicate like a person, not a corporation In order to build customer loyalty, you need to build a relationship based on familiarity and trust. However, if all of your outbound communication sounds like it is coming from a faceless corporation instead of an approachable human being, this becomes incredibly difficult. Therefore, whether you’re sending out an email newsletter or posting a social media update, don’t forget to inject some personality. Adding a personal touch to your dealings with customers can also be the difference between loyalty and unfaithfulness. For example, if you have a database of your clientele’s birthdays and send out a best wishes email with their name on it, you might benefit more from simply offering a percentage off purchases that day. These personable and distinctive techniques will increase your chances of attracting loyal customers.   Pay close attention to the customer’s buying experience Some customers will make a purchase based on price, others are more concerned by quality, but most consumers want to have a positive and affirming buying experience. Research indicates that 70 per cent of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated. But when you take into account that 89 per cent of consumers have stopped buying from a business after experiencing poor customer service, you start to realise how consequential it can be. Therefore, try your hardest to ensure every part of the buying experience is as good as it can be. From browsing for products online or in a physical environment to aftersales care and customer service, each piece of the puzzle is equally important. Only when you complete this jigsaw will consumers recognise the effort you’ve put in just for them. As a result, loyal customers should become a regular occurrence.   Listen to your customers and make changes accordingly No matter how successful your business may be, there is always going to be room for improvement. Even if you believe you’re in the best position to make any changes or alterations, it could very well be a customer suggestion that has the potential to improve daily operations. However, turning a blind eye to these recommendations or disregarding the importance of your customers’ opinion will have a detrimental impact on loyalty. You might not agree with what your clientele is saying, but the very least you can do is acknowledge it. And if an abundance of customers are saying the same thing, then it is probably time to change your ways. By letting everybody know that you amended or improved an aspect of your business based on feedback, existing customers and prospective consumers are bound to be more willing to make a purchase. Image By: 10ch - CC BY 2.0 Share this post with your own audience

Highly effective learning and development professionals have seven habits which define the learning process within an organisation. The habits are intertwined with the very foundations of organisations and they promote stellar learning culture and work ethic.   Our research has uncovered what these common traits are.   1. Professionals understand communication is key Learning and development culture must be an integral part of an organisation, which means the communication of the importance of learning starts from the hiring process; employees need to understand and recognise that continuing professional development is key to their being respected and valued within an organisation and that only through continued learning can they continuously perform at their best. Communicating effectively is one of the biggest habits of highly effective learning and development professionals, for supporting learning and rewarding employees who seek to be the best and gain new knowledge and skills is the key to growing a highly talented workforce.   2. Professionals trust management It is much harder to learn and gain new knowledge and skills as an employee if there is no trust with those in management. Employees will invest their time into learning initiatives if they trust and believe in their manager to support them, but without that support and recognition professionals can and will elope from continued development. Within corporate organisations, this is a challenge, for it is only natural for managers to think about their own position when other professionals start to gain new skills and knowledge. However, corporate organisations must overcome this challenge, as without trust there can be no aspiring for advancement which translates to a lack of take-up on learning initiatives.   3. Professionals take risks For the vast majority of employees, the biggest lessons learned will come from risk-taking. This is a habit among learning and development professionals that should be encouraged, but only with risks that don’t directly affect business operations. At a minimum, mistakes made by employees should be addressed by the manager in non-punitive conversation. Whatever the result of risk-taking (a screw-up or success), employees learn best from risk-taking by sitting down and examining what happened, what can be learnt, and what should be done in the future. Many valuable lessons can be learnt from failure and success, and organisations would be wise to not slam employees who wish to take a risk.   4. Professionals like to engage with others Every stakeholder; employees, customers, business partners, investors; within an organisation will have something to offer to the collective wisdom of an organisation. These stakeholders need to be engaged to find out what they know and how that knowledge can benefit others, but also to find out what they don’t know, so a learning initiative can be applied. Engaging with stakeholders on a one-to-one basis, or in groups, is a great way to share knowledge. Learning and development professionals benefit from engagement massively for it promotes creativity and forward-thinking, and it will offer up plenty of information about individual performance, team work, organisational decisions, plus much more.   5. Professionals value feedback and reflection In a learning culture, feedback is essential. Feedback on what learning professionals do, and feedback on what needs to be done to improve, is an integral part of the learning process for it promotes reflection and professional improvement. It is at this stage that targets and KPIs can be applied to the learning and development initiative to help employees get the most out of their work. Organisations need to remember that the majority of learning happens when people talk to one another and share their experiences about problem-solving, planning, and more. Communicating with other professionals and giving feedback on learning is a common habit among learning and development professionals.   6. Professionals support social learning The modern learning culture is radically different to the learning culture of ten years ago. Now, it is an accepted practice for a workforce to support one another for individual, team, and organisational learning. Social learning isn’t simply about talking to one another, though; it’s about learning through observation and direct instruction, two methods of learning which form an integral part of the social learning theory. Social learning in the informal sense, such as coaching, mentoring, and experiments, are the most engaging types of learning for highly effective learning and development professionals. In a modern organisation, this type of learning is highly structured.   7. Professionals value time In a learning culture, professionals understand that time management is essential, but also that there is no better use of one’s time than learning or helping other people to learn. Highly effective learning and development professionals believe that learning is the key to success, and therefore they plan their entire week around learning initiatives. This is great for organisations because professionals ‘get into the books’ without any pressing and have the drive to achieve great things. 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